Ali Barthwell
{{Short description|American writer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ali Barthwell
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| education = Wellesley College (BA)
| other_names =
| occupation = Writer
| years_active = 2016–present
| known_for =
| notable_works = Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (staff writer)
| awards = Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (2021; 2022)
}}
Ali Barthwell is an American writer. She reviews television for Vulture and is a staff writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
Life and career
Barthwell was born and raised in Chicago. Both of her parents are physicians. She received her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in 2010, where she was the co-president of the improv group Dead Serious.{{Cite web|title=From Dead Serious to John Oliver: The Comedy Journey of the Emmy-Nominated Ali Barthwell '10|url=http://www.wellesley.edu/news/2021/stories/node/189981|access-date=2022-02-22|website=Wellesley College|date=16 July 2021 |language=en}} Shortly after graduating she won a scholarship to train in improv and sketch comedy at Second City.{{cite news |last1=Ryzik |first1=Melena |title=Second City Is Trying Not to Be Racist. Will It Work This Time? |work=The New York Times |date=12 August 2020 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/12/movies/second-city-black-lives-matter.html |access-date=22 February 2022}} She was inspired to apply after seeing Amber Ruffin perform on the Second City Mainstage.
She has written television recaps and reviews for Vulture since 2016.{{cite web |title=Ali Barthwell |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critics/ali-barthwell/movies |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=22 February 2022}} She has recapped programs including Empire, How to Get Away with Murder, and productions from The Bachelor franchise.{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Samantha |title=Gen Z leads LGBT shift |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/post-reports/gen-z-leads-lgbt-shift/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=22 February 2022}}
Along with her two brothers and two friends, Barthwell organized the inaugural WakandaCon in Chicago in August 2018, inspired by the release of Black Panther.{{cite web |last1=Maloney |first1=Devon |title=How the first Wakandacon escaped the fan convention curse |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/13/17677296/wakandacon-convention-chicago-black-panther-wakanda |website=The Verge |date=13 August 2018 |access-date=22 February 2022}} The event was received positively and drew approximately 2,500 attendees. Barthwell connected the event to afrofuturism and described WakandaCon as "a space for Black people to look past the present and into our future."{{cite web |last1=Gibbs |first1=Adrienne |title='Come Find Your Tribe': WakandaCon Takes Over Chicago And 'Black Panther' Fans Rejoice |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/adriennegibbs/2019/07/24/come-find-your-tribe-wakandacon-takes-over-chicago-and-black-panther-fans-rejoice/ |website=Forbes |access-date=22 February 2022}}
She joined the writing staff of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in 2020. Barthwell won successive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 2021 and 2022 for her work.{{cite web |last1=Lee Yandoli |first1=Krystie |title=Here Are The Winners Of The 2021 Emmy Awards |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/krystieyandoli/emmy-awards-2021-winners |website=Buzzfeed News |date=20 September 2021 |access-date=22 February 2022}}
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year ! Award ! Category ! Nominated work ! Result ! {{abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |
| align="center"| 2021
| rowspan="3"| Primetime Emmy Awards | rowspan="3"| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series | rowspan="6" | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | {{won}} |
| align="center"| 2022
| {{won}} |
| align="center"| 2023
| {{pending}} | |
| align="center"| 2021
| rowspan="3" | Writers Guild of America Awards | rowspan="3" | Comedy/Variety Talk Series | {{nom}} |
| align="center"| 2022
| {{nom}} |
| align="center"| 2023
|{{won}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=nm8457996}}
- [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critics/ali-barthwell/movies Ali Barthwell] on Rotten Tomatoes
- [https://twitter.com/wtflanksteak Ali Barthwell] on Twitter
{{EmmyAward ComedyVarietyMusicWriting 2020s}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barthwell, Ali}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:American women television writers
Category:American television writers
Category:Wellesley College alumni
Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners
Category:21st-century American writers
Category:21st-century American women writers
Category:21st-century African-American writers