Prisk was born in Grass Valley, California.
Prisk's parents were natives of Camborne, Cornwall, England, who settled in Grass Valley, California.
[2] Prisk held posts on the Grass Valley Union (editor and publisher), Evening Telegraph (publisher, typesetter, reporter and business manager), Pasadena Star-News (co-owner with his brother Charles H. Prisk), Long Beach Press-Telegram (editor-publisher).
For his many years as editor-publisher of the Press-Telegram, he received the nickname "Mr. Long Beach".
[4] Three years after his death in Long Beach, he was selected to the California Newspaper Publishers Association's Newspaper Hall of Fame.