Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon James Roy.
It all started with a phone call made to Brandon three years ago. He had just turned seven, and the caller told us his name was given to them by someone who thought he would be a great actor. They asked if Brandon was interested in coming and trying to read a few lines for an audition that was being held at a hotel in the Galleria. It was odd because Brandon had no acting experience, nor has he’s ever shown an interest in the industry. So, his father and I were skeptical but willing to give it a try since he wanted to go.
After allowing Brandon to attend the audition, which turned out to be for Diana Horner with LA Talent Showcase, we found that God had introduced us to a new calling. Brandon had made a believer out of everyone, including us, his mom and dad. So, immediately after, Ms. Horner made us an offer. She asked to take him to Hollywood, California, to be part of a showcase, which included many well known and established Talent Agents, Managers, and Casting Directors. After lots of praying and sacrifices, we gave in to the “What Ifs” and took him to California within the next six to eight weeks. While performing his original comedic monologue, we began receiving calls immediately from every representative in the room, wanting to work with him. We were told that he was a NATURAL!! Not believing what was happening, being that all of this came from nowhere, we just continued to pray for guidance because we knew this new thing would completely change our lives, and it did!!! That day, July 31, 2016, Brandon became a Hollywood represented actor from the Northside of Houston, TX.
With our son’s career seeming to start at a very early age, we began to see the need to have him in California permanently. It literally costs more to keep him in Houston than in Cali. He began getting huge auditions with major networks, and in his first three weeks of acting, with no experience, he booked his very first show, a pilot, on NBC, “Good Girls,” starring Reno Wilson and Retta. Next, he booked something in honor of Red Nose Day for Buzzfeed, began getting callbacks for major TV shows, and then landed a YouTube hosting show with PocketWatch. Every time we were ready to head back to Houston, we couldn’t leave for him having to be on set. In Hollywood, word gets around, so, after this, Brandon immediately became a phenom to some, and we realized that nothing was normally happening for him. He was defying all of “Hollywood Rules,” and making strong connections along the way.
Next, came the big decision, and it was obvious what had to be done if Brandon was seriously going to be an actor. We had to move to California! We had to leave behind everybody and everything we loved to make this work with no money! There was even a time when we literally found ourselves in the Holiday Inn Express in Burbank, California, at checkout time, not knowing how we were going to get back home. We had our one year old daughter in Houston with the grandparents, $25, and coins. The thing is, God showed us what we had to do, and our faith made it easy. Money appeared in our bank, and all we know, as of this day, God sent an anonymous angel to make a deposit into our account that changed everything. Nobody knew we were in need. We just trusted that if we were doing right, and Brandon was, in fact, supposed to be here, that God would perform a miracle, AND HE DID!!! So, once we returned to Houston, I, Brandon’s mom, quit my job as an educator for 15 years, and his father quit his job of over 18 years. We sold our house and quickly took a HUGE LEAP OF FAITH. As of July 2017, we were officially Californians.
After moving to Cali, things happened both good and bad. We had to rent cars on a weekly basis, find affordable housing, homeschool, and miss out on lots of family events, but the thing that changed our entire lives was six months after being in our new home in Cali, away from our family and everything we knew, Brandon’s father had a sudden heart attack and died. The leader of our family, the driving force behind moving our son here, our everything was gone. Things got harder, but Brandon proved to be a professional, resilient, and very special young man. He decided to continue to pursue his career in acting to make his father proud. This made us STICK TO THE PLAN (our motto). Things were hard, but God made sure people were in place to help us along the way. I even became a Hollywood Talent Manager through connections and networking with my son, and my daughter has begun to follow in Brandon’s footsteps. Producers, directors, casting directors and all began to send his headshots, resume, and reputation around prompting more auditions and direct bookings.
Moving forward, after only being in the entertainment industry for three and a half years, Brandon has already been seen at every major network, has appeared in movies, TV shows, commercials, student films. Featured films, and National Print Ads for Walmart. His credits includes Bet’s “Her Only Choice,” (now showing on Netflix) co-starring with Leon and Denise Butte’, TV Land’s “Teachers,” TruTv’s Laff Mobb Laff Tracks, commercials for Twitter & Apple, Nickelodeon’s “You Be You” Campaign, FuseTV’s “Sugar and Toys,” and other films that made it to huge festivals such as Tribecca, Venice, & Haifa International. He even appeared on the new episode of Extreme Home Makeover with Anthony Anderson, which airs in February. His most prized accomplishment, however, was co-hosting Fox’s New Year’s Eve Live in Time Square with Steve Harvey, as Little Steve Harvey in 2019. Brandon is also a fashion & print model, and an official film critic for KidsFirst! He has appeared on talk shows such as Good Morning LaLa Land & the Melody Trice Show, which streams online or Roku. You can also google him to find many photos taken by Getty Images and The Artists Project. He was also featured in Wild Child Magazine.
Being from Houston, Brandon takes pride in representing his family, friends, teachers, and city well. His main goal is to finish what his father started and to bring home an Oscar just as he did two super bowls in his little league football career. His desire is to one day play a leading role in a Houston made production. Brandon’s hard work and dedication, and the way he teaches others to PUSH is unlike any other ten years old. He prepares himself, understands his business, supports charities (especially those for No Bullying & Autism, and strives to help keep his father and grandfather’s (whom he just lost ten months ago after his dad) legacy alive. Brandon would say, as he always does, I’m sticking to the plan and remaining RoyStrong. With strong support from his mom, little sister, grandparents, uncles, church members and all of Houston, Brandon will continue to crush stereotypes and live up to Hollywood’s standards. Stay tuned for more from Brandon James Roy, as he has an upcoming film and comedy show coming onto your televisions soon. His story is yet to unfold.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. During our transition, we’ve endured days wondering where we were going to live, transportation issues, low finances, and tragedies. What causes the most strife are the tragedies. Many want our lives, but they don’t understand what we had to give up. We lost my husband shortly after we moved to California, unexpectedly, then my father, Brandon’s grandfather, passed away a year later. We actually just celebrated two years since his dad has been gone last week, and will celebrate one year next month for his grandfather.
He’s had to go through booking, shooting, and being dropped on films due to production moves, and missing family time and special milestones with our Houston family. We’ve had to learn about trust and this industry on a fast-paced schedule. The experience was definitely our teacher. Not having that strong support system here, in the beginning made things very rough. We depended on us. We like to call California, the Wilderness, but it has its good days, too.
Financial stability has its ups and downs as well. Not to mention, California traffic is way worse than seen on tv. We literally travel a total of 4-6 hours daily, getting him to auditions, sets, appearances, etc. We make extreme sacrifices to make this thing work, including dealing with earthquakes and wildfires.
Please tell us about Brandon James Roy.
Brandon James Roy is known for being Little Steve Harvey, the bully on Her Only Choice, and Elliot on “Teachers.” His biggest assets in Hollywood are his personality, ability to be flexible, improvisational skills, and professionalism on set. Producers love that he is able to take direction immediately, and quickly make perfect character choices when asked. His resiliency and understanding, easiness to be coached, level of respect for others, and maturity is what set him apart from others. What makes us most proud is that Brandon remains grounded and a kid at all times, except for when casting needs him to change for the moment. Brandon’s work ethics are always praised every time he steps into a room, and he’s always encouraging others. He doesn’t focus on No’s. Instead, he looks at all of his auditions as chances to show others what he loves to do. Acting stays on the set, and Brandon, our very own transformer, usually comes home ready to play with his sister afterwards.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
MY favorite childhood memory is from my 6th birthday when mom and dad had Optimus Prime come to my birthday party. When he came into the gate, I was so shocked. I had all of my football buddies there in superhero costumes, and I was dressed as Optimus. When he came in, he was like 10 feet tall and called everyone human. I remember my mom getting mad because he kept calling her “Female,” and my dad and I joked about that for days after!! It was my first character party, and Transformers were and still are my favorite. Not to mention, I’m now really good friends with Reno Wilson, the voice behind many of the transformer characters.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nesianmanagement.com
- Email: brandonjamesroy72@gmail.com
- Instagram: @brandonjames.roy
- Facebook: Brandon James Roy
- Twitter: @BrandonJamesRoy
- Other: imdb.me/brandonjamesroy
Image Credit:
Headshots by Brandin Photography
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