Meet Brandi England | Talent Management

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

Hi Brandi, what do you attribute your success to?
I think its a big “why” to be honest. Having a reason behind working 14 hour days that lights your soul on fire (hence IGNITE) is the big one for me. Our job literally is helping people (most of whom have been told their dreams are crazy) to achieve those dreams. Its super rewarding. My personal why is to grow our agency to represent talent that can feel safe with us. Safe to disclose mental health struggles, disabilities etc without fear of being judged or left out of consideration for roles. We want to be a safe space for all actors, that is my why.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career was not something I planned for. It just happened. People I cared about in the industry knew I was a passionate entrepreneur who wanted to help people achieve success, and the essentially asked me to be their agent. I had no idea what I was getting into, but the first time a young actor walked into my office in tears because I had helped them acheive a dream their family and friends told them was impossible, was the day I was hooked.

My first passion is mental health, and after founding a few mental health non-profits, I learned a lot of business lessons (some hard, some rewarding). So when being an agent became a reality, and I realized I could bring my business experience and mental health passion to the table, something special was born.

There have been so many ups and downs, the pandemic affected everyone, and came 15 months after we started. The first few years for any business are hard, but a pandemic in year 2 really threw everyone for a loop and shut the industry down. So we all had to come together through a lot of hard work and sacrifice to make it through. I believe we came out stronger, although it wasn’t easy. We have seen many agencies, managers & agents come and go in the industry over the last 5 years. I think a lot of people think of an agent job as glamourous, but its usually 14 hours a day, staring at a computer and hustling! So you need a balance of tech skills, people skills and lots of caffeine.

We made it throught he pandemic, then 3 major strikes in the industry… and we are still here and growing. So as our team grows, we want to place even more time & energy into getting back to our ‘why’, and opening doors for actors who may not have had the same opportunities previously. We also want to focus more on mental health and fostering a healthy industry so we can all be successful and grow a community together.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
1) The Grove (specifically the outdoor food market) – Food, Music, People Watching – so great!
2) The Last Bookstore in DTLA.
3) Volunteer at the soup kitchen at Midnight Mission.
4) Dinner at The Perch overlooking the city.
5) Santa Monica Pier, its just a special place.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Jessie Tippett, my colleague. She has a big heart, strong work ethic and hustles! We have each others back at work and during the tough days.

Website: https://ignite-artists.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ignite_artists/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandi-england-ignite-artists

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandispeaks

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7s_g278thk