Brandon Essig

About Brandon Essig

Brandon lived in Paramus, NJ until he was five years old, during which time he recorded sung vocals on several records by composer Hayes Greenfield (Jazz-a-Ma-Tazz, Songs for a Green World). After spending a year in California with his family, he moved back to NJ and settled in to River Vale. He took an interest in music, and joined his school\'s orchestra in 3rd grade as a percussionist. He began acting the following year when he auditioned for and was cast in his school\'s production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (he was Sleepy). He continued studying both music and acting into middle school, where he began singing in musicals as well. Finding himself taken with the performing lifestyle, he started making regular trips into New York City for auditions as well as vocal training with Juilliard graduate Michael Connelly. While performing in high school plays and musicals, he received a nomination for the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award for Best Supporting Actor, and won Montclair State University\'s Theatre Night Award for Best Actor. After graduating from high school, he auditioned for and was accepted to the BFA program at Philadelphia\'s University of the Arts with a major in Acting. During his 4-year stay at the school, Brandon continued studying drums with jazz teacher Marc Dicciani, both on drumset and as part of his bucket drum ensemble, and vocals with opera singer Paul Adkins. During this time, he continued to audition professionally, landing SAG-AFTRA feature films (A Place in Hell), and Equity musicals (New York Musical Theatre Festival\'s Bend in the Road). After graduating and returning to NJ in 2015, he has continued to appear in professional productions and plays drums throughout New York and New Jersey with several notable bands and music acts, such as the punky The Permanent Revolution, the proggy Eels of Love, the extreme metal stylings of Varanak, the heavily syncopated and chugging complexity of Infinium, and the electronic-industrial hip-hop textures of Münki. He is also a percussionist for hire, having played in productions of Hair and Pippin. Furthermore, Brandon has worked as a voiceover artist in audiobook narration for Benchmark Education Company since 2021. Please send all inquiries about drum lessons, session drum work, or voiceover projects to b•••••••@gmail.com.

Experience

1. Actor

   SAG-AFTRA

   Jan 2016 — Present

Education

• University of the Arts

  Bachelor of Fine Arts, Acting

Skills

• Indesign
• Stage
• Music
• Acting
• Art
• Choreography
• Drama
• Illustrator
• Theatre
• Arts Administration
• Drawing
• Photography
• Musical Theatre
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Photoshop
• Dance
• Improvisation
• Singing
• Film
• Performing Arts