Meet Essex O’Brien

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Essex O’Brien . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Essex below.

Essex , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I was pretty shy and reserved when I was younger but one of my best friends said to me one day ” one monkey don’t stop no show” which basically means don’t let one person’s opinion stop you from living your life the way you want. Once I learned that how felt about myself was up to me and nobody else I began to be more assertive and confident in how I presented myself and how I approached taking risks in life. This confident lead me to success in the financial services industry and now with acting.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve been acting professionally for 14 years and full time for the past 6. I’ve been in 30 commercials, over 25 films and TV shows and 7 stage plays. The most exciting thing about what I do is the amazing opportunities to come into people’s lives and move them through storytelling. Working with so many insanely talented people is also very exciting and inspiring. I recently directed and.produced my 1st short film which I will be premiering on YouTube shortly. It was awarded several times on the film festival circuit and got a lot of positive feedback from audiences.
I have a Florida Lottery and TECO energy commercials currently in rotation.
I portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in a Pulitzer Prize-winning play called The Mountaintop which was named by the Orlando Sentinel as the critics choice for Best play of 2022! And I have supporting roles in upcoming feature films on TV and streaming channels! I also podcast regularly on my YouTube channel @realtalkfbs and Facebook. Very exciting times!! Readers can follow me on IG @theactormanessex and EssexOBrien on Facebook!!

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?
The qualities I think have helped me the most are 1st I’m an insatiable reader since I was young. As an actor reading really helps you with understanding the script and engaging your imagination to give life to your characters. It’s also a great source of learning things you’re not generally exposed too. 2nd quality would be I’ve always been very observant and self aware. I tend to notice things that other people miss and it helps me add realism and depth to my roles. I often people watch and try to figure out how they are feeling based on body language. Basically I have a knack for putting myself in other people’s shoes. 3rd I’d say I have pretty thick skin. You have to in my line of work because we deal with a lot of rejection. Being in sales and before that being a shy fat kid really toughened me up and taught me to remain strong during adversity and dealing with tons of no’s before you get to the yes.

My advice to people early in their journey would be to have a healthy relationship with fear. Understanding that fear is something you have to solve and not run from. I still get scared like anyone else but I’ve learned that going through the uncomfortable situations are really what makes you stronger and the best moments of your life are on the other side of conquering fear. I’ve read so many books and articles about people overcoming fears. So continue reading, observing others and pushing yourself through uncomfortable situations and you’ll be just fine!

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My wife Joni has been the most helpful in overcoming challenges. She does everything from helping with auditions to being the cheerleader that we all need in this difficult business. Self-tape auditions have become the norm now and she found the right lights that we needed to do them at home and taught me how to use editing software. She’s been a tremendous support for me that I don’t take for granted because I know 1st hand a lot of my colleagues don’t have that at home.

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