We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandon Patterson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandon below.
Brandon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Ever since I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to perform. I knew I wanted to be on stage entertaining people. I attended New World School of the Arts, a magnet visual and performing arts school down in Miami, for high school where I studied Musical Theater. Most of my classmates had aspirations of performing on Broadway or in film and TV. While I would have greatly enjoyed that, I knew how hard it was to make it there, plus I dreamed of something a little more fulfilling. Something that had sentimental value to me. It was more stable than anything Broadway or Hollywood could have offered me. I wanted to perform for Disney. Just before graduating from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers with a major in Liberal Arts/Theatre, I auditioned for Walt Disney World as a performer and was offered a full-time job. I accepted and after graduating in 2006, I moved from Miami to Orlando to start my exciting and adventurous performing career.
After six years of doing numerous parades and shows as a dancer, all of which I loved, I felt it was time to try something new. I always had a knack for doing voice impersonations, so when I heard Disney Cruise Line needed voice actors to interact with guests in the kids clubs and the restaurants, I knew I had to try. I auditioned and was offered a performing track on the Disney Dream that included dancing in the deck parties, hanging out with some very well-known Disney characters, and using my impersonation talents to entertain guests on a daily and nightly basis. Though it was a lot of fun, it was also a bit of a risk because with WDW Entertainment, you lose any roles you don’t do within a year. Even though my contract was only 9 months long, I had lost some roles upon my return to WDW. Little did I know I would be performing in some of my first roles for the last time before I left. However, not all was lost.
I had decided to really start breaking into the Actors’ Equity side of WDW Entertainment as an actor. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time since they were considered the big leagues of Disney Entertainment. I was able to start doing more “streetmosphere” entertainment in Fantasyland, even though I was still working with the Character/Parade Department. After 4 years of going back and forth between these two departments, another new opportunity presented itself: the chance to be part of the opening cast of Shanghai Disney Resort in China.
I know many people that have had the chance to perform in international theme parks such as Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Singapore. I have always wanted to see the world and experience different cultures, and performing abroad was the perfect opportunity to do so. So I decided to audition for Shanghai Disney Resort and was offered an actor role in Eye of the Storm: Captain Jack’s Stunt Spectacular, a brand-new Pirates of the Caribbean-themed stunt show where I would play the show’s main antagonist. It was going to be the most challenging thing I had ever done in my life up to that point. It not only required me to speak Mandarin, but perform stage combat and sword work while doing so. The contract was 16 months long so if I decided to return to WDW after the contract ended, I would lose every role I was trained in since the contract lasted longer than a year. Everything I had built in my ten years with the Character and Parade Department would be gone and I would have to start all over again. I decided to take a chance and do the contract since opportunities like this were few and far between.
I had an absolutely amazing time performing in Shanghai and got to do things I would never get to do in Orlando. While I wanted to extend for at least a few more months, the company decided to use local performers for my role once the contract was over. So after 16 months, in mid-2017, it was time to return to the United States. I was able to go back to my position with WDW, but just before I started, I was offered a Seasonal Performer position as an Equity Actor in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, which I had accepted. This was my first real taste of being a true actor trying to make it in the business going from job-to-job and not having quite as much stability as I did when I performed in parades. But where there is adversity, there is also the opportunity for growth. Since a lot of my friends had worked or were working for both Disney and Universal, I decided to do the same. I auditioned for Universal Orlando Resort and was offered a performer role in Diagon Alley. I had also auditioned to be a voice actor for Halloween Horror Nights that same year as well as Capone’s Dinner and Show, a 1940s gangster-themed dinner show. Between doing three roles for Disney, three for Universal, and a dinner show, things were really picking up.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last for very long. 2019 brought some rough changes at Disney. Two of my three roles there were cut, leaving me with only one. The rise of COVID-19 only made matters worse. With that, I was furloughed from Disney and then finally let go in December 0f 2020, while Universal still had me in a furloughed status. Capone’s had closed down for a bit as well. I had to start looking for a brand-new job, which I found working at a sortation center for Amazon over in Davenport. I worked there for a little over a year and even though Capone’s opened back up, neither Disney nor Universal had plans to bring me back right away. I was hoping for something, anything to get me back on a stage and performing again.
Luckily, something came along. Another international contract. This time, it was for the opening cast of Universal Beijing Resort. I had heard about this while I was working in Shanghai, and was keeping my eyes open for whenever they posted auditions for it. Once they did, I immediately submitted and a few months later, I was offered another opportunity to travel to China and open another theme park. I was absolutely elated. However, there was another risk to this. I was told I would have to separate myself completely from Universal Orlando. So if I ever wanted to go back, I would have to reaudition. I would be coming back with no safety net this time around. However, an incredibly stable performing job and the chance to go around the world again was something I couldn’t pass up. So I accepted and after completing my first contract, I decided to renew for a second contract, and that is where I currently am.
The entertainment industry is ever-changing and incredibly unstable at times, but it is the wildest and most exciting ride I have ever been on, and that’s coming from a theme park fan! I absolutely love it and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I get to be part of so many different stories and entertain thousands of people from all over the world. My advice to anyone trying to make it in entertainment is this: It is a risky business, but as long as you stay positive and proactive, you will find there are several ways to succeed.
Brandon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I got into performing when I was very young. I started singing in my elementary school chorus when I was in third grade and had continued singing all the way through middle school. It wasn’t until seventh grade that I really got into acting. I was looking for a new elective to take at my school and one of my best friends at the time had been taking drama. So I decided to give it a try and when I got into my first school play, I was hooked. When I reached eighth grade and it was time to really start thinking about my future, I had decided performing was the path for me. I auditioned for the Vocal Music and Musical Theatre departments at New World School of the Arts, a visual and performing arts school in downtown Miami. Both departments had accepted me, and I chose Musical Theatre since I could continue both singing and acting, as well as be introduced to the world of dance which would become quite essential in my career down the road, especially with Disney. I kept acquiring more proficiencies in the performing arts throughout high school and college and continued learning new tricks and skills in my time as a professional performer after graduating from college. I even got into the world of stage combat and stunt work with Shanghai Disney Resort. I had to learn how to do shows in Mandarin during my contract with Shanghai Disney and even now in my current contract with Universal Beijing Resort. Learning a brand-new show while having to learn a new language and learn how to use a sword proficiently (in Shanghai Disney’s case) was the biggest challenge I’ve ever had. After over 15 years of performing professionally, I am still learning to this day and I’m still hungry for more.
What sets me apart from others is that I am a very quick learner and a fantastic memorizer. These are two abilities I have always had ever since I was little and they have helped me so much throughout my life, both on the stage and off. When I commit to a project, I commit fully and I always work hard to make the best product I can give. If I have to learn a brand-new skill, I will do everything I can to fully understand it so I can perform it to the best of my ability. As with any good performer, I’m always wanting to know how my piece of the puzzle fits into the grand scheme of things and once I gain that understanding, my performance becomes that much better. I also have a great working attitude and team player mentality. I love to get along with my fellow performers, especially ones I’m working with at the time. Just like any sports team, when everyone works together and has a mutual respect for one another, everyone is capable of achieving great things.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The biggest reward I gain from being a performing artist is the ability to entertain people. Entertainment can be a very unifying industry. It’s a way to bring people together, Life can be messy and stressful and entertainment is a great escape from reality, both for audiences and the people involved. For any given amount of time, you can forget the troubles of the real world, You can put aside the disagreements you may have with someone and come together for a moment of joy, peace and even excitement. Another rewarding aspect is that you get to see life from different angles. Life is not always as black and white as we sometimes tend to think. When you watch a movie, a TV show, or even a play, you gain an understanding of where everybody is coming from and what their views on life are. Sometimes you may even resonate more with the antagonist’s motives than the protagonist’s. The Performing Arts can help you gain a much better understanding of the world around us. I know I have become a much more understanding and enlightened person in my own personal life because of them. It’s one of the reasons I got into this industry to begin with. I am always wanting to bring joy to people’s lives as well as continue to learn about the rest of the world and how other people live their lives. As Chancellor Palpatine from Star Wars (one of my favorite fandoms) once said, “If one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects…”
In the Performing Arts, you get to go on these great adventures and they can even inspire you in your own life. Because of my time performing in Shanghai, I have become emboldened to try new things and step outside of my comfort zone by learning more stunt abilities. Plus, whenever I see something involving Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc., I gain both a sense of pride and a sense of humility knowing I got to be part of some of these amazing franchises and that I helped to further their legacies and inspire fellow fans.
: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Ever since I was very young, I have always had a desire to help others in some way. I loved superheroes growing up and I still love them to this day because they had these incredible abilities and were able to help people by using them. Since I do not have superpowers (still hoping for them one day, haha), I decided I would use my performing abilities to bring people’s favorite characters to life. It’s the closest I can get to actually being these iconic personalities.
One instance I can give is doing volunteer work at Give Kids the World in Kissimmee, Florida. When I first started there, I figured I would do non-performing jobs here and there like driving families to wherever they needed to go or deliver pizzas around the village. I just wanted to find ways to give back to those in need. I wasn’t going to join the Entertainment Department there at first because I do a lot of performing in the parks. However, it wasn’t long before I was bitten by the performing bug and I’m glad it did. I was told they needed people as characters for one of their weekly parties. Some of the characters appearing at the parties were pirates, princesses, mermaids, and knights. Since I had plenty of experience playing a pirate and they were in need of knights at the time, I decided to try something new and took the knight’s path. I played Sir Tobias, a grown-up and more serious version of a character I would play in the parks. He is valiant, honor-driven, and very witty. While I myself have never been a medieval knight or a trained soldier, I used my knowledge of these things as well as my stage combat knowledge to create stories and experiences that could help children and families believe in themselves and inspire them to be positive and never give up. If I can’t actually solve a problem for someone, I can become something that will hopefully help them overcome it in the long run.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/brandonpattersonperforms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC043Zj4Z8r_QwzO8k8S5pMg