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David A. Arnold
David A. Arnold official
Biographical Information
Full Name

David A. Arnold

Nickname(s)

Dave Arnold

Gender

Male

Born

March 15, 1968 (age 54)

Occupation

Director, Writer, Executive Producer, Producer

Years active

1997 - 2022

Physical Description
Hair color

Black

Eye color

Brown

Production Information
Role

Pastor Brown

David A. Arnold (born March 15, 1968 - September 7, 2022) was an American comedian, producer, director, and writer. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the creator of the Nickelodeon series, That Girl Lay Lay.

Sadly, he passed away on September 7, 2022 at the age of 54.

Stand-up Comedy

In 1997, David became interested with doing stand-up comedy. He eventually became successful and went on to perform for celebrities such as Jamie Foxx and Cedric the Entertainer. Arnold soon created, produced, and wrote a special for Netflix titled David A. Arnold: Fat Ballerina which was released on Netflix on March 1, 2020.

Television

In 1999, David A. Arnold became interested towards writing, producing, acting, and directing in made-for-television movies and TV shows.

(The year listed not which the show run.aired or film premiered, but the year in which David has acted or written for the movie/show)

Year Series/Film Role/Crew
1999 Whiteboyz Hucky's Manager
2004 Because My Stand-Up Is Not Enough!! David/Producer
2005 Camden Orderly
2006 The Tom Joyner Show ~~~???~~~
2006 Entourage Parking Enforement Officer
TBA Stompin' Sports Agent
2008-2009 The Tony Rock Project Producer
2009 Parking Spot Producer
2010 Meet the Browns Darnelle
2011 A Series of Unfortunate People Rick
2012 Russell Simmons Presents: The Ruckus Writer
2014 Partners Writer
2015 The Xperiment Supervising producer
2015 The Real Husbands of Hollywood Writer
2016 Zoe Ever After Writer
2018-2020 Fuller House Writer, Producer, Supervising producer
2019 Bigger Supervising producer, Writer
2020 David A. Arnold: Fat Ballerina Executive Producer, Writer, Producer
2020-2021 Side Hustle Baseball Coach/Writer, Supervising producer
2021-2022 That Girl Lay Lay Pastor Brown/Creator, Executive Producer, Showrunner, Writer
2022 David A. Arnold: It Ain't For the Weak Himself/Producer

New Shows

Arnold was working as a writer and supervising producer on the Nickelodeon series Side Hustle when he learned that the studio was looking for someone to pitch a series starring young rapper and social media star, That Girl Lay Lay. Armed with a one-sentence summary of the general direction for the show (“Weird Science meets Young Frankenstein when a teenage wiz kid creates her own best friend”), he went to work.

To create the concept, Arnold wove in his own kids’ love of their phones, the struggles that parents have as children grow up, and played on the comedy around how different the exuberant Lay Lay is from the meek protagonist Sadie.

“I wanted to balance the drama with the humor,” says Arnold. “So while the show features some fantastical elements, it is really about how vulnerable teenagers feel at that stage in their lives.”

To make sure what he was writing was funny, he posted clips from his comedy routine and content featuring his family on his Facebook page to see how people reacted to the various bits, giving him valuable insights into what audiences might find funny on the series.

Arnold also dug deep into his stand-up roots, pulling jokes from the series scripts to turn into a routine for LA comedy clubs. Preforming for an adult audience ultimately gave him a better understanding of what would resonate with families tuning into the show, he says.

In the meantime, he’s lined up an 18-city stand-up tour called “It Ain’t For the Weak,” which will culminate in a Netflix special recorded in his hometown, and he’s working with Opera’s OWN Network to create a show based on his family and social media presence. He’s also in the process of writing a romantic comedy—his dream project as a self-described sucker for sappy stories—to bring to market.

“I’m thankful I’ve been able to play in all these different lanes, and now my fans can see there are more sides to me—not just the me they see at my shows,” he says. “I’m excited for people to see [That Girl Lay Lay], and also for what’s to come.”

Personal Life

  • David A. Arnold got married to Julie L. Harkness and had two girls together, Anna-Grace Arnold (16 years) and Ashlyn Arnold (13 years).
  • Unfortunately, due to health reasons, on September 7, 2022, David A. Arnold passed away in his home


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