Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Beveridge.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m Brandon Kutler Beveridge, currently at the age of twenty six years old. My life story begins when I was diagnosed autistic at age 3 at the children’s health council in palo alto. During this time, I remember being in a room with a one sided mirror being observed by the top professionals in regard to autism treatment. Behind this one sided mirror was my mom watching in the room witnessing me being unable to catch a ball thrown at me, walking in a clumsy manner, and spacing out during activities. As my mom was watching all of this, she knew that her destiny was to get me whatever help I needed in order to defeat the odds. This journey began with me receiving as much early intervention as possible such as ABA, spot group, social skills club, speech therapy and all the other services that were necessary for me. As a result of all of this, I went from being non-verbal to being able to read and talk at a fifth grade level at age five. However, this help came at the cost of splitting my family and causing my parents to divorce because of the impact that my diagnosis had on my family unit due to the cost of autism treatment in our country. As saddened as I was, I didn’t let this stop me from continuing to defy the odds. In fact, it motivated me even more when I started Joey Travolta’s film camps in 2005. This was a life-changing experience for me because I was able to meet some of the most talented people on the face of the planet that worked in the film industry. As a result of this, the seeds were sowed for my love of film that continues to this day. Fast forward to middle school and high school, I was always mistreated and bullied for being neurodivergent. Add on top of this, my parents divorce reached astonishing heights of contention. However, the refuge I needed came at the right time and it came in the form of cinema as I decided to give myself a film education that consisted of watching as many films from as many different genres and time periods as possible and developing a strong critical eye as a result of needing an escape from the reality of my situation. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that individuals such as Tony Scott, Michael Mann, John Woo, Robert Rodriguez, and Brian De Palma were there for me when I needed them the most and are still there for me even now. As a result of this, I continue to strive to overcome the odds that are against me as I am getting my bachelor’s in sociology at ASU local Chula Vista and am planning to get My MFA in film production at USC SCA. I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA and have made it on the dean’s list twice. I’m also a videographer for the San Diego International Film Festival! My future goal is to continue defeating the odds as a screenwriter/director of feature films that opens the door for more neurodivergent individuals to have a voice in the American film industry so that way people like me and others can be heard and seen.
Alright, 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?
When I was younger, I was definitely bullied and ostracized for my neurodivergence. Definitely wasn’t a smooth road but I made it nevertheless and I’m very proud of what I’ve overcome.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m currently working on becoming a full-time screenwriter/director. One of my goals is to go to USC SCA to get my MFA in film production. I’m currently a Videographer for The San Diego International Film Festival.I’m also going to be starting a film-based youtube channel. Some of my favorite films include Fight Club, Seven, The Thing, Halloween, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army Of Darkness, Eraserhead, Lost Highway, A Clockwork Orange, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Blade Runner, Akira, Ghost In The Shell, The Shining, The Killer, Hardboiled, Oldboy, I Saw The Devil, Heat, Collateral, Manhunter, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, El Mariachi, Desperado, and Once Upon A Time In Mexico. What I’m most proud of is being able to give a voice to the neurodivergent community through my work while still delivering on genre thrills. What sets me apart from others is that I pay attention to every element of the filmmaking process in comparison to most people who usually just focus on story. I feel like my critical eye is unparalleled because I pick up on things that most people don’t which not only comes from having a self-initiated film education but also due to my autism. I would never want to wish my autism way or cure it because it’s granted me a lot of creative energy that I feel I wouldn’t have if I were neurotypical.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success by having accomplishments under your belt that you have to work strenuously for rather than simply earning awards or credentials for. This sort of mentality comes from me having to work harder than most people in certain areas of life. I guess I had to have a glass half full mentality because of my upbringing. I wouldn’t take it back though because its allowed me to have the grit and tenacity needed to pursue my dream of working in the film industry as a screenwriter/director of feature films. I mean think about it, did the wright brothers set out to invent the airplane because it was easy? No. Did Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak relegate themselves to a garage for years on end working on creating apple computers because it was easy. No. So at the end of the day do I want to pursue being a writer/director because I feel like its going to be easy. Absolutely not! Success is manifested through hardship and endurance that happens to be generated through elongated timespans which requires you to be in the long run through everything. So the answer to how I define success is me being able to achieve my goal of writing and directing in the studio system which will take years. But I’m ready for it.
