Jana Schmieding

{{short description|American comedian, actor, podcaster, and writer}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Jana Schmieding

| image = Jana Schmieding on Native Voice One.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Schmieding in 2022

| birth_name =

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe{{cite news |title=Native Bidaské with Rutherford Falls' Star Jana Schmieding |url=https://nativenewsonline.net/arts-entertainment/watch-native-bidaske-with-rutherford-falls-star-jana-schmieding |accessdate=July 19, 2022 |website=Native News Online |date=June 21, 2022}}

| other_names =

| occupation = Comedian, actor, podcaster, writer

| years_active = 2017–present

| known_for =

| notable_works = Rutherford Falls, Reservation Dogs

}}

Jana Schmieding is a Native American (Cheyenne River Lakota) comedian, actor, podcaster, and writer. She is best known for her roles hosting the podcast Woman of Size, and as a writer and actor on the sitcom Rutherford Falls, and an actor on Reservation Dogs.

Early life

Schmieding is a Lakota woman who grew up in Canby, Oregon, where she says she was raised "pretty traditionally in the Lakota ways."{{Cite web |date=2021-10-06 |title=Native Voice: Jana Schmieding, Rutherford Falls {{!}} Around the O |url=https://around.uoregon.edu/content/native-voice-jana-schmieding-rutherford-falls |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=around.uoregon.edu |language=en}}

Schmieding grew up in Canby, Oregon, which had a primarily white population. As a result, she faced discrimination throughout her childhood. She states that she often educated her teachers about native culture more than they taught her. She credits her mother for her strong will and willingness to stand up for herself and her people.

As a child, Schmieding loved comedy. She shared that when she was a child she would invite her friends over and they would make silly, comedic videos on camcorders. She also enjoyed sketching comedic drawings from a young age.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-15 |title=What the Chuck? {{!}} A Conversation with Native Lab Fellow Jana Schmieding - sundance.org |url=https://www.sundance.org/blogs/what-the-chuck-a-conversation-with-native-lab-fellow-jana-schmieding/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |language=en-US}}

= Native background =

Schmieding is a Lakota woman. Her people are from Cheyenne River in the plains.

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe is made up of four of the traditional seven bands of the Lakota Nation. The four bands included are the Plants by the Water or Mnicoujou, Sans Arc or Itazipco, Black Foot or Sihasapa, and Two Kettles or Oohenumpa. The reservation is the fourth largest Indian Reservation in the United States, at 1.4 million acres.{{Cite web |title=Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe |url=https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/trip-ideas/article/cheyenne-river-sioux-tribe |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Travel South Dakota |language=en}}

College

Schmieding graduated from the University of Oregon in 2005 with a degree in theater arts. During her time in college, Schmieding participated and was a leader in many student organizations. She was the co-director of the Multicultural Center and was a member of the Native American Student Union. During this time she has stated that many of her duties involved collaborating with many different ethnic, cultural, and student unions. She also planned events and became an activist. Schmieding credits her time at the University of Oregon for discovering her love for activism in collaboration with people of color on a public scale.

Schmieding also participated in theater events throughout her time at the university. She performed in the musical Chicago. She also performed in the play Wild Nights, where she played the role of lesbian Emily Dickinson.

Career

=Post-college=

After college, Schmieding moved to New York City to pursue her acting dreams. To earn a living, she spent ten years teaching middle and high school, while performing improv in the evenings with Magnet Theater.{{cite news |date=2020-03-10 |title=Life and Work with Jana Schmieding |url=http://voyagela.com/interview/life-work-jana-schmieding/ |accessdate=2020-09-10 |website=VoyageLA}}

In 2016, Schmieding moved to Los Angeles, where she worked at an education-related nonprofit and shifted gears from acting to writing. Between 2017 and 2019, Schmieding hosted "Woman of Size," a podcast in which she and guests discussed experiences of discrimination related to body size.{{cite news |last1=Byrne |first1=Matt |title=Funny Human of the Week: Jana Schmieding |url=https://brightestyoungthings.com/articles/funny-human-of-the-week-jana-schmieding |accessdate=2020-09-10 |website=Brightest Young Things |date=2020-01-15}}{{cite web |title=Woman of Size |url=https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/whohaha/woman-of-size |website=Stitcher |accessdate=2020-09-10}}

=''Rutherford Falls''=

After three years of working on her writing, Schmieding was hired as one of 12 writers on Rutherford Falls, a Peacock original sitcom. The show focuses on relationships between characters in a Northeastern town and the Indian reservation it borders.{{cite news |last1=Tennant |first1=Zoe |title=Rutherford Falls brings Indigenous writers together for new NBC sitcom |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/lights-camera-oscars-meet-the-creators-decolonizing-hollywood-1.5450603/rutherford-falls-brings-indigenous-writers-together-for-new-nbc-sitcom-1.5452884 |accessdate=2020-09-10 |website=CBC |date=2020-02-07}}{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Peter |title='Rutherford Falls': Sierra Teller Ornelas Lauds Comedy For Native American Representation As Peacock Series Scheduled To Shoot In Three To Four Weeks |url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/rutherford-falls-sierra-teller-ornelas-native-american-peacock-1203009156/ |accessdate=2020-09-10 |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=2020-08-10}} She was hired by the show's co-creator, Sierra Teller Ornelas (Navajo Nation), who had previously been a guest on Schmieding's podcast. On August 10, 2020, it was announced that Schmeiding would co-star in the show opposite Ed Helms in addition to serving as a writer. She has praised the show for featuring a modern Native woman rather than those confined to the Old West.{{cite web |url=https://brightlightsfilm.com/from-the-squaw-man-to-rutherford-falls-the-rise-of-hollywoods-contemporary-native-american-woman/#.YQxQ6YhKh45 |title=From The Squaw Man to Rutherford Falls: The Rise of Hollywood's Contemporary Native American Woman |first1=Angela |last1=Aleiss |date=August 5, 2021 |website=Bright Lights Film |access-date=August 7, 2021}}

Rutherford Falls launched with its entire first season available on demand on April 22, 2021. Early reviews praised Schmieding's performance on screen. Writing for The A.V. Club, Saloni Gajjar called Schmieding a "breakout performer," saying that "comedy vet [Ed] Helms...meets his match in co-star and relative newcomer Schmieding, who balances his rigor with a down-to-earth and equally captivating performance."{{cite news |last1=Gajjar |first1=Saloni |title=Peacock's Rutherford Falls is a joyous, barrier-breaking addition to the Mike Schur TV universe |url=https://www.avclub.com/peacock-s-rutherford-falls-is-a-joyous-barrier-breakin-1846693501 |access-date=April 20, 2021 |website=The A.V. Club |date=April 19, 2021}} Jen Chaney of Vulture also named Schmieding the show's "breakout star," calling her "a natural."{{cite news |last1=Chaney |first1=Jen |title=Rutherford Falls Reckons Optimistically With America's Flawed Past and Present |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/rutherford-falls-peacock-series-review.html |access-date=April 20, 2021 |website=Vulture |date=April 20, 2021}} In July 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, with Schmieding continuing as both a writer and co-star.{{cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2021/07/08/rutherford-falls-renewed-season-2-peacock-ed-helms/|title=Rutherford Falls Renewed for Season 2|first=Michael|last=Ausiello|work=TVLine|date=July 8, 2021|accessdate=July 8, 2021}} The season premiered on June 16, 2022.{{Cite web|author=Matt Webb Mitovich|date=May 4, 2022|title=Rutherford Falls: Season 2 of Peacock Comedy Gets Drop Date, First Photos|url=https://tvline.com/2022/05/04/rutherford-falls-season-2-release-date-peacock/|access-date=May 5, 2022|website=TV Line}}

Schmieding's role in the series models how she continues to stand true to her roots and educates the world about native culture. The themes conveyed throughout the show, such as American history, race, equality, and social justice. Schmieding and series creator Sierra Teller Ornelas have worked together to bring these issues to the forefront in Hollywood and continue to showcase Indigenous actors, culture, and advocacy through the media.

Rutherford Falls was Schmieding's first professional writing job. Her experiences writing with other Native people shaped the way she perceives writing and created bonds between her and other Natives with shared experiences and backgrounds.

= ''Aunty Chuck'' =

Aunty Chuck is a passion project of Schmieding's that is based loosely on the American comedy Uncle Buck. One of Schmieding's passions is to bring Native actors and culture into the comedy scene as well as bring comedy to Native audiences. This was one of the first film productions that Schmieding had written. She crafted it and had it sponsored and reviewed by Sundance Native Labs, where it was well-received.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-28 |title=Oregon-Raised "Reservation Dogs" Star Jana Schmieding Is Directing a Movie Inspired by "Uncle Buck" |url=https://www.wweek.com/arts/movies/2023/04/27/oregon-raised-reservation-dogs-star-jana-schmieding-is-directing-a-movie-inspired-by-uncle-buck/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Willamette Week |language=en}}

= Other work =

Schmieding appears as Bev, the clinic receptionist and one of the "aunties", in the series Reservation Dogs.{{Cite web|author-last=Allaire |author-first=Christian |publisher=Condé Nast |date=2021-08-09|title=Reservation Dogs Is (Finally) Bringing Indigenous Humor to TV|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/reservation-dogs-is-finally-bringing-indigenous-humor-to-tv|access-date=2021-08-09|website=Vogue|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|publisher=Condé Nast |date=2022-06-21|title=How Bev Became Reservation Dogs' Beloved Snarly Secretary|url=

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/06/awards-insider-making-a-scene-reservation-dogs |website=Vanity Fair|access-date=2022-08-21|language=en-US}}

Filmography

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

2015

|I Love War

|Video short

2016

|Broad City

|Camp Counselor

|Episode: "Game Over"

2016

|Abortion Party

|Michelle

|Short film

2017

|Blast

|Diva

|Television miniseries

2018

|New Growth

|Short film

2019

|Rom-Commentary

|Jana

|Video short

2021–22

|Rutherford Falls

|Reagan Wells

|Main role, also writer

2021–23

|Reservation Dogs

|Bev, Clinic Receptionist

|9 episodes

2023

|Spirit Rangers

|Vulture, Detzy, Mom Goose, Ruby, Nanuq

|Voice, 3 episodes{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Jana-Schmieding/|title=Jana Schmieding (visual voices guide)|work=Behind The Voice Actors|access-date=January 17, 2024|type= A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information}}

2023

|Clone High

|Sacagawea

|Voice{{cite web |last=Clarendon |first=Dan |date=March 25, 2023 |title=Clone High First Look: See Who's Joining the Cast and Which Character Is Gone |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/1086791/clone-high-hbo-max-first-look-cast-details/ |access-date=April 7, 2023 |work=TV Insider}}

2024

|Echo

|Nita

|Episode: "Lowak"

2025

|Dog Man

|Janet

|Voice{{cite web |title=Dog Man (2025) |url=https://tylermovies.com/movie/dog-man/ |website=Tyler Movies |access-date=4 March 2025}}