Rising Stars: Meet Brendan Gabriel Murphy of Beverly Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brendan Gabriel Murphy.

Hi Brendan Gabriel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Rockland County, New York about 30 minutes from New York City in a town called Suffern. I am the oldest of three children. My parents were both educators who worked in the school system I went to. I was obsessed with movies since I was a little boy and knew what I wanted to grow up and be since the age of eight. I wrote a biography in third great explains how I wanted to be a Director/Producer, even though I really had no idea what that actually entailed. I just knew they were the ones who made the movies. I did a lot of theater acting as a kid and into my teenage years. I basically grew up on the stage. That definitely prepped me for where I am today. I decided to pursue filmmaking instead of acting and got a BA in Film Production at Hofstra University in Long Island, NY. After college I auditioned and got into the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in Manhattan where I studied Method Acting. I started editing for various television shows in NYC and helped launch the YES Network for the NY Yankees. I was unfortunately down at Ground Zero and filmed the 1st tower collapsing during 9-11. I decided to move to Los Angeles, leaving all my friends and family with a few dollars in my pocket, and really pursue this filmmaking dream of mine. I came up writing & directing short films. These projects helped hone my skills and prepare me for the feature world. Finally you get into a festival, then you start wining them. All baby steps. Each project took on its own life and really helped me build my directing style. I’ve been fortunate to work alongside my little brother Kieran as my Cinematographer through it all. We have a production company together, Altered State Entertainment, which is very on-brand for the kind of stories we want to tell. I financed most of my early short films myself with the money I was making as a professional television editor in LA. I worked for Disney and many other studios & networks. This also saved me a fortune in the post production phase, since I was basically doing a majority of the post myself. My big break came when I directed a buddy comedy called “#LuckyNumber” starring Method Man from Wu-Tang Clan and Tom Pelphrey. From there I would go on to direct, commercials, promos, image campaign and docuseries for various brands and television networks. It was during the Covid lockdown that really lit a fire under me to finally write, direct and produce my own IP and that’s where my psychological thriller “Fluxx” was born. The film has won 12 festival awards and we just had our theatrical premiere. The film is getting a limited theatrical release on May 30th. It’s been a very long, surreal ride to get here to this moment.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s not indie filmmaking without its challenges and struggles along the way. When you are coming up, no one returns your emails or calls. Eventually you just get a lot of “no’s”. But you have to keep on fighting the good fight and at times have to take matters into your own hands and just go make films. But the most significant struggle of my filmmaking journey came on “FLUXX”. We were filming in Oahu, Hawaii and one of our investors completely screwed us and didn’t come through with his end of the financing. This threw the production into chaos. Being an indie filmmaker I had to put in my entire salary and sell all of my assets to keep the film going and that still wasn’t enough to cover what was needed to finish the film and pay our debts. It was a make or break moment and having this happen to the production and everyone involved was detrimental. This is really where I learned how to be a producer. Through all the stress and anxiety we got through it and the saving grace was the birth of my son Rowan Patrick. Having my first child put everything into perspective for me. It wasn’t about my ego anymore. It was about surviving and providing for my family. My wife Cayley is an incredible woman and she was my rock through all of this. Many of my friends and new investors came through in a big way and we were able to get the movie back on track. We were also able to secure Tyrese Gibson for the film where I ended up combining 2 roles. We filmed the remaining days we owed here in Los Angeles. Now we are premiering in theaters limited theatrically on May 30th. You have to have a strong backbone to survive in this crazy industry. This was by far the most difficult struggle I’ve had to face in my life & career thus far.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a writer, producer, director and editor in film & television. I also co-own a production company with my brother Kieran who is a Director of Photography. We have been operating in Los Angeles since 2006. I am very proud of every project we have tackled over the years. Each one takes on its own life and has been a major learning lesson and has only helped be grow as a professional. My short film “SWERVE” was really the turning point for my career. It was a rather large production for a short under 15 minutes. We had techno cranes and simulated the aftermath of a brutal car crash. I also shutdown a piece of the freeway on the interstate 15. Sadly, the location we shot the diner scenes at is no longer there. It’s the same diner Tarantino & Clooney did a scene “From Dusk Till Dawn” in, so we were in good company. The film starred Juno Temple (Ted Lasso, Fargo), Chris Ashworth (The Wire) and my best-friend Shiloh Fernandez (Evil Dead, Red Riding Hood). I wrote it for both Shiloh & Juno. So I knew I was going to get their best. They are both insanely talented actors. I put Shiloh in the first short film he acted in ever, so getting to work with your best-friend is always a very special experience. Shiloh stars in my new film “FLUXX” as well. So it’s been a real full circle moment for us. “Swerve” went on to win 5 festival awards, got international & domestic distribution and really prepped me for the feature world. It has a very twilight zone, thriller-esque vibe to it and was a huge influence on “FLUXX”. I am still extremely proud of that film. I think what sets me apart from others is my filmmaking style. I treat film as a canvas. The camera and actors are my paint. This is my art. Combining my knowledge and training in acting, writing and post production have only made me a much stronger director. This industry has taken a major blow in the last few years and it’s crushed a lot of hard working people. Many who have moved out of LA or onto different career paths. I’m still here, somehow, someway and it’s been a very challenging and difficult world to navigate. But I can’t see myself doing anything else.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
You have to engulf your entire being into your passion. If you are not 150% committed then this should not be the career path you choose. I don’t want to sugar coat anything. It’s hard. Like winning the lottery hard. This industry is brutal and it will take a lot out of you physically and mentally. You have to prepare yourself to be let down constantly. But your art is the saving grace in it all. Your imagination and perseverance can get you to the next level. But you have to take baby steps. You have to make the short films. You have to learn about all the aspects of filmmaking and understand that this is a business. A very risky business where the bottom line means everything to the ones putting in the money. But if you have a clear vision and can communicate that vision well, you can turn your dream into something tangible. It’s always such a natural high to see an idea become a living-breathing piece of physical art. Finishing a project, any project is a major accomplishment. Be proud of that. No matter what level you are at. Because each film is a piece of you. You made that happen with just an idea and you were able to get your collaborators onboard to turn your vision into a reality.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alteredstateent.com / www.fluxx.film
• Instagram: @brendangabrielmurphy / @fluxxthriller / @alteredstateent

Image Credits
Ashley Eberbach
Paul Gerben
Aaron Needham
Rachel Kress