{{short description|American stand-up comedian}} {{Infobox person | name = Adam Quesnell | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Adam Ross Quesnell<ref name=Advocate2005>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2005-12-08 |title=Student plays honored |url= https://red.mnstate.edu/advocate/98 |work= The Advocate |location=Moorhead, Minnesota |volume=35 |number=15|page=6 |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref><ref name=Advocate2006>{{cite news |last= Meehlhause |first=Kellie |date=2006-02-16 |title='Parachutes' wins at festival |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/11008337/february-16-2006-vol-35-no-21-minnesota-state-university- |work= The Advocate |location=Moorhead, Minnesota |access-date= 2021-07-22 |volume=35 |number=21| page = 9}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|29|2011|12|06}}<ref name=DLT2011>{{cite news |last= Benshoof |first= Sam |date=2011-12-06 |title=The beard is back: Locally and in pop culture, facial hair becoming fashionable |url= https://www.dl-online.com/news/565369-beard-back-locally-and-pop-culture-facial-hair-becoming-fashionable |work=Detroit Lakes Tribune |location=Detroit Lakes, Minnesota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> | birth_place = Thief River Falls, Minnesota | pronunciation = quen-NELL | alma_mater = Minnesota State University Moorhead | occupation = Stand-up comedian | known_for = | years_active = 2009-present | website = }} '''Adam Quesnell''' is an American stand-up comedian and screenwriter from Fargo, North Dakota now living in Los Angeles.
Quesnell has released two comedy albums on Stand Up! Records, 2014's ''Can We Afford This Much Despair?'' and 2018's ''Despair 2: Social Justice Warlord'', as well as the 2018 single ''Egghead''.
==Early life== Quesnell was born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, where he graduated from Lincoln High School.<ref name=NorthernWatch2003>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2003-01-25 |title=Moorhead State announces Dean's List students |url=https://archive.org/details/Northern_Watch_Thief_River_Falls_MN_-_2003-01_-_2003-12/page/n1/mode/2up |work=NorthernWatch |location=Thief River Falls, Minnesota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref><ref name=TRFTimes2019>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2019-04-10 |title=Turning Back the Times: 100 years ago, heavy snow in April delays seeding operations |url=https://trftimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/041019.pdf |work=Thief River Falls Times |location=Thief River Falls, Minnesota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> His father, Curt Quesnell, was a broadcaster on Thief River Falls radio stations KKAQ-AM and KKDQ-FM, where he hosted the longtime show ''North Country Outdoors Radio'', and a fishing guide on Lake of the Woods.<ref name=GFH2017>{{cite news |last=Dokken |first=Brad |date=2017-09-24 |title=From on the air to on the water |url=https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/1047977-From-on-the-air-to-on-the-water |work=Grand Forks Herald |location=Grand Forks, North Dakota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref><ref name=BIR2019/>
He earned an MFA in scriptwriting in 2007 from Minnesota State University Moorhead.<ref name=Advocate2005/><ref name=Advocate2006/><ref name=BIR2019/>
==Career== ===Stand-up comedy=== ''Chicago Now'' called Quesnell's comedy "soul-lifting" in spite of his often dark subject matter.<ref name=ChicagoNow2016/> The Minnesota Daily described it as "dark but digestible", noting that his humor often deals with social anxiety.<ref name=MNDaily2016>{{cite news |last= Macalus |first= Austen |date= February 2, 2016 |title= Starting the year off right at home |url= https://mndaily.com/203592/arts-entertainment/comedy/starting-year-right-home/ |work=Minnesota Daily |location=Minneapolis |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> ''Fargo Monthly'' called him "goofy and dark."<ref name=Fargo2012>{{cite magazine |last1=Jason |first1=Andrew |last2=Kuller |first2=Kelsey |date=December 2012 |title=Stand up for comedy in Fargo-Moorhead |url= https://issuu.com/fmspotlight/docs/fargomonthlydecember2012/36 |magazine=Fargo Monthly |location=Fargo, North Dakota |pages=34–46 |publisher= |access-date= 2021-07-22}}</ref> The Fargo newspaper High Plains Reader called his comedy "razor sharp, perfectly timed, both nuanced and broad".<ref name=HPR2020/>
Quesnell began performing stand-up in Fargo, North Dakota in 2009.<ref name=Forum2011>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2011-09-21 |title= Fargo comic Quesnell to record stand-up set |url= https://www.inforum.com/entertainment/2999022-fargo-comic-quesnell-record-stand-set |work=The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead |location=Fargo, North Dakota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> As his career progressed, Quesnell moved from Fargo to the larger city of Minneapolis and eventually to Los Angeles, where he now lives and works as a screenwriter.<ref name=HPR2020>{{cite news |last=Gruber |first=Kris |date=2020-02-26 |title=Comedian in the Cellar: The Return of Adam Quesnell |url= https://hpr1.com/index.php/arts-entertainment/humor/comedian-in-the-cellarthe-return-of-adam-quesnell/ |work=High Plains Reader |location=Fargo, North Dakota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref><ref name=HPR2018>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2018-09-05 |title= California Calls to Quesnell |url= https://hpr1.com/index.php/arts-entertainment/humor/california-calls-to-quesnell |work=High Plains Reader |location=Fargo, North Dakota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref>
His first performance was as the opening act for Todd Barry.<ref name=HPR2015a>{{cite news |last= Rice |first= Jay |date=2015-03-04|title=Major Milestones for Local Comics Adam Quesnell and JD Provorse |url= https://hpr1.com/index.php/arts-entertainment/theatre/major-milestones-for-local-comics-adam-quesnell-and-jd-provorse |work=High Plains Reader |location=Fargo, North Dakota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref><ref name=BIR2019/> He has also performed with Maria Bamford and Kyle Kinane.<ref name=ChicagoNow2016>{{cite news |last=Ring |first=Teme |date= March 16, 2016 |title= A conversation with Adam Quesnell: Despair is the funniest demon |url= https://www.chicagonow.com/comedians-defying-gravity/2016/03/a-conversation-with-adam-quesnell-despair-is-the-funniest-demon/ |work=ChicagoNow |location=Chicago |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> Quesnell quickly became an organizer as well, producing shows and promoting open mics in the Fargo-Moorhead area.<ref name=Advocate2011>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2011-02-24 |title=Open mic comedy gains popularity |url= https://red.mnstate.edu/advocate/251 |work= The Advocate |location=Moorhead, Minnesota |volume=40 |number=20|page=3 |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> The High Plains Reader newspaper credited him with "planting the seed for the burgeoning comedy scene in Fargo."<ref name=HPR2015b>{{cite news |last= Showalter |first= John |date=2015-09-24 |title= Ha Ha's, Hellos and Goodbyes |url= https://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/culture/ha-has-hellos-and-goodbyes |work=High Plains Reader |location=Fargo, North Dakota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> He was named Fargo's No. 2 comedian in a 2015 poll by the High Plains Reader.<ref name=HPR2015>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-06-10 |title=Best of the Best 2015: The Results |url= https://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/culture/best-of-the-best-the-2015-results |work=High Plains Reader |location=Fargo, North Dakota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref>
He has performed at the 10,000 Laughs Comedy Festival,<ref name=VultureFests2018>{{cite news |last= Lobell |first= Kylie Ora |date=2018-08-16 |title= A Comprehensive Guide to Comedy Festivals in the U.S. and Around the Globe |url= https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/a-guide-to-comedy-festivals-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-globe.html |work=Vulture |location=New York City |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> SF Sketchfest, San Francisco Comedy Festival,<ref name="BWW2019">{{cite web |url= https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Lineup-Announced-for-the-18th-Annual-San-Francisco-Comedy-Festival-20181119 |title= Lineup Announced for the 18th Annual San Francisco Comedy Festival |last=Milligan |first= Kaitlin |date=2018-11-19 |website=BroadwayWorld |publisher= |access-date=2021-11-11}}</ref> Akumal Comedy Festival, New Orleans' Hell Yes Fest, and the Chicago Comedy Exposition.<ref name=DirtyVegan2018/>
===Screenwriting=== His one-hour science fiction pilot ''The Insomniacs'' was produced as an audio drama in 2020 for Alison Mauldin's screenwriting podcast ''The Scriptcast''.<ref name="Scriptcast2020a"/><ref name="Scriptcast2020b"/>
In 2006, his short play ''Parachutes'' won the Midwest regional award at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival; another play, ''Labyrinth'', was also nominated.<ref name=Advocate2006/>
===Albums=== Quesnell has released two comedy albums on Stand Up! Records, 2014's ''Can We Afford This Much Despair?'' and 2018's ''Despair 2: Social Justice Warlord'', as well as the 2018 single ''Egghead''.<ref name = AMDespair1>{{AllMusic |class= |id=can-we-afford-this-much-despair-mw0002705840 |tab= |title=Can We Afford This Much Despair? |last= |first= |author= |access-date= 2021-08-04}}</ref><ref name=DiscogsQuesnell>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/6508840-Adam-Quesnell |title=Adam Quesnell |last= |first= |date= |website=Discogs |publisher= |access-date= 2021-08-27}}</ref> Quesnell's debut was recorded at Minneapolis' CONvergence sci-fi convention in 2013.<ref name=ChicagoNow2016/><ref name=HPR2017>{{cite news |last=Showalter |first=John |date=2017-12-08 |title=Laughter Amid Despair |url= https://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/culture/laughter-amid-despair |work=High Plains Reader |location=Fargo, North Dakota |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> It reached No. 13 on the iTunes comedy chart.<ref name="HPR2017" /><ref name=ChicagoNow2016/> Followup album ''Despair 2'' was recorded at the Red Raven cafe in Fargo.<ref name=HPR2017/>
An avid toy collector, Quesnell and Stand Up! producer Dan Schlissel made a collectible figure of the "Despair" monster on the cover of his first album, which Quesnell called "a sad devil version of myself".<ref name=HPR2017/><ref name=GFTW268/>
Richard Lanoie of The Serious Comedy Site called ''Can We Afford This Much Despair?'' "particularly smart" and said "I look forward to more of" Quesnell.<ref name="SCS2018despair1">{{cite web |url= https://theseriouscomedysite.com/comedy-cd-or-download/adam-quesnell-can-we-afford-this-much-despair/ |title= Adam Quesnell – Can We Afford This Much Despair? |author= Richard Lanoie |date= April 9, 2018 |website=The Serious Comedy Site |access-date=2020-05-07}}</ref> Writing about ''Despair 2'', Lanoie praised Quesnell's ability to segue between "a smartly veiled comment on racism in the U.S." and a "silly bit on the difference between a baby ghost and a ghost baby." Although he felt Quesnell's Donald Trump commentary was "banal," he further praised Quesnell's ability to disguise the sharpness of his satire inside "seeming superficiality."<ref name="SCS2018despair2">{{cite web |url= https://theseriouscomedysite.com/comedy-cd-or-download/despair-ii-social-justice-warlord-adam-quesnell/ |title= Despair II: Social Justice Warlord – Adam Quesnell |author= Richard Lanoie |date= October 12, 2018 |website=The Serious Comedy Site |access-date=2020-05-07}}</ref> Catherine Gill of website The Dirty Vegan called Quesnell's comedy "relatable and socially aware" and found his penchant for self-deprecation "hilarious and refreshing."<ref name=DirtyVegan2018>{{cite web |url= https://www.thedirtyvegan.com/single-post/2018/09/18/Adam-Quesnells-Despair-II-Social-Justice-Warlord-A-Comedy-Review |title= Adam Quesnell's "Despair II: Social Justice Warlord": A Comedy Review |last=Gill |first=Catherine |date=2018-09-18 |website= |publisher= |access-date= 2021-07-22}}</ref> Joe Christianson of the comedy podcast ''Joke Quest 200'' called his albums "magnificent."<ref name=JokeQuest2002021/><ref name=JokeQuest2002020/> Johnny Taylor of comedy website Now Hear This called ''Social Justice Warlord'' one of his favorite comedy albums of 2018 and said, "Quesnell delivers a smart, edgy, and current hour of stand-up comedy that will appeal to a larger portion of people than his reputation as a 'nerd' comic suggests."<ref name=NHT2018/>
==Personal life== "Quesnell", a surname of French origin, is pronounced with a silent S.<ref name="Scriptcast2020a"/><ref name="Scriptcast2020b"/><ref name=GFTW268/><ref name=Magnotronic2015/>
==Discography== {{Album ratings |title=''Despair II: Social Justice Warlord'' | rev1 = Now Hear This | rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=NHT2018>{{cite web |url=https://www.nowhearthismusic.net/single-post/2018/09/17/now-hear-this-despair-ii-social-justice-warlord-adam-quesnell |title= Now Hear This: Despair II: Social Justice Warlord - Adam Quesnell |last= Taylor |first=Johnny |date=2018-09-17 |website= Now Hear This |publisher= |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201129162531/https://www.nowhearthismusic.net/single-post/2018/09/17/now-hear-this-despair-ii-social-justice-warlord-adam-quesnell |archive-date=2020-11-29 |access-date= 2021-07-22}}</ref> }} *Adam Quesnell, ''Can We Afford This Much Despair?'' (Stand Up! Records, 2014) *Adam Quesnell, ''Despair 2: Social Justice Warlord'' (Stand Up! Records, 2018) *Adam Quesnell, ''Egghead'' (Stand Up! Records, 2018)
==Podcast appearances== *''Magnotronic'', Episode 401: Adam Quesnell (Sept. 1, 2015) <ref name=Magnotronic2015>{{cite podcast |url= http://magnotronic.com/2015/09/01/episode-401-adam-quesnell/ |title= Episode 401: Adam Quesnell |website=Magnotronic |publisher= |host= Maggie Faris |date=2015-09-01 |time= |archive-date=2017-04-06 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170406054225/http://magnotronic.com/2015/09/01/episode-401-adam-quesnell/ |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> *''Big Money Movie Ideas'', Episode 9: Skinprint (August 28, 2018)<ref name=BMMI09>{{cite podcast |url= https://ghostpartyparty.com/2018/08/28/bmmi-guest-ep-09-skinprint-with-special-guest-adam-quesnell/ |title= BMMI Guest Ep 09: Skinprint (With Special Guest Adam Quesnell!) |website=Big Money Movie Ideas |publisher= |host=Andrew Santoro, Kelsey Henry |date= August 28, 2018 |time= |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> *''Bleak In Review'', Episode 203: Vice President Angry-Boner (Sept. 27, 2019)<ref name=BIR2019>{{cite podcast |url= https://anchor.fm/kevin-anderson47/episodes/203-Vice-President-Angry-Boner-w-Joe-Kaye--Adam-Quesnell---Tianna-Donyes-efo7qg |title= 203: Vice President Angry-Boner (w/ Joe Kaye, Adam Quesnell, & Tianna Donyes) |website=Bleak In Review |publisher= Unpops Podcast Network |host= Kevin Anderson |date=2019-09-27 |time= |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> *''The Goods from the Woods'', Episode 268: Toy Collecting with Adam Quesnell (Oct. 16, 2019)<ref name=GFTW268>{{cite podcast |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L66WgwpfE2U&list=PLhpX1kMXMaGGAF_t-6pXRXdTW9zz9LBnz&index=26 |title= Episode 268: Toy Collecting with Adam Quesnell |website= The Goods from the Woods |publisher= |host=Rivers Langley, Pat Reilly, Mr. Goodnight |date=2019-10-16 |time= |access-date= 2021-08-25 }}</ref> *''Joke Quest 200'', "Adam Quesnell" (Sept. 28, 2020)<ref name=JokeQuest2002020>{{cite podcast |url= https://podbay.fm/p/joke-quest-200/e/1601290800 |title= Adam Quesnell |website=Joke Quest 200 |publisher= |host=Joe Christianson |date=2020-09-28 |time= |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> *''The Scriptcast'', "Episode 2: ''The Insomniacs''" (October 29, 2020)<ref name="Scriptcast2020a">{{cite podcast |url=https://www.thescriptcast.com/episodes/episode-2-the-insomniacs |title=Episode 2: ''The Insomniacs'' |website=The Scriptcast |publisher= |host=Alison Mauldin |date=2020-10-29 |time= |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> *''The Scriptcast'', "Scriptcast Conversations - The Insomniacs" (November 18, 2020)<ref name="Scriptcast2020b">{{cite podcast |url=https://www.thescriptcast.com/episodes/scriptcast-conversations-the-insomniacs |title=Scriptcast Conversations: ''The Insomniacs'' |website=The Scriptcast |publisher= |host=Alison Mauldin |date=2020-11-18 |time= |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref> *''Joke Quest 200'', "Adam Quesnell and Dan Bublitz" (April 27, 2021)<ref name=JokeQuest2002021>{{cite podcast |url= https://jokequest200.libsyn.com/dan-bublitz-adam-quesnell |title= Adam Quesnell and Dan Bublitz |website=Joke Quest 200 |publisher= |host=Joe Christianson |date=2021-04-27 |time= |access-date= 2021-08-24 }}</ref> *''The Goods from the Woods'', Patreon Episode 5: ''Super Mario Bros.'' with Adam Quesnell (August 4, 2021)<ref name=GFTW>{{cite podcast |url= https://poddtoppen.se/podcast/703046562/the-goods-from-the-woods/teaser-patreon-episode-5-super-mario-bros-with-adam-quesnell |title= Patreon Episode #5 - "Super Mario Bros." with Adam Quesnell |website= The Goods from the Woods |publisher= |host=Rivers Langley, Pat Reilly, Mr. Goodnight |date=2021-08-04 |time= |access-date= 2021-07-22 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Twitter|AdamQuesnell}} *[https://standuprecords.com/collections/adam-quesnell Adam Quesnell at Stand Up! Records website] * {{IMDb name|id=4231895|name= Adam Quesnell}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Quesnell, Adam}} Category:American stand-up comedians Category:Living people Category:Comedians from North Dakota Category:Comedians from Minnesota Category:People from Fargo, North Dakota Category:People from Thief River Falls, Minnesota Category:American male comedians Category:21st-century American comedians Category:Stand Up! Records artists Category:Year of birth missing (living people)