Quinta Brunson to receive Temple’s prestigious Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Award

Abbott Elementary is getting college-level props.

Quinta Brunson, star and creator of the award-winning ABC sitcom is the recipient of Temple University’s prestigious 2024 Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Award.

The West Philadelphia native will return to her hometown on May 7 to receive the award following a panel discussion and conversation with students.

The Lew Klein Award is inspired by the legacy of media educator and broadcast pioneer Lew Klein. Klein, who helped develop American Bandstand and the Action News format that made 6ABC a powerhouse, died in 2019. Each year Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication department presents the award to a media luminary whose work inspires students, said David Boardman, dean of Klein College.

“We are thrilled to welcome Quinta back to her hometown and to Temple,” Boardman said. “Lew Klein was a trailblazer and by awarding Quinta this award, we are continuing his legacy in a modern and contemporary way.”

Past recipients include Oscar and Grammy-winning musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, actress and producer Tina Fey, sports icon Charles Barkley, and talk show host Tam’ron Hall.

Brunson, who attended Klein College in the 2010s, got her start on Temple University Television’s comedy show, Temple Smash. She won best lead actress in a comedy series at this year’s Emmy Awards. She is only the second Black woman to win the best comedic actress nod. Isabelle Sanford won in 1981 for her role as Louise Jefferson, in The Jeffersons.

The Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Awards ceremony will also honor seven prominent alumni: Nancy Becker and Pam Derderian, 1982 graduates and executives at boutique marketing agency 15 Minutes Inc.; Cherri Gregg, a 2012 graduate and WHYY anchor; John Kincade, a 1986 graduate and host of The John Kincade Show on 97.5, The Fanatic; and Dylan Purcell, a 2000 graduate and investigative reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer.