Meet Brittany D’Amico | Podcaster / Unscripted TV Creative Development / Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brittany D’Amico and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brittany, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
Oh goodness, this is the age-old question for any artist, isn’t it? As someone who was actively and singularly pursuing acting for a decade, after making a jump from the more reliable field of social work, this question haunted me. I felt like I couldn’t move forward in other areas of my life or explore other possibilities because somehow those things would imply, I had GIVEN UP. And then the pandemic hit and sort of recalibrated everything for me. I came to the realization that maybe the problem wasn’t figuring out the answer to this question, but in fact the binary this question presents in and of itself. Maybe I didn’t have to make a singular choice to keep going or to give up, maybe it was more about expanding my view of it altogether to include a multitude of possibilities. Maybe I’ll always be an actor, whether I’m hitting the pavement in the traditional sense or not. Maybe we’re not all meant to be attached to a single dream our entire lives, but to be open to dreams we can’t even dream up yet! Letting go of this question entirely and allowing my dreams and sense of possibility to evolve has been a game changer. I think the truth is, if following a dream is crushing your spirit, it’s time to re-evaluate. But why does it have to be so black and white? There are so many ways to reframe, I don’t think it has to be one or the other. Once an artist, always an artist.

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

I like to have my hand in lots of pots! I will always be an actor and a singer, but my latest endeavors have taken me in a direction I couldn’t have imagined just 18 months ago. My husband Tim and I have been hosting a reality tv recap podcast called Til Death Do Us Recap for the last year that you can find wherever you listen to podcasts. We recap Lifetime’s Married at First Sight every week, and it’s one of biggest joys of my life. Turns out being married for almost a decade with a professional background in humans (social work, acting, & education) uniquely positions us to have something to say about other peoples’ lives and relationships (LOL, debatable, but let’s go with it)! I think I had reservations initially, thinking, who cares what we have to say? But that voice rarely takes risks or gets cool shit done, so I’m pretty thankful I chose to ignore her!  

A few months later, a good friend suggested I come work with her in unscripted TV development at a production company called The Jay and Tony Show. Imposter Syndrome absolutely showed up, and I think I even tried to talk this friend out of wanting me based on my lack of experience, but she wouldn’t relent (thank God for friends who believe in you!) Now, I am one of the people developing the next reality show you’re going to binge, or the next documentary that’ll make you smarter and more depressed. I’ve never felt more stimulated and utilized by any job.

I’m a big believer in life as a cumulative experience. No moment or opportunity or season could’ve come without the ones before it. I think the biggest lessons I have learned so far are to stop holding onto the thing you think you want so rigidly because the universe might have something better for you, but you’re not going to notice if you’re clinging to the old dream so damn tightly!! Also, if pursuing a specific thing is zapping your joy and your spirit persistently, it’s okay to view that as an alarm bell rather than something to prove you can push through. Also, you are an artist whether you monetize it or not. I journal daily, play songs on guitar in my bedroom, and write poems in my phone notes. Most of these are things no one will ever see, but that doesn’t mean they are without value. They make me feel good and that’s enough. And finally, release judgement of yourself and where you’re noticing yourself being drawn to, even if it doesn’t fit with an earlier idea you had of yourself. This was the year I realized a much younger version of myself has been judging shit VERY loudly from the sidelines, and it was time to tell her “Thank you for your time, but I know more than you, babe. I’ll take it from here.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Everything is food and views and energy for me, and I am a bit partial to the east side. So! We would hike at Elysian Park, go visit/shop Vintage Redeux at the Melrose Flea Market & Bandwagon Vintage at the Los Feliz Flea Market, and definitely have a picnic and people watch at Echo Park Lake. We’d go see Grady Strange play at The Echo or Pet Dress at Zebulon, eat tacos at El Condor, and bring a cooler of drinks to Angels Point for sunset dreams with a side of Dodger stadium ambiance. A nice romantique dinner at Oriel or Bacetti, a rooftop dance party at the Ace Hotel, and a hangover lox bagel sandwich from Brooklyn Bagel, please.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The support of my people is truly my lifeblood. However, my husband, Tim, has been my number 1 cheerleader from the start. It’s hard to express how truly tumultuous it can be emotionally to pursue acting. He’s an educator doing noble work every day with kids in need, and then he would come home and put an audition on tape with me, or read lines with me, or comfort me during one of my next (regularly occurring) existential crises. He is truly the partner of the century, which is why it has been so especially fun and rewarding to host a podcast with him this past year. No one knows me better or roots for me harder. Husband aside, my friendships have been and continue to be everything to me; whether it’s processing the hard stuff (I don’t do small talk), encouraging one another, or just belly laughing, deep heart connections have been crucial me surviving and thriving!

Website: https://linktr.ee/TilDeathDoUsRecap

Instagram: @brittanyjoyd & @tildeathdousrecap

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-d-amico-ab246758/

Other: www.jayandtonyshow.com