Elyse Willems

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Elyse Willems
RTX 2017 - Always Open panel (35500410710) (cropped).jpg
Elyse Willems at RTX Austin 2017.
Born (1986-05-03) May 3, 1986 (age 37)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nationality Canadian
Education University of Toronto
OccupationWriter • producer • performer • co-creative director
Years active2013–present
Employer Rooster Teeth
SpouseJames Willems
Website elysewillems.com

Elyse Willems (born May 3, 1986) [1] [2] is a Canadian internet personality, comedian, and writer. She is best known for her work as a cast member and producer at Funhaus, a division of Rooster Teeth Productions, since November 2015. [3] Since then, Willems has appeared and been involved in numerous productions by Rooster Teeth.

Contents

Willems self-published her debut novel, A Night in Halloween House, which became a bestselling Halloween children's book on Amazon in October 2020. [4]

Biography

Willems was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario [5] in a family of Polish descent. After graduating from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government, [6] Willems relocated to Los Angeles in January 2012. [7] She worked at Viacom as a production assistant on GameTrailers from August 2012, later becoming a segment producer at Defy Media in 2014, where she produced, wrote and hosted Mandatory Update, a weekly comedy news show that provided a satirical commentary of the video game industry.

In November 2015, Willems joined Rooster Teeth as a cast member of Funhaus. There, she has collaboratively produced and co-written numerous series, such as Arizona Circle, Sex Swing, and Twits & Crits, as well as producing and performing in gaming videos and podcasts. Willems has made several appearances at RTX conventions, including a Ladies of Rooster Teeth panel at RTX Sydney 2017 where she expressed her frustration at credit for things she has done being given to her male peers in the past, [8] and on the series Always Open, hosted by fellow Canadian Rooster Teeth member and friend Barbara Dunkelman. [9] In 2017, a shortened clip focusing primarily on Willems from one of Funhaus' videos went viral. The clip featured Funhaus members, including her husband, criticizing a female character for wearing a ponytail while Willems, who is wearing a ponytail in the clip, reacts in the background. [10] The clip appeared in one of PewDiePie's videos, [11] and garnered almost fifteen million views worldwide. Willems clarified that the intent was humorous and that her reaction was deliberately comedic. [12]

In 2020, Willems served as the series creator and one of the participants in Last Laugh, a Rooster Teeth series centered around a social experiment where twelve contestants spent six hours in one room while trying to make each other laugh or smile. [13] Willems also streams with her husband James in order to fundraise for various charities and causes, and is among the popular streamers who raised funds for The Jimmy Fund to support research at Dana–Farber Cancer Institute on November 1, 2020. [14]

Willems self-published her first novel, titled A Night in Halloween House, in October 2020. [15] [16] It was released on Amazon as both paperback and Kindle editions, and became the bestselling Halloween children's book. The novel received predominantly five star reviews on the novel's Amazon page and its Goodreads counterpart, with readers praising the sense of Halloween nostalgia that Willems set out to convey in the book. [17] In 2021, she and James were credited as writers for IllFonic's Arcadegeddon. [18]

Personal life

Willems is married to fellow performer and Funhaus cast member James Willems, [19] and they live in Los Angeles, California. [20]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018 Blood Fest Selfie AttendeeCameo

Web series

YearTitleRoleNotes
2014–2015Mandatory UpdateHerselfCo-host, co-creator
2015–present Funhaus Elyse / HerselfPerformer, director, producer
2015–2016On the SpotHerselfGuest
2016–2020Always OpenHerselfGuest
2016 Red vs. Blue Cherry2 episodes
2017 The Eleven Little Roosters Agent Knuckle6 episodes
2017Sex SwingTV Anchor / Mermaid Princess / Hanako3 episodes
2017 Million Dollars, But... HerselfGuest
2017–2019Off TopicHerselfGuest
2017–2019 Sugar Pine 7 Elyse / Elliot / Elantra26 episodes
2017 Camp Camp Mrs. NurfingtonEpisode: "Parent's Day"
2018Hardcore TabletopHerselfReferee
2018Murder RoomHerselfGuest
2018–2019Arizona CircleElyseActress, writer, producer
2019 Smosh Ms. Elyse"These Youtubers Are Trying to Cancel Me (YouTube Detention)"
2020–presentLast LaughHerselfSeries creator, contestant (season 1), co-host (season 2)
2021DrawtectivesHarvey HornswoggleGuest
2022KOLLOKClarity SevenActress
2022 Dungeons & Daddies Erica DrippinsGuest

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2021ArcadegeddonRuckVoice role, writer
2021 Psychonauts 2 Rich MomVoice role
2022 Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed writer

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References

  1. ↑ "James Willems on Instagram". Instagram . Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  2. ↑ ""Are Birds Evil?" and Other Tough Questions - The Funhaus Podcast". YouTube (Funhaus). January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Elyse Willems - LinkedIn" . Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  4. ↑ Willems, Elyse (21 October 2020). A Night in Halloween House: Willems, Elyse, McQuaig, Adam: 9781735982410: Amazon.com: Books. ISBN   978-1735982410.
  5. ↑ "Elyse Willems" . Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  6. ↑ "TEEN VS *** - Google Trends Show - YouTube". YouTube. June 5, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  7. ↑ "RTX Sydney Interview with Elyse Willems - YouTube". YouTube. February 18, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  8. ↑ "RTX Sydney: I Didn't Die This Time". Kotaku. February 10, 2017.
  9. ↑ "RTX Austin 2018: 1 on 1 with RWBY's Barbara Dunkelman and Funhaus' Elyse Willems! - GameSpot". GameSpot . Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Jesus Christ Bruce... - YouTube". YouTube. April 30, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  11. ↑ "YOU LAUGH, YOU DIE - YLYL #0020 - YouTube". YouTube (PewDiePie). February 26, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  12. ↑ "James and Elyse on Reddit scandals, impressions and long distance relationships - YouTube". YouTube. July 21, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Rooster Teeth Debuts 'Last Laugh' Comedy Series – TenEighty – Internet culture in focus". TenEighty. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Popular Streamers Play Against Cancer for Jimmy Fund Let's Game". GamingLyfe. October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Interview: Funhaus' Elyse Willems Talks About Her First Novel". Bleeding Cool. November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Elyse Willems Wrote a Book (and Nick Read it) - We Have Cool Friends - YouTube". YouTube (Kinda Funny). November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  17. ↑ "A Night in Halloween House by Elyse Willems". Goodreads . Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  18. ↑ "gerritzen on Twitter: "This really makes me smile. Thank you @ElyseWillems & @JamesWillems for being on this crazy ride!"". Twitter. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  19. ↑ "For YouTube channel Funhaus, Being Funny (And Offensive) Is Just Part Of The Brand's Twisted Charm". Forbes . July 12, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Elyse Willems's Profile - Rooster Teeth" . Retrieved October 24, 2020.
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