For this Woman Crush Wednesday we are thoroughly crushing on the creative and Emmy award-winning writer, actor, and Philadelphia native Quinta Brunson.
After releasing one of the most successful TV sitcoms of the year in 2022, Quinta is proving that a girl from West Philadelphia has what it takes to make it in Hollywood.
Hailing in from West Philadelphia, Brunson began her journey at Temple University and soon set her sights on LA. Quickly after her move, she had her first taste of fame when a comedy skit she created went viral on social media platforms like Instagram and the late, Vine.
The skit showed Brunson with a mystery man who opted to order large portions from the movie concessions on their date. She has had women coining the phrase “oh he got money!” ever since.
Shortly after becoming an internet personality, she joined Buzzfeed as a junior producer in 2014. Brunson told Cosmopolitan that the first viral video she made for the company came within her first few months at the company. She understood that content that appealed to multiple audiences was more likely to have the furthest reach early in her career at Buzzfeed when one of her videos gained over 12 million views.
“I love that video because people from every single race, creed, and religion were like, ‘Oh my god, this is me!’” Brunson told Cosmopolitan.
Working at Buzzfeed allowed Brunson to venture into writing when her first series titled Broke was picked up by YouTube Red. Brunson also starred in the short series as a character named Miloh who moves to Los Angeles from Philadelphia with 2 friends and their struggle to afford to live in the big city, a story that mirrored her own move to LA.
Her inspiration for creating Abbott Elementary came from two important people in her life, her mother, Norma Jean Brunson, and Joyce Abbott, a former teacher of Brunson.
Joyce Abbott was an educator who spent 25 years in the field. She crossed paths with Brunson in her 6th-grade class. Abbott describes Brunson as determined and she said that she isn’t surprised by the young star’s success.
Abbott Elementary follows a group of teachers at an underfunded school in the Philadelphia school district. Starring Quinta Brunson with Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and more the group of teachers work together in a mockumentary style to ensure that their students have the best education possible.
The debut of the show garnered ABC record-high viewership since their farewell to Modern Family two years prior. Along with exceptional live viewers and streams, the series has earned a long stream of awards including an Emmy for outstanding comedy series, a Golden Globe for best television series, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, and the list goes on.
The most remarkable part of Brunson’s success is that she takes every chance she gets to give back to teachers in need. Providing supplies to students has been a battle that teachers have fought for years, citing the lack of national advocacy for classroom equality. In the 2022-2023 school year teachers are projected to spend more than $800 out of pocket for classroom supplies. In 2022 Brunson donated part of the marketing budget for Abbott Elementary to purchase school supplies for teachers.
It’s safe to say that Abbott Elementary has revived a kind of media that people once loved, but forgot about while also raising awareness for the problems that real teachers face on a day-to-day basis. And with a 99% rotten tomato score, the series is definitely worth the watch!
At only 33 years old Quinta Brunson has made a successful career for herself, and those around her. With so much ahead of her with Abbott Elementary and any other ventures she may pursue we can’t wait to see what’s next for her.
