Entering DePauw University as an accomplished wide receiver and electric guitarist, Brandon dropped it all to study acting after a series of unexpected events.
It was seeing Casey Affleck's performance in Gone Baby Gone in a near-empty theater that changed his path. Having been adopted, watching Affleck's moral dilemma in the film struck a chord of inspiration he had never experienced as a musician. He quit the DePauw football team shortly after, stepped away from music, and began to study acting relentlessly.
Excelling in the theater department, he spent most of his time outside of class studying his film inspirations. He would often sleep in classrooms with screen projectors befriending the janitors to lock him inside overnight. He considers the work of Elias Koteas, David Morse, Adrien Brody, Stephen Dillane, Mickey Rourke, Liam Neeson, Billy Bob Thornton, Irrfan Khan, Tom Cruise, Richard Jenkins, Jim Caviezel, Denzel Washington, and Ray Liotta to be his major influences.
It was receiving advice from Billy Bob Thornton in 2017 that started a new chapter as a filmmaker.
In 2018, Brandon directed, produced, edited, and composed the music for the short film, Last Call, which screened at the Official Latino Film Festival, where it was nominated for “Best Drama.”
In 2019, he wrote, directed, and produced A Poet’s Life: a short film starring David Marciano, a major influence from FX’s The Shield — widely regarded as one of the “greatest television series of all time.” He also served as the film’s editor, sound designer, and composed additional music. In 2021, it screened at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, Richmond International Film Festival, Pasadena International Film Festival, and the Bergen International Film Festival of New Jersey where David Marciano won “Best Actor.” In 2022, the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art selected it as one of only 20 films to screen in-person at its Fine Arts Film Festival.
In 2024, he composed music for the short film, Palmdale — also serving as the sound designer and additional editor. The score was nominated for “Best Score” at the SIMI Film Fest, with the film winning multiple awards: “Best Drama” (North Hollywood Cinefest), “Best Drama” and “Best Actress” (SIMI Film Fest), the “2024 Audience Award” (The Valley Film Festival), and two Grand Jury Awards at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival.
A Poet’s Life
