We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandon Collins. 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 about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I started drama when I was in middle school at a performing arts charter school. It was a great program and I fell in love with acting/ storytelling because of that experience. This love, however, was deferred for 11 years following my move from a small agricultural town in Northern California to a surf town in south Orange County. The worlds were very different from each other, and because of the culture shock I was processing, I did not feel my passion for acting. Snap forward a few years, I have graduated high school, found out that physics was fun, just completed my degree in mechanical engineering in December of 2021, and expecting a job in Dallas, Texas working in aerospace. It was just at this time that the dream I had as a child presented itself to me again. Close friends of mine who were already established models/ actors saw my graduation photos and encouraged me to apply for roles. With the first acting gig I booked, I was hooked all over again.
It was a process to allow myself to switch gears. Just finishing the last 2 years of college through “Zoom University” helped encourage that switch, but It was pressing into my relationship with Jesus that I felt full peace to leave engineering aside and pursue this gift that He was giving back to me.

Brandon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I wonder how many rocket scientists turned actors there are? I am sure Jake Gyanhall got some exposure in October Sky, but for my time studying mechanical engineering, I was a member of a competitive collegiate club at CSU Long Beach where I designed a metal 3D printable regeneratively cooled rocket engine, so ya, actual rocket science. Surprisingly enough, this experience proved highly beneficial when I returned to my childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker. High-level critical problem-solving when producing and directing on-set, deep detailed analysis of scripts and shot lists, and how to manage a team of highly specialized individuals all working towards a common goal with a limited timeframe and resources were all skills I first learned as an engineer. Not to mention, being able to 3d print sci-fi guns is pretty cool. In the past year, I have been in the entertainment industry, I have had the pleasure of modeling for GMC, Buick, and many other brands, have written, produced, and starred in 3 short films, and coordinated a film festival for likeminded Christian filmmakers looking to further hone their craft. I am currently building my production company and working with up-and-coming creatives in the film space as well as established individuals in the modeling industry. You will also be seeing one of my short films coming out soon, details of which will be featured on my Instagram.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

It has been a pleasure building relationships with like-minded stylists, directors, and brands. I especially love working for brands and working on films that depict multi-faceted people and promote looking beyond the surface. I mean, look at me! You would never expect “Rocket Nerd” by looking at my modeling portfolio. People are much more than their book covers. I am compelled by multi-dimensional stories and subverting people’s expectations. People put a lot of limits on what they should do based on what they have done or who they were, but there is nothing you cannot do if God has opened the door for you. Why not show them all wrong and inspire those behind you, waiting for someone to let them know that they have permission to jump into the unknown? This is the kind of culture I want to help create. For anyone reading this who resonates with celebrating multi-dimensional stories–brands, companies, filmmakers, or those who simply want to tell these kinds of stories– I look forward to working with you.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Perfectionism was something had to majorly unlearn as an actor. Engineering can be a very creative pursiut, but in college you are trained with no end on how to get the right anwser to a problem, to do it in the most efficient way possible, and to repeat that proceess until it is ironed into your brain, ready to pull come test time. Acting is not that at all. Sure you have to remember lines and trust that you have done the work to be prepared for what you are doing. But in begining your preperation you have to let go of what you feel you need to do right and let yourself be free to fail, even in an extraordinarily embarassing way. This freedom to go down the unbeaten path is imporant for the actor and creatvie because you will only every do what has been done before if you do not have the courage to make a wrong choice and perhaps discover something that could change someones life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @brandonliamcollins

Image Credits
Adam Reed Anthoney Michael