Quinta Brunson

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Quinta Brunson
Born (1989-12-21) December 21, 1989 (age 31)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation
  • Comedian
  • writer
  • producer
Years active2014–present
Notable work
Abbott Elementary

Quinta Brunson (born December 21, 1989)[1] is an American writer, producer, comedian, and actress. Brunson gained prominence for her self-produced Instagram series Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date. She went on to produce and act in content for BuzzFeed Video, and developed two streaming series with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures.

Since leaving BuzzFeed in 2018, Brunson has acted in the series iZombie, provided voice work for Lazor Wulf and Magical Girl Friendship Squad, and starred in the first season of the HBO sketch comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show. She is also the creator and star of the ABC comedy Abbott Elementary.[2][3][4][5]

Early life and education[]

Brunson was born and raised in West Philadelphia.[6] She has described herself as "obsessed" with comedy from the time she attended the ,[7] and nurtured her interest by taking an improv class.[8] She attended Temple University and took classes at Second City in Chicago her sophomore year. She dropped out of school shortly after to pursue a career in comedy.[9]

Career[]

Career beginnings: Instagram & BuzzFeed (2014-2017)[]

Brunson originally garnered fans online by posting comedic videos to her Instagram in 2014.[10] In particular, her Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date series went viral and grew her digital fan base.[10][11][1] She then worked as a video producer for BuzzFeed Video after first freelancing for the company.[12] Her videos primarily focused on problems experienced by twenty-somethings.[13]

In 2016, Brunson sold two web series as a development partner with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures:[14] one scripted comedy called Broke for Youtube Red, which she wrote, produced, and starred in;[3][15] the second, Up for Adoption, was produced by Verizon's go90 video platform, which she also starred in.[11] Brunson's performance in Broke was nominated for Best Acting in a Comedy at the Streamy Awards in 2017.[16]

Post-Buzzfeed: Television work (2018-present)[]

Shortly after Brunson left BuzzFeed in 2018,[1] she co-starred in her first network pilot, the CW pilot The End of the World as We Know It,[4] but the show was not picked up by the network. She also wrote and produced a series called Quinta vs. Everything that streamed on Facebook Watch from 2017 to 2018.[9][1] On October 4, 2018, it was announced that a pilot co-produced by Brunson, Larry Wilmore, and Jermaine Fowler would be developed by CBS into a multi-cam comedy called Quinta & Jermaine.[5] The pilot would star Fowler and Brunson as longtime friends who must deal with an unplanned pregnancy, however, the show was not picked up.[17]

In 2019, she appeared as Dr. Charli Collier and her twin sister, Laila, on the supernatural comedy-drama series iZombie, and also voiced multiple characters in the animated series Lazor Wulf.[18] That fall, Brunson began to co-star and write in the HBO sketch comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show, alongside Robin Thede, Gabrielle Dennis, and Ashley Nicole Black;[19] but she left the second season due to scheduling conflicts.[20] In 2020, Brunson co-starred in the Syfy animated series Magical Girl Friendship Squad, opposite Anna Akana.[21]

In 2021, Brunson appeared in a recurring role on the third season of Miracle Workers,[22] and in May, Brunson's single-camera pilot (previously titled Harrity Elementary) was picked up by ABC with the new title Abbott Elementary.[23][24] Brunson is also a lead cast member and co-executive producer.[22] The series premiered on December 7, 2021.[25]

Her debut book, She Memes Well, a collection of essays about her personal life and career, was released June 15, 2021.[26]

Personal life[]

Brunson is engaged to be married.[27]

Filmography[]

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Broke Miloh Web series; creator and producer[14]
2017 Up for Adoption Michelle go90 streaming series; creator[14]
2017–2018 Quinta vs. Everything Quinta Web series; creator and producer[9]
2018 New Girl Annabelle 1 episode[28]
2018–2020 Single Parents Bess Recurring role (3 episodes)[29]
2019 iZombie Dr. Charlie Collier / Laila Recurring role (3 episodes)[18]
2019 A Black Lady Sketch Show Various characters Main cast, writer[19]
2019–2021 Big Mouth Quinta / Girl (voice) 4 episodes[29]
2019–2021 Lazor Wulf Blazor Wulf / various roles Main cast[18]
2020 Magical Girl Friendship Squad Alex (voice) Main cast[21]
2021 Miracle Workers Trig Recurring role[22]
2021 Abbott Elementary Janine Teagues Main cast, creator, writer, and producer[24]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
2020 An American Pickle Female Interviewee[30]
2021 As of Yet Lyssa[31]

Awards and nominations[]

Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Streamy Awards 2017 Best Acting in a Comedy Herself Nominated [7]

Bibliography[]

  • She Memes Well, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, publication date June 15, 2021, ISBN 9781328638984

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Quinta Birthday Tweet". Okayplayer. 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  2. ^ Searles, Jourdain (2019-08-02). "Robin Thede Is Changing the Game With A Black Lady Sketch Show". www.vulture.com. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  3. ^ a b "Quinta Brunson". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  4. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (2018-02-21). "'The End Of The World As We Know It': Quinta Brunson To Star In CW Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  5. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (2018-10-04). "Jermaine Fowler, Quinta Brunson, Larry Wilmore Team for Multi-Cam Comedy at CBS". Variety. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  6. ^ Williams, Dee (2016-10-11). "JET Chats It Up With Comedian Quinta Brunson". Jet. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  7. ^ a b Cineas, Fabiola. "Quinta Brunson on Becoming an Internet Comedy Star — and Getting Paid". Philly Magazine. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  8. ^ "You Can't Put Quinta Brunson in a Box". Vulture. 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  9. ^ a b c "Quinta Brunson explains it all". espnW. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  10. ^ a b "Why Quinta Brunson Isn't Afraid To Stand Out". The FADER. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  11. ^ a b "Quinta Brunson Internet Comedian". Essence. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  12. ^ Hamedy, Saba. "BuzzFeed's Quinta Brunson makes YouTube Red debut with 'Broke'". Mashable. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  13. ^ "BuzzFeed Star Quinta Brunson Sees the Comedy in Being Broke". Vogue. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  14. ^ a b c "BuzzFeed Motion Pictures Sells Two Quinta Brunson Series". www.thewrap.com. 2016-09-07. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  15. ^ Dry, Jude (2016-10-07). "Quinta Brunson's 'Broke' Celebrates Black Friendship, Brings The Buzzfeed Touch To YouTube Red". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  16. ^ "Vlogger Casey Neistat, Web Series 'Mr. Student Body President' Lead Nominations for 2017 Streamys". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  17. ^ Josephs, Brian (2019-09-26). "NEXT: Quinta Brunson Is Going To Have It Her Way". Vibe. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  18. ^ a b c Otterson, Joe (2021-02-16). "Quinta Brunson to Write, Star in ABC Comedy Pilot 'Harrity Elementary'". Variety. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  19. ^ a b Ewing, Aliya Semper. "A Black Lady Sketch Show Reveals a Cast Ready to Make You Laugh". The Grapevine. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  20. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (2021-03-23). "'A Black Lady Sketch Show': HBO Sets Season 2 Premiere Date For Robin Thede Sketch Comedy Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  21. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (2020-01-17). "Syfy Ramps Up Animation Push With First Original Series & Pilot Orders For New TZGZ Block". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  22. ^ a b c Petski, Denise (2021-05-27). "Quinta Brunson Joins Season 3 Of TBS' 'Miracle Workers' As Recurring". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  23. ^ "Quinta Brunson to write, star in ABC comedy pilot 'Harrity Elementary'". NBC News. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  24. ^ a b Petski, Denise (2021-03-26). "Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, 3 More Join Quinta Brunson In Her ABC School Comedy Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  25. ^ Han, Angie (2021-12-07). "ABC's 'Abbott Elementary': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  26. ^ White, Brooklyn. "Quinta Brunson Reveals Title Of Debut Book—'She Memes Well'". Essence. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  27. ^ Halabian, Layla (2021-06-15). "Comedian And Writer Quinta Brunson Memed So Well She Wrote A Book About It". Nylon. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  28. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2018-10-04). "CBS Nabs Jermaine Fowler & Quinta Brunson Parenting Comedy From Larry Wilmore With Production Commitment". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  29. ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (2021-02-16). "Quinta Brunson-Led Teacher Comedy Moving Forward at ABC". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  30. ^ "Jodie Whittaker waxes nostalgic about Glastonbury '98 on The Line-Up". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  31. ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (2021-06-15). "'As of Yet': Film Review | Tribeca 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-12-08.

External links[]

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