Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bryan Jeffrey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Bryan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have a two part answer to that. So, first there was the time I had just lost my father a few years before and I sang a solo of a hymn called “Joyful Joyful” which was made popular by Sister Act 2. I remember feeling sad because he wasn’t there and then I sang and the audience was on their feet and I began to feel this excitement and love that was so therapeutic and so healing! And then I thought…this is what I want to do; I want to be like the people on the tv and the stage. I want to perform.

That pushed me to want to audition for the ballet and I got accepted very fast. So through there was when I really started dancing professionally and my favorite piece was doing the world renowned George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

In that show, I performed several parts in the Nutcracker with Pennsylvania Ballet, now Philadelphia Ballet, and I was also singing in the Philadelphia Boys Choir during the same show! Yeah I was singing since I was 2, literally had solos. I was pretty good.

Anyway, with PA ballet’s Nutcracker I would dance the first part and then in between I’d run all the way to my third floors dressing room where the Assistant Stage Manager (ASM) and my mom helped me get out of all the ballet layers and in to the 6 part boys choir outfit, sing that song, the rush back up stairs and change into the next intricate dance costume. I did that for about a two months or less for a number of years and although I was dog tired, still going to school and maintained high grades…I ALWAYS was so eager to do the next one and was sad when it always had to end. Thats when I knew.

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 am a Philadelphia native. I got my start in church with my Grandmother, my dad’s mom, and apparently I came out singing in a sense. I sang my first solo at 2 then first show at 3 started dancing at 7 then broke heavy into the theater and music industry around 17 or 18 as an official solo artist. However, I also went onto college and really got even further into the entertainment industry and I learned so much about the movement of it, the strategy of it, the economics of it. I learned how to craft my performance skills, educational skills and my lessoning skills and mix them with my heavy spiritual life. All while not being clouded by certain systematic religious structural forms in order to uphold a superficial standard. In other words, I was not walking around in nothing but body suits and bad haircuts pretending to “sinless”. Once I realized that my spiritual relationship with God was not based on peoples opinion I started to be more confident in my skills and myself. So then I started teaching and coaching singing, acting, and dancing to a wide variety of talent; some of which have gone on to win awards and things. But they all said it was always more than just me teaching then skills for their careers but I would impart into their souls as well. Reason is because in this entertainment industry you have to not only protect your fiscal business but you have to protect your mental business as well. It’s so full of distortion and distractions that it’s easy to get derailed off of your personal course. I guess I like to say I’m an artist who is also an artist’s spiritual counselor. It’s sometimes the best parts.

I’m a one stop shop for singing, acting, dancing, and spiritual needs. And yes, I am an ordained minster of 15 years.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being able to have an outlet to tell our stories and the stories of those that can’t. The gift of being a conduit of healing for ourselves and other people is truly a gift from GOD!! I’m so grateful!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Support and stop trying to get discounts on everything. We don’t have that much support as it is and it’s kind of disheartening to keep asking for discounts. I think for every major discount, we will discount our performances. Just kidding. I would never do that. I don’t do it for the money at all. However, sometimes I envy the ones that do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://music.apple.com/us/album/wac-single/1759862251
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fonzworthj
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phillyinc
• Twitter: https://x.com/thebryanjeffrey
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thebryanjeffrey