TUCSON, Ariz. - TelAve -- Joseph Neibich — actor, producer, writer, and Tucson Weekly's 2025 Best Comedian — has never been one to take the ordinary path. From bartending for "sexy people" in Beverly Hills to running a film festival and sharing the stage with comedy giants, his career has been a whirlwind of unexpected turns. Now, with Lights Off, he steps boldly into the world of genre filmmaking, blending horror and humor in a short film that asks the question: what if your haunting came with red lipstick, horns, and emotional baggage?

In this conversation, Neibich opens up about the blackout that sparked his twisted idea, the circus-like process of bringing it to life, and why the dark is not just scary—it might be into you. Equal parts funny, thoughtful, and delightfully unfiltered, his answers are a reminder that the best stories often come from moments of chaos, a burrito, and a well-timed exorcism.

Patrick Roy, UniversalCinema Magazine (UM): You've had a wild ride through stand-up, Hollywood, and now genre film. What sparked the idea for Lights Off, and how did it come together as both a comedy and horror short?

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Joseph Neibich (JN): Everything I do has a touch of comedy to it, but the concept really came to me quite organically. The idea for LIGHTS OFF came to me out of nowhere —well, technically it was a power outage that came out of nowhere. I was sitting in my apartment during a blackout, armed with nothing but a candle, a half-eaten burrito, and a very active imagination waiting for my girlfriend to come home. And I thought, 'What if the dark isn't just inconvenient… what if it's personal?' From there, the idea spiraled—because of course, the only logical thing to do when you're afraid of the dark is to make a comedy-horror short film about it.

https://universalcinema.net/from-stand-up-to-seductive-demons-a-conversation-with-joseph-neibich-on-lights-off/

https://universalcinema.net/interview-with-joseph-neibich-about-lights-off/

https://www.tucsonweekly.com/cityweek/renaissance-man-the-weeklys-best-comedian-takes-center-stage-36904018/