Quinta Brunson is best known to Generation Z for her role in BuzzFeed videos, creating well known sketches on the YouTube channel. She got started in the acting and comedy world doing stand-up at clubs like The Laugh Factory in Hollywood or Second City in Chicago and then went on to gain popularity at BuzzFeed. She was able to learn a lot in these transformative years of her career, including how to edit and shoot videos, as well as how to properly engage an audience and understand comedy. It was this previous experience that helped her create the well-known and Emmy award-winning show, Abbott Elementary.
Abbott Elementary follows teachers working at an under-funded public school in Philadelphia. Brunson is the star, Janine Teagues, a second grade teacher. The show is a mockumentary style and shines light on problems in public schools while putting a humorous spin on it. It has won an Emmy and regarded highly among those in the field of sitcoms.
There is no doubt that Brunson has clocked in over 10,000 hours when it comes to creating content for people to enjoy. She has put out hundreds of videos, shows, tweets, etc. that have received a lot of global attention. The collective knowledge that she learned from working at BuzzFeed as well as performing at clubs all work together to create the content that she puts out now.
Brunson aims to make this content relatable. BuzzFeed taught her a lot about what she calls the "science of relatability," and the idea that some jokes or concepts can transcend geographic or language barriers. She aims to make her content inclusive and relatable to all that consume it. These relatable ideas come from her own life and her creative process revolves around taking concepts from her own stories and then being able to communicate that with the right team that will take it where it needs to go.
The inspiration from the show comes from her life, like many of her other creative ventures. Her mother was a teacher for 40 years and she saw the impact that her mother had on so many children's lives. She took this idea and ran with it, using the platform to expose how important the role of teachers is and the problems that can arise without proper funding. It somehow is able to beautifully expose the problems with underfunding in public schools while remaining a comedy.
Quinta Brunson has been a creative for quite a while, but is now finally beginning to get the attention she deserves. She has a passion for comedy that continues with every new venture she begins.
Brunson was able to transcend across multiple domains and gain expertise in both, which is quite difficult and rare. Csiksgentmihalyi's Systems Model of Creativity sees creativity as the interaction of the domain, the field, and the person. The person, Brunson, first had a strong hold on the domain of the internet, gaining popularity in that space and then was able to transfer that expertise and credibility to the domain of television. Now, she has gained that same credibility among those in the field of television, as proven by her Emmy win. She will continue to put out creative content, likely reaching even more audiences than before.
Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90694458/7-productivity-secrets-from-stand-up-comedian-quinta-brunson
https://www.gq.com/story/quinta-brunson-abbott-elementary-moty-profile-2022
I've been following Quinta Brunson since she first started at buzzfeed, and it is so rewarding to see all her hard work pay off in a hilarious comedy. I can also appreciate how she was able to "find a problem", the underfunding of public schools, and impart her own spin on the issue and create a truly refreshing sitcom. Although her work may constitute little c creativity, the impact of her show is far-reaching.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching many of her videos on BuzzFeed and I am so glad she is finally getting recognition for her creativity and talent. I had no idea that her mother was a teacher and the inspiration for "Abbott Elementary." Balancing a serious topic like underfunded public schools and their impact on students with comedy must be difficult, but given that she was awarded an Emmy for the show, I would say that she succeeded.
ReplyDeleteI watched Buzzfeed growing up and I loved Quinta. I recently started watching Abbott, and I consider it to be one of the greatest sitcoms made recently. I believe that it could be pro-C creative work, as she is doing it on a large scale, professional basis and she has had a lot of experience in this field. I love that she is bringing in the experiences of children and adults of color and giving their real life experiences a voice.
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