Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Elonzae.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It started as early as I can remember, really… My love for entertainment and entertaining people in general. However, one of my most distinct memories was back in grade school at Zion Lutheran. Covering my hair in baby powder and borrowing my great grandfathers’ spectacles in order to become the “old man narrator” in the yearly youth Christmas play.
I have always been keen on performing no matter the audience, whether it be for friends, family, or an entire Pizza Hut full of strangers… (I’ll save that story for another time.) It wasn’t until my senior year of high school, after co-writing and starring in a science fiction film for a class project, that I really started to get the itch to create in a cinematic medium. And the most of my acting experience outside of a few plays/talent shows was from an elective drama class I joined in order to flirt with a girl I happened to have a crush on. Without the money to move out of Michigan and not much direction in life, I enlisted in the United States Navy and quickly found out that I was no Maverick. But instead would serve as an Information Systems Technician (IT2) and accompany the USS Chancellorsville on two deployments around the world. An honorary discharge in hand, and the inspiration of some military mentors behind me, I made my way from my duty station in San Diego up to Los Angeles, CA. Which I have called my home ever since. In 2010, with the help of the Post 9/11 G.I. bill, I enrolled in and graduated from the New York Film Academy, earning my Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis on Acting for film. I would go on to exhaust my educational benefits in three more programs at the Academy including Photography, Screenwriting, and Filmmaking from 2012-2022. Education has always been an integral part of my growth and though I am done for now, I always intend to learn and grow in my field and all positions surrounding me.
Currently working part-time as a photographer, I have a huge backlog of scripts and ideas that not only would I like to star in, but also someday possibly direct. My vision is strong and my imagination has always been immeasurable. It will only take that one break for me to find the opportunity to bring all of my stories to the big screen. Stories I’m dying to tell that no one else can tell besides me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing good comes easy. That’s what they say, right? I don’t see a life where the struggle isn’t a part of it, but there’s no denying that it has made me the man I am today. In 2007, I was deployed to Iraq under President Bush’s Individual Augmentee Program from November 2007 to November 2008. That year was one of the most influential times of my life as a young adult and ultimately as a storyteller. From boots on the ground in the middle east to the wide open of the Pacific, my military career was full of those moments that challenge who you are to become. 2012, after graduation from my first-degree program, I moved across the country to Schenectady, NY. Creating my own combination of techniques including the method, along with my trusted director, I spent almost an entire year living as my character. The way he talked, ate, slept, walked… I completely became another person in preparation for a role in an upcoming independent film which has not yet come to fruition, as things do sometimes in this industry.
That experience has led to who I am today as a performer and helped to mold my technique into what it currently is, and what seemed like a failure at the time eventually led to my debut feature film role and ultimately a lifelong friendship. My first play in Los Angeles, fully produced by myself and co-writer/star, began with me breaking down on a street corner in the middle of Hollywood after getting my car towed and realizing that the money I had spent on my stage did not include the set dressing that was originally shown to me when I had scouted the location. I have had every job under the sun since starting this career. Everything from teaching young ones how to swim to moving whole businesses out of their offices to even working at Universal Studios as a ride and character photographer and currently working in the grip department on whatever comes my way. This life is always changing and full of surprises and unexpected journey’s. I have been lucky along the way to find the jobs that I have and make the most out of them, but as most of us in Los Angeles know, living on an unstable income is no easy feat and there have been many days that I have had to remind myself why I am here and what I strive to achieve.
Honestly, you would need an entire chapter for me (or book for that matter) to dedicate to the struggles and failures I have had along the way, but I continue to follow my vision and my goals I have set forth for myself in the future. I am very fortunate to have a strong support system from not only both my family and friends, but also social media has opened up a vast network for me to interact with fans of my work. The art and entertainment I intend to share with this world will not come easily, but that’s how I know that I am on the path to something great and lucky for me, I have learned already that I do not need to create this future alone. I am so appreciative of all of those who have supported me along the way and who believe in me and my work. You are undoubtedly the true heroes of my story.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Art is beautiful in all mediums. Though I officially started my journey in Hollywood as a green inexperienced actor with no knowledge of the arts, the past decade has brought with it the opportunity for me to stretch beyond only performance. I love the process of creating a character. That moment when you connect the dots and everything clicks. When you can truly understand someone on a level beyond yourself and then exude that to an audience… there is truly nothing more special. I have had the pleasure of working on over 50 student and independent short films and leading two characters to their on-screen feature debut. As the Outlaw Johnny Christ in Nick DeRuve’s “The Runaway”, which was an official selection at 18 festivals in five countries, winning 16 award laurels and as Jacob in the upcoming psychological thriller “Carnage Radio’ which was shot with an independent film crew in Big Spring, TX during the covid pandemic.
On stage, I have produced and starred in self-made content, showcasing in the Hollywood Fringe Festival on multiple occasions as well as in a handful of friends’ plays, many in small venues around L.A. I love the immediate gratification you can get from an audience during a stage production and the way the audience can fuel the energy of the show and change something that has been rehearsed countless times. I love and have a huge respect for the stage, and though my passion is on the screen, It won’t be long until I return to the stage. I am currently working on a one-act military drama about three prisoners of war experiencing PTSD within their home lives that I would like to take to the Fringe for all to see.
In my decade in the industry, I have since created two production companies and a photography and post-production company which are currently in the process of building and expanding. Penguin Wizard Entertainment, created in 2017 with close friends has become a great platform to set future scripts and productions and most recently BurningBrand Productions, started just the beginning of this year with my long-time friend and business associate is a non-profit organization tailored to helping fund independent productions with great stories to tell and to educate upcoming filmmakers on the newest gear and technical equipment in the industry. Take Action Cut and Print, also started this February has been a goal of mine for many years that is finally coming to fruition. My way of giving new and veteran talent and business professionals a source for all of their photography and post-production needs. Quality at reasonable prices. One thing I never really had on my journey so far. Creating these opportunities for upcoming artists to create in ways that I never had is just about the greatest joy I can create besides my own art itself.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I honestly find mentorship all around me, and I’ve had some of the best. Most of my mentors have been not only good for my career but also for who I am as a human being. During my time overseas, I was very fortunate to find a superior that ultimately helped lead me in the right path toward my career in Hollywood. I truly can say that I don’t think I would be standing where I am today if it were not for that man and the wisdom that I took from him. Most of the directors I have worked with have been huge inspirations and mentorship for me. Specifically working with Nick DeRuve on The Runaway and our time together in New York. I always make it a point to learn new things from all of those I collaborate with, but I have found that it is important to surround yourself with those that know more than you and that genuinely want to see you succeed. My teachers have also been extremely instrumental in my growth. At both the Academy and the multitude of workshops I have attended, I take with me the best and leave the rest.
I am also very excited to announce that I have recently signed with MJB Talent Agency, both theatrically and commercially, and from the conversations I have had with Myreon (my agent), I know that there is much to be learned from him as well. Use those around you in the best way possible. Everyone has something to share with you and you will learn for better or for worse. Accept help when you can and don’t be too afraid to ask for it. You never know who has gone through the exact thing you have and can help you through it or who may be going through the exact same thing right that moment.
In my personal opinion, if you just connect with people, on a genuine level and you find those that have the same mindset and mentality as you, keep that focus there for as long as you can. I have run into many people that promise the world or offer you something beyond what you expected, but a lot of those times have turned out to be just another fork in the road. The times I have found myself truly making headway, full speed toward the sunrise, have almost always been because I have found the right person to accompany me along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.takeactioncutandprint.com
- Instagram: @elonzae
- Facebook: facebook.com/elonzae
- Twitter: elonzae
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3903421/
Image Credits
Sage Kirkpatrick Aric Coppola Take Action Cut and Print
