David A. Arnold

**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)

### **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