Anna Drezen
{{short description|American writer, actress, and comedian|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Anna Drezen
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| birth_place = Long Island, New York, U.S.
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| occupation = {{hlist|Writer|actress|comedian}}
| years_active = 2013–present
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Anna Drezen is an American writer, actress, and comedian who has written for television comedies like Miracle Workers, Girls5eva, Murderville, and Saturday Night Live, where she served as Head Writer during seasons 46 and 47. She is the creator of the Freeform series Praise Petey.
Personal life
A native of Long Island, Drezen grew up in Massapequa, New York and has identified herself as "half-Jewish."{{cite podcast
| url=https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/HTX8596744514?selected=HTX8288597824
| title='The Haunted House' with Paul F. Tompkins!
| publisher=Forever Dog Podcast Network
| host=Drezen, Farmer
| date=31 October 2019
| time=33:20
| access-date=12 May 2020
}} She graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2010 where she studied drama.{{Cite web|url=https://tisch.nyu.edu/alumni/alumni-news/2019-alumni-emmy-nominations|title=2019 Alumni Primetime Emmy Nominations|website=tisch.nyu.edu|language=en|access-date=2019-10-03}} She subsequently earned a certificate in Shakespeare in Performance from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.{{cite news |url= https://thelaughbutton.com/news/saturday-night-live-hires-seven-new-writers-season-42/ |title="Saturday Night Live" hires seven new writers for season 42 |work=The Laugh Button |date=September 15, 2016 |access-date=May 3, 2019}} Her mother Irene (née Roarke) is a nurse and her father Warren is a pharmacist and the retired Director of Pharmacy at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville, New York;{{Cite web|url=https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/information-for/stay-connected/pharmacy-alumni|title=Pharmacy Alumni {{!}} Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health|website=www.mailman.columbia.edu|date=28 May 2015 |access-date=2019-10-03}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/pharmaceutical_sciences_newsletter_2018.pdf|title=College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Newsletter, Winter 2018|website=mailman.columbia.edu|access-date=2019-10-03}} he accompanied her to the 2019 Emmy Awards show.{{Cite tweet|user=annadrezen|number=1176043201053880322|title=And the Emmy for best pharmacist goes to... wow, *again,* my dad, Warren Drezen!!!!pic.twitter.com/vOvbVOns5A|last=Drezen|first=Anna|date=2019-09-23|access-date=2019-10-03}} Her older brother is comic artist Rich Drezen.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3400889/bio|title=Rich Drezen|website=IMDb|access-date=2019-10-03}} She has a dog named Lady Bird, a Chihuahua-Terrier mix named after the former first lady Lady Bird Johnson.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jul/23/if-i-can-pay-for-dog-food-everything-is-fine-comedians-on-their-pets|title='He humps all the other dogs … I'm his humping accomplice': comedians on their pets|last=Wiegand|first=Chris|date=2019-07-23|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-10-03|language=en-GB}}
Career
Drezen is an editor at large of the feminist humor site Reductress and has co-written the book How to Win at Feminism: The Definitive Guide to Having it All—And Then Some! with the site's founders Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo.{{cite news |last=Kosugi |first=Haruka |url= https://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2018/03/q-a-with-snl-writer-anna-drezen |title=Q&A with SNL writer Anna Drezen |website=The Spectrum |date=March 31, 2018 |access-date=May 3, 2019}}{{cite news |last=Rothfeld |first=Becca |url= https://www.bookforum.com/review/16931 |title=How to Win at Feminism: The Definitive Guide to Having it All—And Then Some! by Beth Newell, Sarah Pappalardo, and Anna Drezen |work=Bookforum |date=December 2, 2016 |access-date=May 3, 2019}} She has also coauthored the book How May We Hate You? with Todd Dakotah Briscoe. The latter book began as a blog inspired by Drezen's time as a hotel concierge in New York City. She has written and performed on Manhattan Neighborhood Network's The Special Without Brett Davis.{{cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Ian |url= https://www.vulture.com/2017/08/on-the-verge-brett-davis.html |title=On the Verge: Brett Davis |work=Vulture |date=August 25, 2017 |access-date=May 3, 2019}} She was editor and writer at humor website Cracked.com until 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bkmag.com/2016/06/03/brooklyns-50-funniest-people-anna-drezen/|title=Brooklyn's 50 Funniest People: Anna Drezen|last=Miller|first=Rachel|date=2016-06-03|website=Brooklyn Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-03}}
She is a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB). Together with fellow UCB performer Taylor Moore,{{Cite web|url=http://www.ucbcomedy.com/user/29441|title=Taylor Moore|website=www.ucbcomedy.com|language=en|access-date=2019-10-03}} Drezen hosted the podcast Ten Ideas from 2013 to 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-ideas/id546943149|title=Ten Ideas on Apple Podcasts|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-us|access-date=2019-10-03}}
Drezen was hired as a staff writer on Saturday Night Live for the show's 42nd season.{{cite news |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Kevin |url= https://screencrush.com/snl-season-42-writers/ |title=SNL Season 42 Adds 'BriTANicK,' Jimmy Kimmel Writer and More |work=ScreenCrush |date=September 14, 2016 |access-date=May 3, 2019}} She was made Supervising Writer for seasons 44 and 45,{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/saturday-night-live-new-writers-season-45-dan-bulla-dan-licata-and-jasmine-pierce-1202747582/|title = 'Saturday Night Live' Adds New Writers for Season 45|date = 29 September 2019}} and since the show's 46th season has served as Head Writer{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/snl-nbc-show-adds-three-featured-players-will-have-limited-audience-jim-carrey-joe-biden-1234578073/|title='SNL': Jim Carrey Set To Play Joe Biden As NBC Show Adds Three Featured Players & Will Have Limited Audience|first=Peter|last=White|work=Deadline|date=September 16, 2020|access-date=September 16, 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Wright |first1=Megh |title=Here's the Writing Staff of Saturday Night Live Season 46 |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/snl-season-46-writers.html |website=Vulture |access-date=December 23, 2021 |language=en-us |date=October 4, 2020}} alongside Michael Che, Colin Jost, and Kent Sublette. Drezen and the SNL writing staff have been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/anna-drezen|title=Anna Drezen|website=Television Academy|language=en|access-date=2019-10-03}}
In 2019, Drezen began hosting the podcast Scary Stories to Tell on the Pod with writer Andrew Farmer,{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scary-stories-to-tell-on-the-pod/id1473318770|title = Scary Stories to Tell on the Pod on Apple Podcasts| date=22 December 2021 }} was a guest on Drunk Women Solving Crime,{{Cite web|url=https://play.acast.com/s/drunkwomen/9091d04c-11c5-453a-9dd4-13efdc5dbb17|title=59 Drunk Women Live: With Anna Drezen|website=acast|date=2 October 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-10-03}} and performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden on 24 September 2019{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/snl-anna-drezen-stand-up-late-late-show.html|title=SNL's Anna Drezen Comes From a Long Line of Murderous Horse Thieves|date=2019-09-24|website=www.vulture.com|last=Wright|first=Megh|access-date=2019-10-03}}
At the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Drezen premiered Okay, Get Home Safe, a one-woman show inspired by her obsession with true crime podcasts.{{cite news |last=Abraham |first=Amelia |url= https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/45647/1/anna-drezen-reductress-snl-okay-get-home-safe-fringe-show |title=Anna Drezen is the comic and former Reductress editor obsessed with murder |work=Dazed |date=August 22, 2019 |access-date=August 25, 2019}}
Drezen has been a writer on shows like Girls5Eva and Miracle Workers, on which she also appeared as an actor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4871432/|title=Anna Drezen|website=IMDb}}
In 2021, Freeform ordered an animated series{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/snls-anna-drezen-mike-judge-greg-daniels-set-star-studded-animated-comedy-at-freeform-1235058939/|title = 'SNL's' Anna Drezen, Mike Judge, Greg Daniels Set Star-Studded Animated Comedy at Freeform|website = The Hollywood Reporter|date = 9 December 2021}} created by Drezen, which she executive produces alongside Greg Daniels, Mike Judge, and Monica Padrick.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/freeform-animated-series-annie-murphy-john-cho-1235129871/|title = Freeform Orders Its First Animated Series with Annie Murphy, John Cho Among Voice Cast|date = 9 December 2021}} Annie Murphy, John Cho, Christine Baranski, Kiersey Clemons, Amy Hill, and Stephen Root led the voice cast. The series was produced by 20th Television Animation, with animation by ShadowMachine. She departed SNL after the December 18, 2021 episode in preparation.{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Peter |title='SNL': Head Writer Anna Drezen Leaving NBC Show To Focus On Freeform's 'Praise Petey' |url=https://deadline.com/2021/12/snl-head-writer-anna-drezen-leaves-nbc-show-freeform-praise-petey-1234901323/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=December 23, 2021 |date=December 23, 2021}} It premiered on July 21, 2023.{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/freeform-cruel-summer-grown-ish-praise-petey-1235585391/ | title=Freeform Sets Premiere Dates for 'Cruel Summer,' 'Grown-ish' and 'Praise Petey' (TV News Roundup) | date=20 April 2023 }} In November 2023, it was announced that Freeform had cancelled the series after 1 season.{{cite web | url=https://tvline.com/news/praise-petey-cancelled-season-2-freeform-statement-1235079326/ | title=Praise Petey Cancelled at Freeform | date=14 November 2023 }}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|4871432}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Drezen, Anna}}
Category:American women comedians
Category:American stand-up comedians
Category:American television writers
Category:Tisch School of the Arts alumni
Category:Upright Citizens Brigade Theater performers
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Comedians from New York (state)