FSU Spotlight: Brandi Berry, MFA
By: Brooke Vann
As a young girl growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina Brandi Berry was very attentive when it came to analyzing films. While her little cousins watched movies alongside of her for entertainment, Brandi was busy focusing on the camera angles, and why scenes were shot a certain way. She knew that would someday be her fortune. The fact that many of the actors were males and excluded women of color never discouraged her. Now a 37-year old professor at Fayetteville State University teaching Film Appreciation along with Audio/Video Production, Brandi has fulfilled her core desire. “Spreading my knowledge is just something I have always been interested in,” says Brandi. In fact, she has been teaching since the age of 15 starting out as a swim instructor. A typical day includes waking up at 5am and preparing lectures and various assignments for her students. “Students are in and out of my office from the beginning to the very end of the day asking for help, but this is what I signed up for,” says Berry.
In addition to a BA in theater from NC State and a MFA in Film for UNCG, Brandi is also a former student of the Communications Department at FSU. She fully understands that communication skills lead to new opportunities. “You learn to connect with the people you’ve always wanted to get to know, but couldn’t because you weren’t quite sure what to say or do to build a more meaningful relationship with them. As a result of these new relationships, you will open up an abundance of new opportunities. That is the power of effective communication skills.” While Brandi’s professional life as a filmmaker has been relatively smooth, her previous career in theater presented some great challenges. She recalled working on a national tour and her boss wanted to nickname her Token because she was the only black person on the crew.
“I was actually fired from that job. My boss said I did not connect with the other crewmembers. I happily returned to New York. Between his jokes and the bullying from my female supervisor I had had enough. I was already plotting a way to break my contract. When you are in that kind of situation you have to find a way to get out and find something else.” She adds that, as a female tough skin is imperative to your survival in the entertainment industry. Over time she has developed the concept to just laugh things off and ignore ignorance. Her positive outlook on life, coupled with her experience in the field, has allowed her to flourish in her career. She is a great asset to FSU.
