Quinta Brunson never imagined she’d become a real-life Spider-Man.
No, she doesn’t crawl walls and she doesn’t have enhanced strength or speed, but her love for Spider-Man as a child set the groundwork for her passion for creating good work to help others visions come to life. “I’ve always been into helping others,” she tells ESSENCE. “I never set out to be an inspiration, I just try to make good work. I [just] want to drink water and not hurt people.”
Watch any of Brunson’s Buzzfeed videos (we recommend Seeing Your Ex In Public) and you’ll see one of the brand’s youngest content creators (she’s only 27, y’all) doing her thing in a powerful way.
Brunson isn’t your typical writer or video producer. She’s more than that. Her focus is to blur the lines between digital and TV. Her viral Instagram series “The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date” put her on the map, giving her the opportunity to become the development partner at Buzzfeed and even create three shows, and even sell one entitled “Broke,” to YouTube Red.
She’s also a unicorn—she’s a Temple University drop out who appears on a Forbes 30 under 30 list, but she remains humble. “I’ve removed the thought that I’ve made it because it keeps changing,” she says. “Thinking I’ve made it would stunt my growth.
Although the Philadelphia-native has accomplished a lot, Brunson has yet to work with Chris Rock, who tops her list of comedians she’s dying to work with. “Chris Rock is so amazing to me,” she says. “ He does an excellent job at storytelling—he’s done what they say a Black man couldn’t do.”
Brunson’s incredible command of the craft is apparent, but she’s also happy and willing to offer words of advice for future Instagram stars looking to create a viral video.
“It needs to be shocking, and plain ol’ fun to watch,” she says. “Relatability is huge. Remember, people want to see themselves in something.”
Spoken like a true superhero.
