Feisty Female Friday: Quinta Brunson

The FFF this week is Quinta Brunson.

Quinta is an American actress, writer, and producer who was born and grew up in Philadelphia. As a child, she participated in gymnastics and dance classes. Her interest in comedy began at a young age, when she began imitating television characters for her elder siblings, always making them laugh. She attended high school and college in Philadelphia, practiced improvisational comedy there, and studied communications.

While in school, she traveled to Chicago for an improv course and attended a sketch-writing workshop, soon deciding to leave college to pursue a comedy career in LA where she joined a local improv comedy group. She debuted her character the “Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date” video which was a hit and urged on by her friends, recorded additional short video clips of herself in this character and posted them on social media where she rapidly amassed a following.

She soon participated in BuzzFeed videos for a YouTube channel and was given a fellowship at the media company. Quinta continued to be a feature on their YouTube channel and was promoted to junior producer where she created a BuzzFeed short comedy series.

After leaving BuzzFeed, she guest starred in a few TV series and next created, Abbott Elementary, which was largely inspired by her mother’s 40-year teaching career, a workplace mockumentary which follows a group of dedicated teachers at a predominantly Black elementary school in Philadelphia. The show became very successful, garnering her Emmys for outstanding writing and for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series. She was the first Black actress to win the latter category in more than four decades.

Her charity work supports Philadelphia school students. The Quinta Brunson Fund for Field Trips donates funds for the city so that all students can have enriching field trips to Philadelphia museums and landmarks and sponsors wellness programs for food insecurity for school children and their families. These programs helped her just as she now wants to help the children of Philadelphia,

She is married to Kevin Jay Anik and lives in Philadelphia and LA.