Community Highlights: Meet Jesse Bernal of Burning Brand Productions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Bernal.

Hi Jesse, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had an interest and desire to be involved in the entertainment industry. I can remember as far back as being six years old and always sitting and watching shows with my father and asking questions how things are done, was it real life and what does it mean to be an actor/entertainer. Unfortunately, even though I had this interest and need to be involved in entertainment, I was a very shy and bashful young boy. My father was a Basic Military Instructor for the USAF and I remember going with my mother to drop him off at the base in San Antonio, TX and seeing him yell at what to a young boy looked like grown adults so I was a bit intimidated by him. It wasn’t until he retired and my Mother left the family that I truly got to know who he was and the type of person he is. Realizing that, I discovered that I was just like him and that meant I also had the strength he had to face any obstacle that would be put in my path to where I wanted my life to go. Through him, I learned discipline, loyalty, strength in myself and above all accountability. I followed in his footsteps and joined the USAF in 2001. During my time in service, I took college courses, one of which was Theatre 101. Fell in love with the Art of performing and I seemed to have a natural talent at making the scripts/plays come to life. It was at that point I knew exactly what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be.

Fast forward to 2007, I was stationed in Charleston, SC and looked to take a workshop and ended up being signed with a talent agency. I took a casting workshop and met the local casting director for Army Wives and the doors started opening. I was put on the show (Taft Hartley) and continued to book commercials in the local area. In 2008 I left the military and got married. The marriage is an important part of my story because I gave up acting for my wife. Insecurities that I harbored got the better of my judgment because in the end we got divorced and I was once again back at square one and had to figure my way back into the industry. I decided to get my Performing Arts degree from the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, so I did the two year program. After I graduated in 2011, I was fortunate enough to sign with a small management company and had a few bookings, nothing major but was learning and improving so much. After about a year with the management company I was with, I felt like I needed to find better representation, so I ended up signing with Kruglov Talent Management and booked a Co-Staring role on the TV show Revenge. Was such an accomplishment for myself that I didn’t even want to let anyone know about it, just in case the storyline changed (as it happens from time to time). Things were looking up for me and I wanted to continue my training to perfect my craft so I enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Hollywood and took a two years conservatory to learn Method and Relaxation. I learned so much during my time there.

Once I finished my two years there, my father fell severely ill for the 3rd time and I flew back to Texas to be there for my family. It was supposed only be for a year but ended up staying for just under six years. During my time in Texas, I found a local agency (Entourage Talent based in Austin, TX) and booked several commercials to include national commercials and did independent films. Working with independent filmmakers intrigued me and I wanted to learn more about the business aspect of entertainment. I had produced a few short films and helped cast many films as well as worked behind the camera so I decided, why just stick with one discipline? Soon as I moved back to LA in 2022 my old classmate/actor/bestfriend Brandon Elonzae got in touch with me and we started to build our own brand. We’ve since started BurningBrand Productions and Take Action Cut and Print, and are working on our own projects and looking to produce films, shorts and series as well as provide insight to the industry for those who need help. There is so much more to go over but I’ll leave it with this… Acting is A.R.T. – Always React Truthfully.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road is based on a perception. In truth, I’ve had my struggles just like everyone else but I like to think that I’m different in one way. If there is something I may have a small fear in, I will face it head on and learn from them and the failures to make for a better tomorrow for myself and those who are willing to learn from my downfalls.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
With my business partner, we’ve started our own production company. It is still on the ground floor, however we already have a project we are working on and should be scheduled to start filming the end of the summer in 2023. We started this company to bring the chance for those who have stories that need to be told a chance to be seen. Both my business partner and I are US veterans and have been in the industry, whether it be acting, producing, directing or screenwriting for over ten years and have amassed a solid network and contacts.

We not only have a production department but also have a photography/editing department as well. In having both departments, we can provide the tools necessary for Actors and for our Screenwriters/Directors we will go over their views of how the story should be told in how they viewed it during inception to make their vision a reality.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
To me, success is being in a place where you’re doing what you love and passing on what you have learned to the next generation.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: burningbrandproductions
• Facebook: burningbrandproductions
• Twitter: burningbrandpro