Amanda Joy is a Canadian actress, screenwriter, comedian, satirist, and producer. She is best known for co-creating and starring in the Omni Television original series Second Jen.

Amanda Joy
Joy in 2014
EducationCardinal Carter Academy for the Arts
Alma materRyerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University)
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian, screenwriter, producer
Years active2001–present
Notable workMo on Second Jen, Kanako in Devil's Mile

Early life and education

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Joy studied vocal music at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, before pursuing Contemporary Studies at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University).[1] Joy's mother is Filipina,[2][3] and her father is of Chinese descent.[4] Joy starred in her first short film as a child in 2001, under the name Amanda Joy Lim.[5]

While originally training for a career in musical theatre (and later film), a high school teacher encouraged her to pursue screenwriting.[1]

Career

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Joy achieved recognition in 2016 when her sitcom, Second Jen, premiered on City.[2] Joy has professed her desire to combat the invisibility and misrepresentation of Filipinos in western media.[2] She has also been outspoken about the need for more diversity on TV, telling interviewers that she would "like to stop seeing [diversity] as an intentional choice," adding that she wants "kids growing up now to see people who look like them onscreen."[6]

She was featured by FLARE as one of five Canadian "rabble rousers," telling the magazine she believes "many [women of colour] are leaders despite forces that see [them] as unworthy, as threats, as less than—as other."[7]

Joy writes for the online satirical news site, The Beaverton, covering topics including: Hollywood whitewashing,[8] online dating,[9] and sexism in journalism.[10]

Awards

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In 2017, Joy was nominated for a Writers Guild of Canada Award for Second Jen's pilot script "Couch Surfing."[11] In 2019, she was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for the second season of Second Jen,[12] and for Best Comedy Script at the Writers Guild of Canada Awards for the Second Jen episode "Like a Girl."[13] In 2022 she won a Writers Guild of Canada award for Amelia Parker/The Parker Andersons.[14] Joy has also received a shared Canadian Screen Award nomination for Son of a Critch.[15]

Influences

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Joy credits Radio Free Vestibule as her earliest comic influence.[16]

Personal life

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Joy's hobbies include weight-lifting,[6] and playing video games.[17] She is a supporter of the Toronto Blue Jays.[18][19]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Shot and set in Toronto, Second Jen airs Thursdays on City". www.insidetoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  2. ^ a b c Roque, Marisa. "Second-gen Fil-Canadian gets ready for prime time TV". globalnation.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  3. ^ "Second Jen breaks sitcom ground with two Asian women in lead roles". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  4. ^ "Stars of City's new TV show 'Second Jen' preview the series", Breakfast Television, 2016-10-27, retrieved 2016-11-03 – via YouTube
  5. ^ Lim, Darlene, Little Moments, Amanda Joy, Alice Borowski, Andrea Fernandes, retrieved 2017-10-01
  6. ^ a b "Second Jen series focuses on the Asian-Canadian experience". The Suburban Newspaper. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  7. ^ Thomson, Alicia Cox (September 4, 2018). "Rebel Rouser Amanda Joy: "Being a Woman of Colour In My Industry Means I Am a Living Rebellion"". Flare. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "Hollywood Producers Association study proves Asians actually just an urban legend – The Beaverton". The Beaverton. 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  9. ^ "Mediocre man seeks perfect woman – The Beaverton". The Beaverton. 2016-02-14. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  10. ^ "Media enters 7th day of in-depth Marie Henein wardrobe coverage – The Beaverton". The Beaverton. 2016-02-10. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  11. ^ "More News". www.wgc.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  12. ^ "Second Jen". Academy.ca. 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  13. ^ "WGC Screenwriting Awards Finalists Announced | Writers Guild of Canada". www.writersguildofcanada.com. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  14. ^ Vlessing, Etan (2022-04-26). "Writers Guild of Canada Awards: 'Sort Of,' 'Pretty Hard Cases' Among Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  15. ^ "Son of a Critch". Academy.ca. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  16. ^ "S12E18: Amanda Joy & Samantha Wan (from "Second Jen")". Comedy Above the Pub Podcast (CATP). Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  17. ^ "We ComiConverse With Amanda Joy". ComiConverse. 2015-10-05. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  18. ^ "Amanda Joy on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  19. ^ "Amanda Joy on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
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