We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandee Stilwell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandee, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?

That is a really good question. And to be honest, I’m not really sure how to answer this one.

I guess since I grew up playing sports, I was taught to keep fighting till the bitter end even if you’re down 15 runs in the bottom of the 9th. You have to give it all that you’ve got and locate fumes in your evaporated tank. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been treading water longer than anyone I know. The truth is, I’m exhausted but I really don’t know what else to do. I suppose I’ll keep looking around for more pasta to throw at the fridge and keep going simply because I don’t know what else to do. Haha!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I would say, I’m most proud of my true, cringe-worthy stories that have happened to me over my lifetime. How does the saying go, “Scars remind us where we’ve been. They don’t have to dictate where we’re going” – David Rossi / Joe Mantegna from Criminal Minds (Ha! I watch a lot of TV). But I love that Stephen King reminded us that “Writers remember everything…especially the hurts” or in my case, the embarrassing things I’ve done and the repetition of poor choices that have replayed on a loop, rent-free in my brain for decades. Oh, and also the small fortune I’ve spent on therapy that has helped keep me moving forward and embracing those past decisions allowing me to laugh about them now. Oh yeah, and time helps too. You know, the further we can get away from that particular event on the calendar.

I’m thankful I have a sense of humor and can look back on some of those stories now and instead of crying from humiliation, I now shed tears of laughter because what I did was so ridiculous or just plain stupid. This is why the sayings “There is truth in comedy” or “It’s funny now” couldn’t ring more true. Which is why I’ve written two books with over 100 true, short, embarrassing, cringey stories called “None of This is Going According to Plan” and the sequel that came out in November of 2023, “Still, None of This is Going According to Plan.”

But all of those stories are who I am. And for better or worse, I’m proud of who I am. I remember not too long ago, I had a fellow storyteller say to me, “I’m really enjoying your self-deprecating book!?!?!” Which was a little bit of a ding and to be honest, I was kind of upset about how they framed it as a backhanded compliment. But at the end of the day, I can self-deprecate all day long because not only are my stories funny but I’m confident in myself and who I am as a person. But what I will never do is get on stage and make fun of someone else. That’s just meanspirited and unnecessary and not who I am.

Luckily for me, the timing for all of this couldn’t be better as the art of Storytelling has really taken off in the Los Angeles area with many storytelling shows at The Crow in Santa Monica, The Lyric Hyperion Theater in Silver Lake, and The Glendale Room in Glendale to name a few. I have a quarterly show at The Lyric Hyperion called “Precious Story Moments with Aunt Brandee” that I’m super proud of. I host/produce and always tell one of my many humiliating and embarrassing stories along with five to six other hand-selected storytellers.

I remember at my last Precious Story Moments show, I was in the middle of telling my story of how I ruined my mother’s three-week-old, brand-new, light beige carpet when I was 19 and how someone from the audience yelled out almost in a panic, “Oh God! NO! Stop.” and I broke away from my story to say, “But wait! There’s more” as a wave of laughter from the darkness immediately crashed upon the stage. I then proceeded to tell the rest of the story of how my bad decisions kept building and escalating into a domino effect. Storytelling is freeing and so much fun. Getting laughs from the embarrassing or dumb things I’ve done is an addictive drug. Resulting in total strangers coming up to me after to share their personal stories that mine had reminded them of. It’s absolutely magical!

And since the world is a dumpster fire right now, I want the audience that I’ve held captive for 90 minutes at my shows (or if I’ve done a guest spot on someone else’s show) to have the very best time and leave with a smile on their face, a side ache from laughing too hard, and thankful they’re not me or one of the other storytellers for that particular show. I strive to leave people happy. And I’m very proud of that.

The next Precious Story Moments with Aunt Brandee is Saturday, June 15th at 9:30 PM at the Lyric Hyperion Theater in Silver Lake.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and guess you’ve never had anyone answer your question quite like this, but I absolutely love cemeteries and the LA area has some of the very best.

I’m often asked by family and friends when they come to visit me in Los Angeles (or even local friends) if I can take them on a day-long cemetery tour. Especially, if someone asks to meet a celebrity. That way it’s quick and painless on both sides. For example, the Westwood Village Memorial Park is only two and a half acres but the amount of famous people interred there is astonishing. Everyone from Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Dean Martin, John Cassavetes, Jack Lemon, Don Knotts, and Burt Lancaster – seriously, the list goes on and on.

But my unequivocal favorite cemetery in Los Angeles is Hollywood Forever Cemetery which is on the other side of Paramount Studios. It’s hard to explain but I’ve never been to a place that is so alive with so much positive energy where you keep the remains of those who’ve passed. Not only is Judy Garland there but also Chris Cornell, both Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, Valerie Harper, Anton Yelchin, Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and even my late friend, Tilt. I never miss an opportunity to kiss his marker and say “hello” even if it’s for a brief moment. There is a well-taken-care-of feral cat colony including the cemetery’s favorite kitty, Closeup. They have peacocks, turtles, koi fish, ducks, and swans. During the summer months, daily meditation and yoga classes are held next to Douglas Fairbanks Sr and Jr’s sarcophagus and reflecting pool, and Cinespia has classic movie screenings that project films onto the side of a mausoleum. My personal favorite film screening was Jaws. And yes, it was everything. And don’t get me started on how Hollywood Forever celebrates Dia de las Muertos every year. It’s life-changing and miraculous. Oh, and one more thing, yes, I want to be buried there. Because I like to imagine Hollywood Forever Cemetery is like the Haunted Mansion ride at night where all the happy ghosts are singing and dancing until the park reopens again the following morning.

More of my favorite cemeteries in and around LA are Forest Lawn Glendale, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Burbank, and Holy Cross Cemetery Culver City. During the pandemic, going for daily walks in peaceful cemeteries was part of my formula for making it through that time period.

Other favorite things to do in Los Angeles. You can never go wrong at a Dodger game. Seeing John Williams (or really anyone including screenings) at the Hollywood Bowl, and my favorite day of the year is attending Universal Halloween Horror Nights with friends.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I have numerous people to Shoutout.

Coach Cooley – my high school JV baseball coach. I attended a small high school in Kansas where we didn’t have a women’s softball team at the time until my senior year. I was the only female in the league. It was incredibly hard because I had no dressing room so I often had to change on the school bus by myself in a gravel parking lot, hiding in case anyone walked by or behind farm equipment in the nearby pasture while unhappy cows surrounded me, annoyed that I was in their space next to the country ballfield. Not to mention the horrible things the opposing male team players often said to me including their coaches once they discovered they were playing against a girl. It was pretty tacky and lame on their behalf. It was heartbreaking and it actually took a toll on me mentally. I remember how hard it was to hold my head up. Not only did my team always have my back but so did my Coach, Mr. Cooley. I don’t know how many times I tried to quit to him through tears but he always convinced me to dig in a little deeper and fight a little harder. Because he believed in me, it allowed me to shine whereas I don’t know if I would have been able to do that without his support in that environment. It would have been so easy for him to just let me quit and for everyone to walk away from the situation but he didn’t. And I know it wasn’t easy on him either. I will always be grateful that he did that for me.

Kiehl Smit – my first improv coach who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. He wouldn’t allow me to step off one of my first improv teams called Id Vicious when I was frustrated. It was a short-form team that played once a week at a roach-infested theater in the heart of Hollywood. All that being said, it was a lot of fun though. We played games like Chain Death Murder and Oxy Dip – where we would have to leave the scene on stage one by one to dunk our heads in titanic, ice-cold water with floating ice cubes – missing out on what was taking place on stage and then re-enter the scene soaking wet with a brain freeze and clueless to what had transpired in your absence. Mouse Trap (my personal favorite) where we were blindfolded and barefoot on stage with 30 “live” mouse traps. If you stepped into one, you had to carry on without mentioning anything about the trap (because it was never about the trap nor did the scene have anything to do with said traps) and continue on with your scene sometimes covered in your own blood and in a lot of pain. Kiehl convinced me to stay until the show finally folded and I rode it out until the very end of its run. I’m thankful to him for convincing me to continue performing. I have so many amazing memories from that time of my life (and some scars to prove it). I’m happy I stayed with it as it led to many other teams, shows, and other theaters over the years.

And my mother, Ginny. She’s always been there for me and for that, I will always be appreciative of her. And when she dies, I have promised to roast her endlessly. She in return has vowed to come back and haunt my ass for all of eternity.

Website: brandeestilwell.com

Instagram: brandee_stilwell

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandee-s-4b2a4b1ba/

Twitter: @brandeestilwell

Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brandee-Stilwell/author/B07L9HP4D2?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Image Credits
Sonalii Castillo (headshot) Ginny Wohlgemuth (Pillsbury Doughboy), Insung Hwang (plaid coat), Katie Bucher (Redrum and shark), Sarah McLean (stand-up photo), Sina Grace (book cover artist Still, None of This is Going According to Plan), Emma Kubert (book cover artist None of This is Going According to Plan) Brandee Stilwell (camera collection)

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.