Alexis Wilkinson

Alexis Wilkinson (born 1992)[1][2] is an American writer best known as the first African American president of The Harvard Lampoon. Wilkinson was on the writing staff of Veep and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and she is a contributing writer to The New Yorker.[3][4][5]

Early life and education

Wilkinson was raised in Wheaton, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school (Nicolet High School).[6] Her mother is a computer engineer and her father died of colon cancer when she was a child.[1][6]

She attended Harvard College and studied economics, with aspirations of writing for television. Wilkinson joined The Harvard Lampoon writing staff as a freshman, and her junior year she was elected President of the publication, the first African American of any gender to hold the position.[6]

Career

Just prior to graduating, Wilkinson sent copies of The Harvard Lampoon to the Harvard alumni trustees and asked for job leads.[1] David Mandel was a recipient and the show runner of Veep; he hired Wilkinson onto the writing staff. She was the only person of color in the writer's room.[1] Wilkinson left Veep to join the writing staff of Brooklyn Nine-Nine in 2016.[1][4]

She left TV writing to work on her first book, which she is writing as of May 2019. She also consults on ad campaigns.[7]

On November 2019, it was announced that Wilkinson had written an audiobook for Serial Box, called The Co-Founder, about two female entrepreneurs who hire a man to sell their product to Silicon Valley investors.[8] It is also currently being developed into a film.[8]

Wilkinson has been nominated for two Writers Guild of America awards.[7]

Personal life

Wilkinson resides in San Francisco, California.[7]

References
  1. Liebman, Lisa. "Alexis Wilkinson on Joining Veep Straight Out of College and Writing for Middle-Aged White Guys". www.vulture.com. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  2. "Alexis Wilkinson on Instagram: "feeling extremely seen and extremely loved on birthday #26 ♥️"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  3. Dobbins, Amanda (2014-01-10). "122 Minutes With Alexis Wilkinson". NYMag.com. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  4. "Disarming People With Laughter". The On Being Project. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  5. "The New Yorker: "Explaining U.S. Holidays to Extraterrestrials"". Newstral. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  6. Borrelli, Christopher. "Alexis Wilkinson's path to Harvard Lampoon president's chair". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  7. Escandon, Rosa. "26-Year-Old Alexis Wilkinson Isn't Afraid To Write In New Mediums". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  8. Spangler, Todd (2019-11-12). "Serial Box, In Its First Film and TV Deals, Sets Pacts for 'The Co-Founder' and 'First Street' Adaptations (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
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