Quinta Brunson Reflected on Her Digital Beginnings at IndieWire Honors

Quinta Brunson knows everyone. At least, that’s the impression you get watching the beloved “Abbott Elementary” creative take the stage at Citizen News to accept the IndieWire Honors Visionary Award on June 6 in Hollywood. (Watch a video of her on our red carpet above.)

“I like that you don’t have to wait to see if you’re going to win,” the multi-hyphenate TV talent said of the night, kicking off a light-hearted acceptance speech that lit up the room. “The other exciting thing about this show was the people who were being honored. Everyone is someone that I’m a fan of. It sure was nice to see Carol Burnett again!”

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Brunson quipped with the other comedians in attendance, including host Alex Edelman and Innovation Award recipient John Mulaney, while playfully chatting with her friends and “Abbott Elementary” colleagues seated in the front row. Of writer Brittani Nichols, Brunson pointed out in her speech, “She’s really smart. She went to Yale. Yale, right? Harvard? Yale.”

Thanking her friend Kate Peterman, who came up with Brunson and was close to the eventual Outstanding Comedy Actress at her “brokest,” the award winner joked, “I would say hire her, but she’s working for me right now so like… chill out.” Brunson also thanked Lizzy Darrell, who was at the ceremony and was promoted from assistant to writer while working on the show Brunson says has become a “community.”

With four wins and 11 more nominations on record heading into the 2024 Emmys, “Abbott Elementary” has already established Brunson as a force of nature in network television. Her workplace comedy — which the charismatic lead not only stars in but also executive produces — reestablished the half-hour sitcom as a viable attraction for weekly audiences. The mockumentary about a public school in Philadelphia has managed to stay fresh across three seasons, wrapping up its latest batch of episodes with 2.6 million viewers watching the Season 3 finale live.

“IndieWire was one of the first publications to consider ‘Abbott’ a good comedy on television, that’s really important to me,” Brunson said in her speech. “It’s an honor to get this award. IndieWire has been such a big part of my career, not just when ‘Abbott’ took off, but when I was doing work primarily in digital. I think that this publication has the best eye for spotting new voices and new talent and supporting them and helping them grow.”

Brunson’s considerable accomplishments recommend her background as a social media-born humorist. She broke out on Instagram before landing a gig at BuzzFeed and continues to survey the digital landscape with the same keen eye she brings to television.

“You guys don’t have a pay wall yet, so I don’t have to pay for you yet, but I would if I had to because I do think you guys are actually doing a great job at really spotting the talent that’s out there and supporting them and writing real articles,” Brunson said of IndieWire. “Not clickbait, not fluff, but real interrogative pieces about the work that a lot of us are doing. For that, I’m just appreciative.”

Watch Brunson on our red carpet above.

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