Gabe Dunn

Last updated

Gabriel Shane Dunn
Born (1988-06-01) June 1, 1988 (age 36) [1]
Alma mater Emerson College
Occupations
  • Actor
  • writer
  • journalist
  • podcaster
Years active2010–present

Gabriel Shane Dunn (born June 1, 1988) [1] is an American writer, podcaster, actor, and filmmaker. Since 2014, Dunn has hosted the YouTube comedy show and podcast Just Between Us with fellow former BuzzFeed writer Allison Raskin. Dunn also hosts the podcast Bad with Money, which launched in 2016 and which primarily focuses on personal finances, while also discussing subjects including poverty and economic oppression. [2] [3] His debut young adult novel I Hate Everyone but You, co-authored with Raskin, was published in 2017 and made The New York Times Best Seller list. [4] Dunn has also published two finance-related books, as well as a graphic novel. He was formerly a writer, director, and performer for BuzzFeed Video before leaving to focus on Just Between Us. [5]

Contents

Education

Dunn attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He majored in Multimedia Journalism, graduating in 2009. [6]

Dunn began performing during his first year at Emerson with the sketch comedy troupe Chocolate Cake City (CCC). Dunn had wanted to audition for CCC, but was too scared to do so until he was urged to take the audition slot of a former boyfriend who had become sick the day before and could not perform. His audition was successful and he became a member of the troupe. At the time he considered himself a better writer than actor, and working in CCC allowed him to do both, since members were expected to write and perform their own sketches. [6]

During his second year at Emerson, Dunn began a two-year stint as a crime reporter for The Boston Globe . He worked the 6:30 pm – 2:30 am shift, using a police scanner to monitor potential news items, and then driving to the scene of the crime to write about it. After his junior year, Dunn worked as an intern at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart . [7]

Writing

100 Interviews

In October 2010, Dunn created 100 Interviews, a Tumblr blog in which he intended to publish transcripts of 100 interviews, given over the course of a single year, with a variety of different people. Interview subjects included a transgender person, a rocket scientist, an Abraham Lincoln expert, and Stephen Colbert. [8] His initial inspiration for the project stemmed from his personal desire to meet different people and hear their stories. However, Dunn also wanted to offer readers the opportunity to "vicariously meet people" whose lives were different from his own. [7]

Because 100 Interviews was an independent project, Dunn sometimes solicited interviews with candidates in non-traditional and unexpected ways. Children's horror author R. L. Stine agreed to sit for an interview after Dunn "cold-tweeted" him on Twitter. [9] After trying and failing to interview Colbert by crashing a $2,000-a-plate dinner gala, [10] Dunn settled for asking him questions during a pre-show Q&A for The Colbert Report . [11] Dunn's attempts to gain wider exposure for what he called his "diary journalism" [12] were initially met with rejection. [13] Dunn has been recognized as a success case of the use of social media for self-promotion, [9] particularly via Tumblr, the micro-blogging service and web application platform through which he initially self-published his interviews, and Twitter. [14]

In December 2010, The Village Voice named 100 Interviews the "Best Tumblr" in their annual Web Awards. [15] New York Times culture editor Adam Sternbergh also discovered Dunn via 100 Interviews, and invited him to write for the Times. [16]

Freelance and staff writing

Dunn began doing freelance writing for publications including Thought Catalog and GOOD. In 2012, he began writing a regular column in The New York Times titled "They're Famous! (On the Internet)", which profiled various Internet personalities. [16] In 2013, Dunn was a staff writer for Thought Catalog. A collection of his essays for Thought Catolog was published under the title Maybe In Another Universe in 2013. [17] [18]

Books

Dunn wrote his debut novel, I Hate Everyone but You, with Allison Raskin and published it on September 5, 2017. [19] [4] The young adult fiction novel follows two college freshmen and best friends, and is told through emails and text messages exchanged between the two. It made The New York Times Best Seller list in October of the same year. [20] Dunn and Raskin published a sequel in July 2019, titled Please Send Help. [21]

In January 2019, Dunn published Bad With Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your Financial Sh*t Together, a book based on the podcast. [22] In June 2022, he published a second finance-related book titled Stimulus Wreck: Rebuilding After a Financial Disaster. [23]

In October 2019, Dunn published his debut graphic novel, Bury the Lede, which was illustrated by Claire Roe and published by BOOM! Studios. It is a queer crime thriller that was inspired by Dunn's own experiences working as a young reporter at the Boston Globe. [24]

YouTube and podcasting

Dunn became well known as a member of BuzzFeed Video's early cohort of video personalities. [23] Dunn first appeared in BuzzFeed videos as a performer, [18] later also taking on responsibilities as a writer and producer. He left BuzzFeed in 2015 to focus on his other projects, including Just Between Us. [5] He was also a producer of the independent community radio station WFMU. [25]

Just Between Us

In April 2014, Dunn created a comedic variety YouTube show with his best friend Allison Raskin called Just Between Us. [26] [27] The two play characters based on themselves: Dunn plays a sex-positive, bisexual, feminist in contrast to Raskin's uptight, straight, single character. They began with giving love advice, then added comedy sketches. The advice show sometimes features guests, which in the past have included family members and close friends. As of February 2023, Just Between Us had around 646,000 subscribers and more than 178 million views on YouTube. [28] In March 2019, Dunn and Raskin launched a podcast version of the show. [27]

Bad with Money

In August 2016, Dunn began the podcast Bad with Money with the intent of exposing and analyzing money problems that he felt were not openly discussed. [26] He has used the podcast to discuss his own financial experiences in regards to debt and his career, talk about systematic financial systems in place that make finances difficult, and give advice. [23] His guests have included financial advisor Suze Orman and New Yorker journalist Jane Mayer. [26]

Apocalypse Untreated

In 2020, Dunn created, wrote, and starred in Apocalypse Untreated, a post-apocalyptic fiction podcast about teenagers in a wilderness rehab and troubled teen program trying to survive after a meteor strike. The podcast was co-written with Brittani Nichols, and published through the Audible Originals program. [29] [30]

Film and television

Dunn has written several movie scripts, and has sold several pilots. Dunn played the recurring character of Brie in Take My Wife , a television series that aired from 2016 to 2018. In 2018, he worked as a writer on Netflix's animated sitcom Big Mouth . [31]

In December 2022, Dunn's directorial debut short film Grindr Baby was selected for Frameline Voices 2023, a curated program of short films and episodic content representing experiences unique to LGBTQ+ people and communities. [32]

Personal life

Dunn is transgender and uses he/him pronouns. [33] [34] He first came out in a July 5, 2021, interview on the Gender Reveal podcast, in which he said he had been exploring his gender and was probably non-binary. In January 2023, Dunn revealed via social media that he had changed his name to Gabriel Shane ("Gabe"). [35] [2] Dunn later came out as trans. [33]

Dunn is bisexual and polyamorous. [36] He is Jewish. [37] He has bipolar disorder, [30] [21] and his hope to see the disorder more accurately portrayed in media in part motivated him to create Apocalypse Untreated. [30]

Works

Books

YearTitleNotes
2013Maybe In Another Universe
2017I Hate Everyone but Youwith Allison Raskin
2019Please Send Help
2019Bad With Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your Financial Sh*t Together
2019Bury the Lede
2022Stimulus Wreck: Rebuilding After a Financial Disaster

Films

References

  1. 1 2 @gabesdunn (April 18, 2023). "Instagram post" – via Instagram.
  2. 1 2 Bussel, Rachel Kramer (August 30, 2016). "'Life was always a financial hellscape': Gaby Dunn's 'Bad With Money' wants to break the "secret shame" of money talk". Salon . Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  3. ↑ Hess, Amanda (December 6, 2016). "The Best New Podcasts of 2016". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "I Hate Everyone But You". Macmillan Publishers . Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Martin, Emmie (April 3, 2019). "This 30-year-old makes six figures a year—here's why she still doesn't feel rich". CNBC . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Goodman, Elyssa (December 4, 2009). "Gaby Dunn and the Pursuit of Comedy: Featured Female Start-Up". Her Campus . Archived from the original on December 1, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  7. 1 2 Botwinick, Simeon (April 1, 2011). "From the Top 5 Cutest Maccabeats to 100 Interviews in 1 Year: 15 Questions with Gaby Dunn". The Commentator. Yeshiva University. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  8. ↑ Dunn, Gaby (September 20, 2010). "The Finished List". 100 Interviews. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Weinmann, Karlee (October 26, 2011). "How Gaby Dunn Self-Promoted Her Way To Internet Fame". American Express . Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  10. ↑ Dunn, Gaby (April 12, 2011). "I crashed a $2,000/plate gala to find Stephen Colbert". Open Salon. Salon. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  11. ↑ Tenore, Mallary Jean (August 30, 2011). "'100 Interviews' project puts new twist on old adage: Everybody has a story". Poynter Institute . Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  12. ↑ Gordon, Kyana (November 12, 2010). "100 Interviews: Gaby Dunn and the Art of Face-to-Face Meeting". PSFK . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  13. ↑ Binder, Shaun (October 5, 2012). "No Fun, Gaby Dunn! An Interview with a Thought Catalog Editor". HuffPost . Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  14. ↑ Orsini, Lauren Rae (October 4, 2011). "100 Interviews Get People Talking". The Daily Dot . Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  15. ↑ Doll, Jen (December 8, 2010). "Village Voice Web Awards: The Winners!". Village Voice. Archived from the original on December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  16. 1 2 Stoeffel, Kat (February 2, 2012). "New York Times Magazine Hires Thought Catalog Writer". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  17. ↑ Dunn, Gaby (February 25, 2013). "Maybe In Another Universe: An eBook By Me, Gaby Dunn". Thought Catalog . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  18. 1 2 Dunn, Gaby (June 23, 2016). "Take it from a viral media star: Stop signing away your ideas". Splinter News . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  19. ↑ "New Kids' and YA Books: Week of September 4, 2017". Publishers Weekly . August 31, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Young Adult Hardcover Books – Best Sellers – Books – Oct. 1, 2017". The New York Times . October 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  21. 1 2 Nguyen, Christine; Latimer, Brian (August 16, 2019). "Gaby Dunn on embracing her polyamorous bisexuality and why she loves 'The Bachelor'". NBC News . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  22. ↑ Brodeur, Nicole (February 8, 2019). "Are you bad with money? Gaby Dunn wrote the book". The Seattle Times . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  23. 1 2 3 Neilson, Sarah (June 10, 2022). "Gaby Dunn Explains Why Financial Literacy Is a Queer Issue". Them . Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  24. ↑ Hogan, Heather (March 12, 2019). "Here's an Exclusive First Look at Gaby Dunn's New Graphic Novel, 'Bury the Lede'". Autostraddle . Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  25. ↑ "No Fun, Gaby Dunn! An Interview with a Thought Catalog Editor". HuffPost . October 5, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  26. 1 2 3 Malin, Sean (November 30, 2022). "Want to Try Bad With Money? Start Here". Vulture . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  27. 1 2 Warren, Nick (April 22, 2021). "Podcast Picks: Just Between Us". Erie Reader . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Just Between Us". YouTube. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  29. ↑ Apocalypse Untreated. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  30. 1 2 3 Rude, Mey (November 13, 2020). "Mental Crises Amid an Apocalypse Explored in New Audible Series". The Advocate . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  31. ↑ Baab-Muguira, Catherine (April 30, 2018). "How Gaby Dunn found that being 'Bad with Money' can be good for your career". CNBC . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Frameline Voices". Frameline . Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  33. 1 2 "Gabe Dunn". Autostraddle . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Gabriel Shane Dunn". Instagram . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  35. ↑ Dunn, Gabriel Shane (December 31, 2022). "Gabriel Shane Dunn on Instagram: "New year so time to do a scary thing: hi, I'm Gabe ... Gabriel Shane"". Instagram. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  36. ↑ Dunn, Gaby (January 7, 2016). "Polyamorous, Pansexual, and Proud: Why I'm 'So Out and Outspoken'". Women's Health. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  37. ↑ Kaplan, Arielle (January 2, 2019). "Jewish Comedian Gaby Dunn Is 'Bad With Money'". Hey Alma. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
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