We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandon Collins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandon below.
Brandon, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome hit me in a big way when I first started my career in acting. I started drama when I was in Middle school at a performing arts charter school. It was a great program and I fell in love with acting/storytelling because of that experience. This love, however, was deferred for 11 years following my move from a small agricultural town in Northern California to a surf town in south Orange County. The worlds were very different from each other, and in the culture shock I was processing I did not feel my passion for acting. Snap forward a few years, I have graduated high school, found out that physics was fun, just completed my degree in mechanical engineering in December of 2021, and expecting a job in Dallas, Texas working in aerospace. It was just at this time that the dream I had as a child presented itself to me again. But it was a process to allow myself to switch gears. The last 2 years of college through “Zoom University” helped encourage that switch, but it was pressing into my relationship with Jesus that I felt full peace to leave engineering aside, at least for a while, and pursue this gift that He was giving back to me. But once I did, I found a new problem: That dream I gave up on 11 years ago? Some people have been pursuing it their entire lives. Who was I to think I could just jump in after abandoning it so long ago?
I found peace with this from a few different sources. I heard a conversation between Jamie Fox and Michael B. Jordan where Jordan commented on how some actors wouldn’t support each other because of their intense competition for jobs. This baffled Jordan because, in his words, “there is enough food at the table.” This spoke to me deeply. I realized I had a famine mentality when it came to working in the entertainment industry. The moment you say yes to a project, everyone else who auditioned for and spent countless hours preparing in hopes that this would be their big break, dont get it. Imposter syndrome makes you believe that you are responsible for their failure and that if you are the reason that they didn’t get their break, you better be the next Robert Dinero to have earned it. This thought is standing on the lie that God isn’t also taking care of them like He is you. I listened to Chadwick Bosman in his speech at Howard University when he said, “When God has something for you, it doesn’t matter who stands against it. God will move someone that’s holding you back away from the door and put someone there who will open it for you if it’s meant for you.” In hearing this I realized that it applies to each of us. If God holds not only your future but everyone else’s in His hands, then it is arrogant to think you have the power to steal someone else’s destiny by pursuing your own. Imposter syndrome broke when I realized that by allowing myself to shine in what God has called me to, I inspire those around me to shine brightly as well and therefore it would be a disservice not to do so.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I wonder how many rocket scientists turned actors there are? I am sure Jake Gyanhall got some exposure in October Sky, but for my time studying mechanical engineering, I was a member of a competitive collegiate club at CSU Long Beach where I designed a metal 3D printable regeneratively cooled rocket engine, so ya, actual rocket science. Surprisingly enough, this experience proved highly beneficial when I returned to my childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker. High-level critical problem-solving when producing and directing on-set, deep detailed analysis of scripts and shot lists, and how to manage a team of highly specialized individuals all working towards a common goal with a limited timeframe and resources were all skills I first learned as an engineer. Not to mention, being able to 3d print sci-fi guns is pretty cool. In the past year, I have been in the entertainment industry, I have had the pleasure of modeling for GMC, Buick, and many other brands, have written, produced, and starred in 3 short films, and coordinated a film festival for likeminded Christian filmmakers looking to further hone their craft. I am currently building my production company and working with up-and-coming creatives in the film space as well as established individuals in the modeling industry. You will also be seeing one of my short films coming out soon, details of which will be featured on my Instagram.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Confidence, perseverance, and willingness to do the boring work have been critical for my journey. Confidence is critical to starting the journey. It is the byproduct of the knowledge that you have what it takes to succeed and the craft you have honed carries value. In the words of Alex Hermozi, “Confidence is not shouting affirmations in the mirror, It is having an undeniable stack of proof that you are who you say you are, Outwork your self-doubt.” This leads directly into perseverance. Perseverance is the act of continuing to work towards what you have been called to, despite any resistance that will inevitably present itself on your journey. No one wants to subject themselves to a boring story. Adventure, beauty, and triumph mark an incredible epic that stirs something deep within our souls. Why would we expect the story God has written for us to be any less so? One of the most important parts of perseverance: doing the boring work, (another lesson from Mr.Hermozi). This has been important at every step of my journey. Knowing that you have what it takes to climb the mountain is one thing, but you still have to do the tedious training to get there. Nothing is beneath you and everything is important. Allow yourself to be successful by doing what others will not because they only revel in the work that receives the most attention, but its rivets and bolts that make skyscrapers stand tall.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
In terms of modeling, I am moving toward high fashion, lifestyle, and commercial work. It has been a pleasure building relationships with like-minded stylists, directors, and brands. I especially love working for brands and working on films that depict multi-faceted people and promote looking beyond the surface. I mean, look at me! You would never expect “Rocket Nerd” by looking at my modeling portfolio. People are much more than their book covers. I am compelled by multi-dimensional stories and subverting people’s expectations. People put a lot of limits on what they should do based on what they have done or who they were, but there is nothing you cannot do if God has opened the door for you. Why not show them all wrong and inspire those behind you, waiting for someone to let them know that they have permission to jump into the unknown? This is the kind of culture I want to help create. For anyone reading this who resonates with celebrating multi-dimensional stories–brands, companies, filmmakers, or those who simply want to tell these kinds of stories– I look forward to working with you.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @brandonliamcollins
Image Credits
Adam Reed Anthony Michael
