We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandee Stilwell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandee below.

Brandee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

A lifetime ago, I was interning at a trailer company in the heart of New York City that cut trailers for feature films for all the main studios. Every time I left for lunch or ran an errand, something crazy would happen to me. One day, one of the editors pulled me aside to say, “Screw Seinfeld, I want Stilwell. You have a target on your head to have the most bizarre things happen to you. This doesn’t happen to normal people. I hope you’re writing this all down because it’s comedy gold.” Sadly, I couldn’t see the humor in any of that at the time because none of my friends wanted to walk anywhere near me as pigeons usually found me no matter my location in Manhatten and pooped all over me. No one wanted that Gallagher splatter.

Eventually, I did start to write everything down like the time my shoestring got caught on an escalator ripping my shoe off and immediately destroying it, me accidentally stealing a boat unbeknownst to me because I followed a guy onto it that I liked, and thought was his while I was at film school in Maine, rolling my mother’s Bronco because I didn’t want anyone to see me eat a taco alone in my school’s parking lot, or me accidentally setting my hair on fire by giving a good luck candle a pep talk to speed things along. Trust me when I say, I have a lot of stories. Haha!

Eventually, I had more than enough material for not one but two – true, cringe-worthy, embarrassing books full of my short stories called, “None of This is Going According to Plan” and the sequel, “Still, None of This is Going According to Plan” that was released in November of 2023. Well over 100 stories. And because of that, I now have a treasure trove of material for storytelling shows around the Los Angeles area. Sometimes doing dumb/embarrassing stuff pays off.

Brandee, 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’m a freelance writer who’s usually hustling looking for the next thing. I write everything from animation to comics to comedy to horror to kid’s content. I also do voiceover work from time to time because my regular voice is so high-pitched it doesn’t normally register when I’m in a drive-thru and it often summons feral dogs. PUPPIES FOR EVERYONE!!!

My resume includes stints at Mad TV, Family Guy, American Dad, and DC Comics. I’ve also worked on various other shows for the CW, Fox, and Nickelodeon as a script supervisor or in post-production. Not to mention, I’ve written several things I promise you’ve never heard of or are currently out of print. YAY!

Last year, I was contracted by SuperNoodle to write 80 original, animated, competency scripts for nine different Champ characters from the Champiverse. The curriculum is screened over 40 weeks in public elementary schools across the United States and districts to help guide children through their exploration of SEL skills. I also voiced the character, Squeaky Laroo for Coping Skills.

I created and wrote Sasquatch Detective published by DC Comics. I also wrote the audio dialogue for Amazon Echo Dot’s partnership with The Walt Disney Company for Disney Dailies including Zootopia and The Incredibles as well as My Disney Story featuring The Little Mermaid, Cars, The Princess and the Frog, and Mickey & Friends. I was also the audio editor/re-writer for the Star Wars: Choose Your Own Adventure series (Obi-Wan & Anakin, Han & Chewie, Luke & Leia, and Finn & Poe).

I currently host/produce/co-star for the cringe-worthy, true storytelling show “Precious Story Moments with Aunt Brandee “and can be found doing stand-up and storytelling around various comedy clubs in the Los Angeles area.

I’ve studied at The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, Now Improv, ComedySportz, and The Zen of Improv, and I’m an Improv Olympic-West alumna (RIP), and Second City – Hollywood alumna (RIP).

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

So many times living in Los Angeles, I have felt like I’ve fallen between the cracks in the pavement and no one knows I’m down here. Unfortunately, thoughts like that are frequent for creatives (or many residents of LA). I have felt like such a failure more times than I have fingers and toes and have often thought maybe it’s time to call it and move back home to Kansas. So, for whatever reason, every time I’ve been at the end of my rope, I’ve had kind words delivered to me from total strangers when I’ve needed them the most. How insanely lucky is that? It’s crazy how the universe works sometimes.

One time, I randomly stopped at the Whole Foods in Silver Lake. I had just placed my basket in front of a checker that I had never seen before when she lit up like a Christmas tree saying my name and told me she knew who I was. I honestly thought I was being punked. She told me she had seen me perform at Second City numerous times and other theaters around town. I was one of her favorite performers and I always made her laugh. WHAT?!?!?! I literally looked around for cameras. After I had left the store completely dumbfounded, I remember sitting in my car crying my eyes out from pure joy until of course I heard car horns honking at me I was being landsharked by future Whole Foods shoppers because they wanted my parking spot. Clearly, they didn’t care I was having a breakthrough. I drove home with the biggest smile on my face because I had made some random person laugh and they knew who I was even though I hadn’t performed in a while. It was everything to me. Her kind words really went the distance and refueled my tank to stay in LA and continue to fight to “make it” a little longer.

Another time, I was meeting a friend at a Coffee Bean. I had my pitch deck with me for Sasquatch Detective’s one-shot, stand-alone comic. At the time, it was only in print as a backup story in Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles for DC Comics. Tonya Lightfoot aka Sasquatch Detective was a character I created on the Second City – Hollywood stage. But now she was an Audrey Hepburn-looking sasquatch with a Lucille Ball-type personality with MacGyver-like skills trying to make it in Los Angeles as a detective – in print. The lady at the register noticed the artwork (with no title on it) I had on the cover of my pitch deck and screamed. “Oh my God! I love Sasquatch Detective.” Again, I looked around for cameras as I truly believed someone was pranking me. She continued to tell me how much she loved Sasquatch Detective, and what I had created meant to her. I was blown away because Tonya Lightfoot was a pretty obscure character. I was reminded again, that words do matter and the lady behind the cash register had uplifted my spirits mentally without even knowing what she had done.

And not too long ago, (I know, another one), after a show, I had a friend’s husband approach me saying I was “his spirit animal of happiness.” HOLY SMOKES! That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Like, EVER! His kind words meant everything to me as I had been struggling mentally and literally remember thinking just earlier that day, “What’s the point?” So, here I am again, fighting to stay a little bit longer. But again, nice words like that breathe life into your soul. It made me feel as though I was on the right path even though the journey hasn’t always been an easy one. I definitely had a spring in my step and a smile on my face for weeks to come. And sometimes when you’re having a bad day, it’s important to play those moments back in your head and be your own cheerleader because Superman isn’t real or coming. Kind, positive words really have power.

This is why I always try to be as supportive as I possibly can not only to my friends but to creative strangers out in the wild too. Because we all know life can be tough even on a good day. Trust me when I say, I know that. My mother always taught me to treat people how I would want to be treated. I’m incredibly lucky to have had nice things said to me when I’ve needed them the most. It’s been life-changing.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I’ve been lucky enough to have been invited to be on numerous panels on creativity. When asked about how I keep my mind fresh, creative and constantly flowing with new ideas, my number one answer is always to take improv classes. Improv teaches your brain to think on your feet and faster than someone who hasn’t. It also opens up your memory bank and helps you remember things you learned a lifetime ago but had forgotten about. Improv makes you think, “If THIS? Then WHAT? And if THAT, then WHAT?” And over and over and over again. Improv allows your brain to be creative like you were when you were a kid. Let your guard down and open your imagination allowing it to grow. If you’re struggling to work on a marketing campaign, or what creative things can you do on a limited budget for a school fundraiser or even help you become the best player on your bar trivia team. Or at least be stronger on your couch watching Jeporady from the safety of it.

However, improv has a bad rap because you always see someone on TV or in a movie making fun of it resulting in random people out and about picking up that belief which is unfortunate. But I can promise you and please remember this, the person who got paid to write that joke making fun of improv took improv classes or graduated from an improv school (or numerous improv schools for that matter) and got that particular job partially because of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: brandeestilwell.com
• Instagram: brandee_stilwell
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandee-s-4b2a4b1ba/
• Twitter: @brandeestilwell
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brandee-Stilwell/author/B07L9HP4D2?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Image Credits
Headshot – Sonalii Castillo Emma Kubert (book cover NOTIGATP) Sina Grace (book cover art SNOTIGATP) Stand-up Sarah McLean Ghost storytelling at The Crow 2 – Chris OConnor Coke machine x2 – Brandee Stilwell (fielder’s choice for you to choose which one to use. I couldn’decide. Sorry.)