Martin Amini was just hitting his stride in Los Angeles when the pandemic hit in March of 2020 and forced him to leave his dreams behind and move back in with his family in Montgomery County. The comedian had recently made Thrillist’s “Best Undiscovered Stand Up Comedian list” and had previously opened for headliners such as Trevor Noah, Jerrod Carmichael, and Hasan Minaj.
After over a year of the pandemic and most people staying at home, many businesses that were Martin’s favorite places to perform in D.C. were going out of business– namely Big Hunt and DC Drafthouse., so he decided he would open Room 808 (808 Upshur Street, NW) in DC to try to bring back a space where he and other entertainers could perform.“The art community had been impacted and there was a huge void.” Amini told us. “Those with dreams to grow in the arts were finding their dreams crushed.”