Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Brayboy.
Hi Alyssa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It all started in Newport News, Virginia, acting out Spice World with my sisters and cousins in the middle of the living room, singing mowtown into spoons with my mom in the morning, and reading anything magical I could get my hands on. I loved all things storytelling. I dove into theatre in middle school and high school, then followed my passion for it into college. I bounced around between Shenandoah Conservatory, Christopher Newport University, and Old Dominion University. I finally received my bachelor’s from Shenandoah and somehow found myself working as a Production Planner and Scheduler building Nuclear Aircraft Carriers for the Navy. Needless to say, I was good at it, but I was miserable. I was making dumb money, but I wasn’t coming anywhere close to standing in my purpose and sharing my gift. So, I jumped without half a clue of what I was doing, got rid of everything I owned that didn’t fit in my car, and moved to Los Angeles. When I arrived all, I had on my mind was acting. Give me all things acting! I took classes; I auditioned, I interned, I PAed, I did background work, ANYTHING. At one point, I accidentally fell into producing a comedy show, The Mix and Serve; all of a sudden, something in me snapped, and I realized I could do even more… great, ha… and I loved it?… Great! After that, I didn’t want to wait for opportunities to tell stories anymore. I wanted to create them. I knew it was going to be uncomfortable and that I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I could and would. It was time to push some buttons and get uncomfortable. So that is exactly what my business partner, Elisa Vazquez, and I did. We birthed Buttons; we push buttons in order to create conversations, educate, and normalize uncomfortable topics through filmmaking with a focus on amplifying underrepresented and diverse voices.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have been extremely fortunate on this journey, and majority of the struggles along the way revolve around navigating relationships and true intentions. Learning which ones to keep nurturing.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an Actor, Writer, Producer. I am most proud of my latest short film/proof of concept, Sugar. It recently premiered at Dances with Films in NY and the California Women’s Film Festival, where we won the 3rd place Audience Award.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I don’t think there isn’t much people don’t know about me, I am an open book, sometimes to my own detriment.
Contact Info:
- Website: buttons.studio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssabrayboy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Buttonsbabes
Image Credits
Matt Kallish
