Meet Brandon Conti

We recently connected with Brandon Conti and have shared our conversation below.

Brandon, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I am not quite sure when the change happened and maybe it hasn’t changed completely, but I know from where I was when I was growing up to where I am now, I feel like a different person. I would have considered myself someone who was socially awkward and couldn’t keep up with simple conversations, always struggling to think of what to say and most times wondering if I was even worth talking to. No one wants to feel like that and most days I felt as if my words never really mattered. It wasn’t until I started working at Starbucks did I learn how to use my voice and engage in conversation and develop that confidence in myself. I had a manager who really pushed me out of my comfort zone. Having me ask customers “how’s the weather” at a drive thru window in the middle of a snow storm really puts perspective on how you can literally ask or say anything and people will respond. Slowly, by pushing myself into awkward situations I started to see that everyone is just as uncomfortable as you are to make a good impression. I have been working at Starbucks now for 7 years and it has helped foster my confidence and self-esteem in everything that I do.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am an artist. I think that term embodies a lot, it is a musician, an actor, whatever is creative and has purpose is what an artist is. I didn’t know what I wanted to do most of my life, I was constantly bouncing from one idea to the next hoping that something would stick. It wasn’t until I was 20 years old did it finally click for me. Something about performing on stage and telling stories was something that had never crossed my mind until then, but once it did it just felt right. I never went to any kind for acting program and I only took a handful of acting classes, but the best teacher I had was hands on experience. I have been performing for a little over a decade now and I can tell you that the best experience is one that happens in the moment. I have been very fortunate over the years to have the opportunities that I have had. Meeting and working with actors in both New Jersey and New York. Those people have fostered a love for performing that I will never quit on. Currently, my biggest milestone to date is to have someone representing me in all of the chaos that is the performing arts. Bonafide and Emerging Artists is a talent agency that has been amazingly kind and hard working on all fronts to help actors like myself find work and make moves in this ever changing industry. Outside of being an artist I also work as a shift manager for Starbucks and I am also a private music instructor for Noteworthy Academy of Music. Both jobs have helped me foster and develop my abilities and have allowed me to give back in some way to others.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

If there are three qualities that I believe are essential and that have helped me progress in my career it would have to be patience, kindness, and determination. Patience because you never know what tomorrow will bring and the uncertainty that comes with that. Opportunities come and go and knowing that what is meant to be will be will allow you to free up some of that stress about your future and whether or not things are going to work out. Kindness is something that I believe we all need to have, everyone is going through something and everyone has their own stories to tell. If others never showed me kindness I wouldn’t have made as much progress as a performer than I have, the only thing I was ever told was to give back if I have the opportunity to do so. Determination for the sheer fact that sometimes things might not go the way we want it to. Life can be tricky and there are a lot of hurdles and bumps that might get in the way. However, if you know what you want to do, nothing can stop you. As for any advice on the matter, just remember that the only person that is ever holding you back from reaching all of your goals and dreams, is you. As cliche as that statement is, it’s true. We are in a new generation where everything is being viewed online by everyone. People have opinions and people will either love you or hate you. Those are just words from others who don’t know your story and don’t know what you have done to get to that point. The only words that you can’t hide from are your own. So, be kind to yourself and allow yourself the grace and patience to know that everything will work out and never give up on yourself.

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?

I am always looking to collaborate with others. I would love to work with people who are singers and want to perform in duets or if they need a singer for a song that they wrote or want to do a cover of. Any actors who need people to do scenes with them or need someone on film with. We live in a very collaborative world and I love being a part of that in anyway I can. If they want to connect, the easiest way to reach me is through my Instagram: @thebrandonconti
I hope to hear from you!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

SubUrban Photography

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