Warner Bros. Television Group announced today that it has signed an overall deal with Emmy®-nominated Abbott Elementary creator/executive producer/star Quinta Brunson. Brunson is currently nominated for three Emmy Awards — Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actress, and Writing — for her work on the first season of Abbott, which received a total of seven nominations.
In keeping with Studio policy, financial terms were not disclosed. WBTVG can confirm that it is an exclusive multiyear agreement that makes WBTVG Brunson’s studio home for new television productions. This marks Brunson’s first overall pact with Warner Bros. or any studio.
Under the terms of the deal, Brunson will continue to serve as executive producer, writer, and star of Abbott Elementary. She developed the acclaimed hit comedy at Warner Bros. Television, which produces the show in association with 20th Television. The series returns for season two on Wednesday, September 21, at 9/8c on ABC. Brunson will also create, develop, and produce original programming for all platforms, including but not limited to Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max, external streaming platforms, cable channels, and the U.S. broadcast networks.
Quinta Brunson said: “I’m excited to expand my long-running creative partnership with Warner Bros. With Abbott as our anchor, I look forward to what we’ll create next.”
Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman Channing Dungey said: “Quinta Brunson is a tour de force and a powerhouse talent, and we are beyond thrilled to be continuing our partnership with her through this new overall deal. What Quinta and her Abbott Elementary team have achieved in the first season is just extraordinary. We cannot wait for season two, and to explore many future projects with her in the coming years. I’m so grateful that Quinta is part of our WBTV family, and I look forward to many more years of successful collaboration.”
The deal continues a relationship with Brunson and the Studio that extends back to 2018, when she was cast in the WBTV pilot The End of the World as We Know It for The CW, from executive producers/writers Justin Halpern & Patrick Schumacker, who later reunited with Brunson for Abbott Elementary. She also recurred in the WBTV/DC drama iZOMBIE for The CW.
Brunson is represented by Authentic Talent & Literary Management, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang, and Persona PR.
Named one of Time 100’s Most Influential People in 2022, Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen Rising Young Stars, and dubbed “the new queen of sitcoms” by New York Magazine, award-nominated actor, producer, and writer Quinta Brunson has quickly made a name for herself as a powerful force and game changer within the entertainment industry.
Brunson recently made history as the first Black woman to receive three comedy Emmy nominations for her smash-hit, ABC series “Abbott Elementary,” which she stars in and serves as creator/showrunner, head writer, and executive producer. The show, inspired by Brunson’s mother who served as a public-school teacher for many years, follows a group of dedicated, passionate teachers brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, are determined to help their students succeed in life. Season one of “Abbott” debuted to critical acclaim and rave reviews as a cultural juggernaut; with media calling it “charming and insightful” (The Atlantic), “the next great network sitcom” (The Hollywood Reporter), “a smart conceit, sharp writing, the right cast…” (Entertainment Weekly), and “should be everyone’s new comedic obsession” (IndieWire), to name a few. The magic of “Abbott Elementary” is not just in the clever writing and stellar comedic performances from the cast, but in Brunson’s ability to shine the light on big issues that plague public education in a real and relatable, yet humorous, way, while encouraging audiences that we can do better. In summer 2022, the show earned a total of seven Emmy nominations from the Television Academy for its freshman season, including Outstanding Comedy Series, with Brunson individually nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. “Abbott Elementary” will debut season two on September 21, 2022, on ABC.
Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Brunson started her entertainment journey at The Second City in Chicago and burst onto the scene in 2014 when the series she created, “The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date,” went viral on YouTube and Instagram, making it one of the first series to gain a mass following on both digital platforms. Since then, Brunson’s original content has continuously gone viral, reaching hundreds of millions of people, and her followers across socials have hit 2.5 million and counting. Brunson’s digital success quickly attracted the attention of BuzzFeed, where she landed an initial job as a video producer. Shortly after, Brunson’s position quickly grew as she sold two web series as a development partner with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures: the scripted comedy “Broke” (which she wrote, produced, and starred in) for YouTube Red and “Up for Adoption,” which was produced by Verizon’s go90. Brunson’s performance in “Broke” was nominated for Best Acting in a Comedy at the 2017 Streamy Awards.
Since leaving BuzzFeed in 2018, Brunson’s career as a multihyphenate talent and creator in Hollywood has skyrocketed. She landed a lead role in The CW pilot “The End of the World as We Know It,” she wrote, produced, and starred in the series “Quinta vs. Everything” for Facebook Watch, and wrote/sold a multi-cam comedy pilot alongside Larry Wilmore and Jermaine Fowler for CBS with ABC Studios. Brunson has also lent her voice to a plethora of projects, including Adult Swim’s “Lazor Wulf” (where she is also a staff writer) and Netflix’s “Big Mouth.” Brunson is also often recognized for starring in the first season of HBO’s award-winning sketch comedy series “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” opposite Robin Thede, Gabrielle Dennis, and Ashley Nicole Black. As an author, Brunson released her bestselling, debut novel “She Memes Well” (HMH Books) in June 2021: a deeply personal and funny collection of essays featuring anecdotes about trying to make it when you’re broke while overcoming self-doubt and depression, brilliantly balances jokes, autobiography, and serious thoughts about the state of the country. “She Memes Well” is currently available for purchase on bookshelves nationwide.
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
