Here's How Quinta Brunson Made It Big In Hollywood

Publish date: 2024-08-16

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Quinta Brunson Started As A Meme

From BuzzFeed To The Big Screen

Brunson's Memoir, She Memes Well

The Success Of Abbott Elementary

Quinta Brunson is known for starring, writing, and creating the ABC mockumentary, Abbott Elementary. However, her road to stardom wasn't as quick as it may appear. The award-winning actress, writer, and woman who can do it all, became a phenomenon in the early days of social media, but it wasn't without hard work. Like other female comedians like Whitney Cummings, Brunson tried various avenues of comedy to get her voice and name out. Alongside high-paid comedians like Chelsea Handler and Ali Wong, Brunson has finally made a name for herself in Hollywood.

According to The Tab, early on the Philadelphia native dropped out of Temple University to pursue her comedy dream and worked at the Apple Store to save money before moving to Los Angeles, and it was in Los Angeles where Brunson's future unfolded.

Quinta Brunson Started As A Meme

Via Know Your Meme

Brunson's fame was widespread in 2014 when she started posting sketches to her Instagram, according to BuzzFeed. The sketch series she created, Girl Who's Never Been on a Nice Date, went viral thanks to her catchphrase "Oh, he got money!" After she went viral for her series and the memes that went along with it, she finally moved to Los Angeles.

It was in Los Angeles where Brunson was able to expand on her comedic genius. She started performing at successful comedy clubs like The Laugh Factory and started working at BuzzFeed producing and creating video content for the site. Her skits made Brunson well-known on the Internet, giving her a head start in the professional world of acting.

From BuzzFeed To The Big Screen

A Promo Image for Quinta Vs. Everything

Like some of the biggest comedians in the world, Brunson hopped around Los Angeles, dipping her toes in different avenues of comedy to make it big. With the help of a successful career at BuzzFeed, she eventually sold shorts to different platforms like YouTube's subscription-based platform, YouTube Red, and Facebook.

Her series Quinta vs. Everything was a standout, focusing on her hilarious ways of dealing with life's troubles. Her series Broke only lasted one season on YouTube Red but was enough to get her on other big-name shows. She was in an episode of New Girl, the series Single Parents, and did the voice of Blazor Wolf in the animated series, Lazor Wolf. Her big break was in the HBO sensation, A Black Lady Sketch Show, which won two Primetime Emmy Awards. Her slow and steady jog toward stardom became real with the creation of Abbott Elementary.

Brunson's Memoir, She Memes Well

Around the same time Abbott Elementary came out, Brunson released a memoir and series of essays about her life and career. Titled She Memes Well: Essays, it wasn't a book on the New York Times Best Seller's List, but it's picking up traction now that Abbott Elementary is on its second season.

In the autobiography, Brunson talked about her childhood in West Philadelphia and how her becoming a meme allowed her to grow as a comedian, writer, and actress, according to an interview with LA Times. Moving to Los Angeles gave her a new identity that she liked, but she explained her appreciation for the city that raised her, and later, became the medium of her award-winning show. Just like her shows and skits, Brunson's voice can be heard through the pages as her book is as open and authentic as she is.

The Success Of Abbott Elementary

In 2021, Abbott Elementary was released on ABC and became known worldwide. The mockumentary is well on its way to becoming one of the most profitable sitcoms as it tells the tale of underpaid but hardworking teachers at Philadelphia's Abbott Elementary. In an interview with NPR, Brunson said the show is based on her own elementary school with her mom at the heart of it. Brunson noted as hard as being a teacher was in an inner-city school, she loved what she did. Likewise, the show is named after her sixth-grade teacher, Ms. Abbott.

The love and care that Brunson and the cast put into Abbott Elementary is apparent, especially with Brunson as the show's star, showrunner, and creator. The series released season two in 2022 and has already been greenlit by the network for a third season, according to Cosmopolitan. The comedy within the series and underlying messages of hope and equality have won the cast a Primetime Emmy, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe, among many others. As of this article's publishing, Brunson's only project lined up is focusing on season 3 of Abbot Elementary, but there's no doubt that her stardom is only beginning to shine.

Sources: IMDB, The Wrap, Emmys, Amazon