Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Brandenburg.
Hi Molly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been drawing and making art since childhood, and I started singing and performing as a young person too. I was lucky to live in an area (Southern Oregon) and attend a school that encouraged an interest in the arts, so I kept on with these interests and always felt Inspired about them. I was encouraged by my mentors (one of whom was an actor and coach with The Oregon Shakespeare Festival who had worked with John Houseman and Bertolt Brecht while acting in Los Angeles) to leave Oregon and attend college in LA so I could get a sense of what the acting profession was really like. So, I came to LA and continued pursuing a career in voice and acting, as well as in the visual arts. From there, I attended improvisation workshops at The Groundlings on the advice of a good friend from USC. Learning improv and meeting friends at The Groundlings was life-changing for me; that time brought me significant friendships and opportunities and eventually led me to my career as a podcast host with The Parcast Studios on Spotify.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say my career path has been smooth, but I’ve still enjoyed the journey. For me, the biggest struggle was in making a living as an actor/artist. I knew a lot of actors who were pretty broke most of the time, and I needed a sense of stability. So, I built a career as an advertising copywriter in the entertainment industry, and I did that while working in theater and doing voiceovers, and creating art at night and on weekends. If that sounds exhausting, it sometimes was, but I was driven to pursue my goals, even if it meant being exhausted at times.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At a certain point, I had the good fortune to land at The Company of Angels Theater in LA. It was a small theater with a reputation for showcasing great actors; it had originally started when a group of young actors (including Leonard Nimoy and Richard Chamberlain) from Jeff Corey’s legendary acting class decided to start their own theater group. The group lasted and was still running in the 80s when I joined. Again, serendipity intervened when I needed a community to support my goals as a singer/actor.
In that community, a group of us were able to start our own comedy and music show, and we created a long-running hit called “Midnite Madness.“ A lot of big talent was in that show, and it gave me a chance to develop my own lounge singer character, Peggy Judy. (Her cd, “Peggy Judy: Live at the M Bar,” can be heard on Spotify.) That character gave me a chance to sing and tell stories in many wonderful venues, from The Gardenia Room in LA to The Plush Room in San Francisco and Don’t Tell Mama in Palm Spring, and more. It all came from following the rules of improv I learned at The Groundlings and from Gary Austin, who created that theater. The main rule is just keep saying “yes” and adding more information, information about your character and who they are, and what they are searching for. In essence, create your own world, and no one can stop you! How freeing that all is! I advise any young actor to study improv so they can develop their own material and create their own opportunities.
Somehow, all of this work (which I was just doing because I loved it) lead directly to me being hired by Max Cutler, CEO, and founder of The Parcast studios, to host the hit podcast shows “Conspiracy Theories” and “Unexplained Mysteries.” Max knew voice artist Wenndy MacKenzie, who was married to Gary Austin, and he wanted to have Wenndy host some of the Parcast Shows. She was so successful for Parcast, Max decided to seek out talent that had trained with Gary, so all of us friends from improvisation were brought in to host the shows. Then Spotify bought Parcast, so now we’re all part of Spotify. Max is another example of someone who decided to keep saying “Yes” and to create his own world. It’s amazing where all that can take you
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the film industry and its history in LA and the way it influences everything from the architecture to the fashion and general creative verve of this city. Like most people, I don’t like the heavy traffic!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mollybrandenburg.com
- Instagram: @mollybrandenburg1
Image Credits
Molly Brandenburg
Emma Benson
Peter Zakhary
Luci Zakhary
