(Photo property & courtesy of EMPKT PR)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It is a pleasure to welcome Brian Falduto to Jake’s Take.
Brian Falduto began his journey in the entertainment industry at 11-years-old when he was cast as Billy “Fancy Pants” in the 2003 School of Rock film. He took a break to focus on his studies and went to Wagner College, where he earned a dual-degree in Theatre Performance and Arts Administration.
Brian returned to the industry where he worked with theatre organizations such as Jujamcyn Theatres, the Paper Mill Playhouse, and the New York International Fringe Festival. He also worked with various New York City stations including Radio 103.9, 95.5 WPLJ, and NASH FM 94.7. Outside of radio, he became a singer-songwriter and released his first EP, Love One Another, last year. The EP peaked at number 94 on the US iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts, number 64 on the UK’s iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts, and number 31 on the Norwegian iTunes Top Albums charts.
In this edition of The Five Question Challenge, Brian opened up recording his second EP, Stage Two, and why he decided to become a life coach.
Jacob Elyachar: You started working in the entertainment industry when you appeared in School of Rock. The film is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. How have you grown as a performer since filming School of Rock and what lessons did you learn from that experience?
Brian Falduto: I’ve grown as a performer in pretty much every way but what’s ironic about my growth is I’ve actually come pretty full circle. When I was younger, I didn’t care what people thought of me and was never nervous. I performed in an authentic way that told the story of who I was and shared what was unique about me as a performer. I then spent my entire life trying to a “good actor” & often the goal was to be the best or at least better than other people in my industry. I lost myself in this process. Fifteen years of training, projects, and classes later, I now realize what I think I already knew as a child actor: no one else in the world is bringing to the table what I have to bring to the table. Having that confidence is allowing me to approach my career in a new way and actually showcase my talents.
Jacob Elyachar: This November, you will release your second EP: Stage 2. Could you describe your recording process to my readers?
Brian Falduto: The recording process was actually pretty quick but only because I’ve been sitting on some of these songs for a while and the vision for them was pretty clear. Once rehearsals were over and a schedule was in place, the time in the studio flew by. This was bittersweet, though, because I tremendously enjoyed getting to see my songs and my stories come to life in such a professional setting. I don’t know when I’ll get to work on music again at this level, so I made sure to soak in every moment as best I could.
We recorded at PonderRosa Studios. It’s a gorgeous place out in the middle of nowhere; fitting for a country music record. Joe Webster was the sound engineer and co-producer with me. Stage Two comes out November 2.
Jacob Elyachar: What are some of the challenges that you faced throughout your career? How did you overcome those obstacles?
Brian Falduto: That is a loaded question! (Laughs) One of the challenges I would say that I’ve faced in my career is that other than School of Rock and perhaps my acceptance into the Wagner College Theatre department, there have only been a few rare (and small) instances where I’ve been straight-up offered a chance to do something I love. I’ve experienced a lot of rejection over the past 15 years but navigating my way around all of the closed doors has given me the bravery, motivation, and resiliency to stop waiting for things to happen for me and instead just make them happen for myself. This album is a great example of that.
Jacob Elyachar: In addition to your career in the entertainment industry, you are also an I.C.F. certified life coach. Why did you decide to pursue this path? Could you describe your ideal client?
Brian Falduto: It took me almost 14 years to find confidence in myself. My self-awareness was all over the place. I was rarely mindful. If someone had sent me an interview like this a few years ago, I would probably have rewritten my answers multiple times in fear of saying something wrong. Yet all along, I feel like there have been resources available for me to have realized my self-worth at an earlier age, but I didn’t know about them. I’m just discovering them now. I’ve become a Life Coach so that I can partner up with others like me. Life is difficult enough to “figure out,” why do it alone?
My client niche is those in the LGBT community trying to overcome the shame of living a closeted life for so long; those that are struggling to find authenticity after coming out. But I also work with actors & fellow artists, people with general confidence issues, or really anyone who just wants to feel better about how they are handling life’s struggles. At the end of the day, we can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it or feel about it.
Jacob Elyachar: If you had the chance to meet with an aspiring performer who wants to enter the entertainment industry, what advice would you share with them?
Brian Falduto: Be ready to accept that “success” is a subjective word. At the end of the day, you have control over what that word means to you. To me, that’s empowering. You should be more excited to fail because that’s when you learn the most and it makes you appreciate the successes more.
For more information about Brian, visit his website.
You can also connect with Brian’s social media channels, visit his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter profiles.
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