Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Braswell.
Hi Jim, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
At the age of 4, I had to give a 4-line Easter speech at my church. I stepped in front of the audience on that Easter evening recited my lines and to my surprise, the audience applauded. What? I had never experienced anything like this before… so I recited my verse again and again, each time to more thunderous applause. That was it for me! I thought to myself, “wait, I can say things and people will clap?” That was all it took! I was hooked!!!
As a kid I was odd and would do anything to receive attention. If anyone came to the house, they were forced into watching my latest recreation of whatever television show that I had just watched. My Sister, my Hero In life suggested to my Mother that I join the local theater group. I am forever indebted to her because theater would change my life! I finally had something to channel all of my energies and oddities into. I had found my tribe! I would perform in theater throughout my childhood and teen years.
I wanted to go to college and study theater and pursue my dream of being on Broadway. However, being the last of five children and the only one to acquire a parochial school education, being an actor was not the dream of my Mother….
For seven years I would work in Banking. A job that I hated but did rather well. When time would allow, I would still do plays and I even held a weekend job as singing/dancing server in a Dinner Theater. One day a good friend asked me to drive to Chicago with her to a Disney audition. It was Winter and she didn’t want to make the 5 hour drive from Ohio alone in the snow. As we drove to Chicago, my friend convinced me to audition with her. I wasn’t really interested in working for Disney but decided to audition at the last minute, making up a monologue in 5 minutes prior to the audition. I would get hired by Disney and she didn’t. Moving to Florida and joining the opening Crew of the Disney MGM Studios would not only give me endless opportunities, it would change my life forever and put me on a career trajectory that I never could have imagined!
At Disney I would have the opportunity to host shows like The Monster Sound Show, Superstar Television, Behind the Scenes at Star Search, Let’s Make A Deal, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire; Play It and conduct over 300 interviews with celebrities like James Earl Jones, Justin Timberlake and Oprah Winfrey, just to name a few. After several years of performing in the Acting Troupe Citizens of Hollywood and singing in the Festival of the Lion King I would leave Disney after 20 years and head to LA to pursue film and television after a heartbreaking couple of unsuccessful callbacks for Broadway’s RENT.
After a few relatively successful but not lucrative years in LA doing a little soap opera and film and television work, Disney would beckon for my return to open The American Idol Experience as the “Randy” judge. There as “Jimmy B”, I had coined a phrase “What’s up Boo Boo?” That phrase would follow me everywhere. Even one chilly evening in Colchester, England while dining with friends, I would hear his next door neighbors yell “there’s Jimmy B!!!, What’s up Boo Boo?” After that show closed, I would leave Disney once more and reenter the world of a freelance Actor, auditioning for film and television throughout the Southeast. I would have the good fortune of booking roles on such shows as Step Up; High Water, Games People Play, Queer As Folk, Dynasty and most recently the Tyler Perry show She The People; directed by the one and only Tyler Perry.
I also earned a living as a Casting Assistant for many years to a major Casting Director here in the Southeast and started teaching Acting and Voice just to make some extra cash. That was 8 years ago and I would have no idea at the time that teaching would help me find my voice. That teaching Acting would enable me to answer my calling and walk in my power. The most rewarding aspect of teaching is when a Student says that I have not only made them a better Actor but a better person. I am proud to be a WORKING ACTOR and ACTING COACH! It is also incredibly rewarding when you see a Student “get it”. When the light turns on and something finally clicks in their brain!!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have incredible representation. Atlanta Models & Talent in Atlanta, 22 Talent in Orlando and the Applegate Agency in Miami. As an Actor, I just have to make sure that I am turning in great auditions that can compete with ALL of the other Actors in the Southeast. The competition now is fierce and many!!
The biggest obstacle in teaching is staying present enough to discover how each one of your Students receives information. Another obstacle for me is that I work hard to get to KNOW each and every one of my Students. I feel that if I know them then I can successfully teach them! This is successful most times but it also at times leaves me drained and empty. I have to make sure to refill. One of my greatest loves in life other than Acting is playing Tennis. It’s my nirvana and the endorphins replenish my spirit.
The other obstacle to my teaching is that in creating a professionally personal relationship with my Students, it’s hard not to be hurt or take it personally when they leave….. Although some return it’s still very difficult to watch them leave.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In addition to my career as an Actor, I coach Acting and Vocals at the Maile School. I do career consultations for Actors who need a plan or feel lost in their current journey. I assess an Actor’s materials, ie; headshot, resume in consultations to make sure that they have the correct appearance and are marketing themselves correctly. I also coach Public Speaking having coached several Ted Talks. I am available in person and online.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Working Hard
Being present
Staying on top of my game as an Actor and Teacher
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jimbraswell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimbraswellactingcoach/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/jimbraswell
- Other: tiktok@jb.actingcoach
