We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Patrick Barnitt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Patrick, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I was blessed to have parents who were very supportive of my artistic pursuits. My mom was amazing and possessed a joie de vivre. She always encouraged me to go out there and give it my best shot. Go light up the room, she used to say. She was my biggest fan. I think of her right before every show. I can still see her sitting out there in the audience beaming. My father was in business and though the arts were foreign to him, he was always fascinated by anyone one who was artistic. He also encouraged me in my studies and career.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

It’s good to see you again. Thanks for taking the time.

I’m a singer and an actor. I’m originally from New Jersey and went to Seton Hall Prep. I studied English at the University of Scranton and did a lot of plays while I was there. As a student abroad studying at Wroxton College, I had the good fortune of studying Shakespeare in England in Stratford-upon-Avon and met some of the creative team from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Our instructor was the great Pam Mason. I met a few of the actors, as well. Ralph Fiennes and the late great Richard Easton. It was a very inspiring time. I probably saw about twenty productions in about four months. I then went to Manhattan and studied at HB Studios. I’ve done some independent films. I starred in the indie film, Coffin alongside Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner, Bruce Davison, Kevin Sorbo, Johnny Alonso and Sunny Doench Stricker. An incredible bunch of actors. That was definitely a career highlight. I reprised the role of “Jack Samms” a few years later in Coffin 2. I worked with Danny Trejo, Billy Baldwin and John James in The Lost Day. And perhaps most surreal of all, I worked on Star Trek:First Contact and Voyager as a Borg. I used to watch Star Trek as a kid, so to end up working on the Starship Enterprise was a great thrill. As a singer, I perform all over California with a variety of different groups. I mainly sing songs of the great American songbook. Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin type stuff. My most recent record, SWAY has been played on jazz stations all over the country. Another highlight was getting a call from a friend who had heard our song played on KJAZZ, the jazz station here in Los Angeles. And recording at Capitol Studios was a great thrill and honor. Hallowed ground. Was I really there? Some of the venues I’ve played are: Herb Albert’s Vibrato, Catalina Jazz Club, Vitello’s, Visionarium Live, The Mammoth Jazz Festival, Lewis Family Playhouse, California Center for the Arts, The Grand Ritz Theater in San Diego, Aqua Caliente Casino, The Annenberg Theater and Melvyn’s Lounge in Palm Springs with Mikael Healey.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’d be happy to. I was getting ready to record my album, SWAY. We had been rehearsing for months and we had booked the studio. We were ready to go. Just a few weeks before the recording, I had a pretty significant knee injury playing basketball. I tore my ACL. I was in a very dark place. It all seemed so bleak. Everything had to be pushed about a good four months. And I was going out of my mind. As I slowly started to get back on my feet, I knew had to try and find the silver lining in this and find some positivity and humor in this experience. So I wrote a song about it. Cowritten with Paul McDonald. It’s called ACL Blues. Dedicated to anyone who ever had a struggle.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect for me as an artist is to be able to entertain people and maybe brighten their day. Not in any profound way, but possibly just help them forget about their worries, if only for a moment. It’s alway rewarding when you might hear from someone a few years later and they tell you how much they enjoyed a particular song or a show that you did. It’s also a little nod from the universe that you’re on the right path. The motto of my high school always resonated with me. Hazard Zet Forward. Whatever the peril, ever forward. Make it so:)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.patrickbarnitt.com
• Instagram: @patrickbarnitt
• Facebook: @patrickbarnittlive
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/patrick-barnitt-00a2b230
• Youtube: @patrickbarnitt2002
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/00SE8xArfmVpODoJNaE6C7?si=YDPXqtI0Qoi6ujs7SZ2s9w

  www.imdb.com/patrickbarnitt

Image Credits

Sean Kara, Bernardette Madden, Ashley Eberbach, Patrick Barnitt, Robyn Von Swank, Sean Kara, Sean Kara, Bernardette Madden