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

Brian, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I have always loved creating music and film. But in 2020, I found myself at a job that I had no idea would end up allowing me an opportunity to pursue that.

In November of 2021, I got a call at work from a customer wanting to place an order. I realized by her email that she worked at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. I grew up in that area and had great memories of that theme park as a kid. During the call, I asked her if it would be possible for me to fly out for a weekend and play some of my original music on one of their stages. She asked me to send her one of my songs, so I did. She emailed me back and said that they liked what they heard and wanted me to fill out an application. I thought it was weird that I was being asked to fill out an application to come play for a weekend, but I did it anyway.

Months went by and I never heard anything.

In February of 2022, I got a phone call for an interview, and quickly realized that it was for a job at the park as a performer. I did the interview and as soon as I hung up the phone, I asked God to not let them offer me a job, unless it was what He wanted me to do. Well, the next day, I got offered the job, but they wanted me to be there in 2 days from Texas to Virginia. I didn’t know what to do and I was scared to make a decision, but I had to do something.

That same morning, before I received the offer letter, I was sitting in my recliner, about to spend time with the Lord, and I saw Joshua 1:9 cross my mind. I had no idea what the verse was, so I grabbed my Bible and turned to Joshua 1:9. It said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” I didn’t know what it meant yet because at that time, I had not received the offer letter until a couple hours later.

For the rest of that day, I had the urge to write in my journal. I’m not very good at keeping up with writing in it, but this day was different. I really wanted to write in it. By the end of the night, as I was getting in bed, I had forgotten about my journal. As soon as I laid down, I remembered, so I got up, turned the light on and grabbed my journal. I started writing in it with all the things that happened that day, between the verse that the Holy Spirit gave me, the offer letter and just how grateful I was. When I finished writing in it, I looked at the bottom of the page and it was the same verse from that morning, Joshua 1:9. That was confirmation for me to go. I believe the Lord was telling me to go and to not be afraid, because He will be with me wherever I go.

The next few days, God opened all the doors I needed. I talked with my job and they gave me an ok with giving them only a week notice. I had family that was 25 minutes from the park and they opened the door for me to stay with them for the whole 6 months. My landlord let me keep my stuff at my place in Texas, and allowed me to pay a partial of my rent while I was gone. And the park allowed me to come out a couple weeks later.

So I put in my notice at work, and I was on the road to VA about 2 weeks later.

It has been an amazing journey and I’m so glad that I was obedient to listen and go. Months after working there, I was able to play my original music on one of the stages in the park. I worked on 2 amazing shows, where I met so many people, and God has continued to open more doors from that. My contract with the park for the season ended on September 5, 2022. But now I will be in FL for 2 weeks performing for a prison ministry. And then I will be in NY for the first part of the winter performing at a casino. I’m excited to see where God will lead me next. I have learned through this, that if God asks you to do something, do it. He knows the plans that He has for us.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a singer/songwriter with music that ranges across multiple genres from Christian Rock to Country. I’m also an actor and filmmaker. I have a passion for performing as well as telling stories through film.

My mom and dad bought me a guitar when I was around five years old, but I didn’t do much with it at that time, until I was around nine years old. I started writing music when I was twelve, when I wrote my first song for a girlfriend at the time. Later in High School, I started playing in bands and gigging around wherever I could play. I eventually got burnt out from playing music and lost my desire to play as much. A couple years later, I ended up on my first film set where I found my passion with acting, so I started pursing that. I ended up moving to Texas about the same time I started pursuing film and I opened an LLC for a film company. We made short films, commercials, a mini series on Amazon Prime and other local things. It was in 2020 when I found my passion for music again and started playing. And now I pursue both music and films.

I want my story, my music and my films to touch others lives in a positive way.

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

I enjoy performing so much. With live performances, I love to look out in the crowd and see smiles on peoples faces and I love to be able to include the crowd and get them involved in the show somehow. Especially in a setting of a theme park or something like that. I remember going and seeing shows at theme parks as a kid. I remember when the cast members or performers would interact with the crowd. It was a moment of just feeling like you were apart of the show. I was a special moment and I want to give that back to the audience as much as I can. I mean, we are there to entertain and that means to get them to forget everything around them for that hour or thirty minutes or however long that show is.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I believe that God gave me the desire to want to play and this gift to use for His glory. So I guess my goal or mission is to do what God leads me to do with it and to enjoy this gift that He has given me. I would love to be a professional singer/songwriter as well as an actor but I ultimately want my mission and goal to be God’s will in my life, for whatever He has planned with what He gave me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brianeldermusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brian_elder/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brian.elder.90
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianelder1/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brianeldermusic

Image Credits
Randy Davidson Photography Stephanie Kewish Photography Jennie Hawkins