Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica VanBrunt.
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My interest in television and writing started at a very young age. As a curious kid, I fell in love with developing stories. I was always writing, researching, and putting together footage with the family camera. I grew up in a big sports family, basketball was life. I was equally passionate about sports and creative arts. I played basketball until late high school when a reoccurring injury sidelined me. It was just time to hang it up.
It wasn’t until I put basketball behind me and one of my teacher’s took notice of my weekly journals that things really kicked off. She noticed that I frequently wrote about a passion for television, design, and all things media, so she suggested I join the school news station. It was a great place for me to be openly creative and to challenge myself on learning every facet of what it takes to produce a news show. In the beginning, I enjoyed gathering and editing footage. I was a bit shaky on camera, but over time I grew to love the adrenaline of being on camera and later perfected my teleprompter skills. Our news class was comprised of students that specifically held an interest in broadcasting, so it was an invigorating environment to be in at that age. I went on to study broadcast journalism and film in college, which led to various opportunities within the industry.
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?
As a freelancer, the hardest part of your job can simply be marketing yourself and knowing what is a good fit; making sure you can stand behind the companies you represent.
For creatives, you have to get to a place of not caring what people think, and although I feel like I’ve lived that way in my personal life, it’s been a bit of a struggle to get to a place of freedom with my creative work. You can easily find yourself hoarding your work until it’s perfect. As a spokesperson or an actor, you can somewhat hide behind a brand or a script, but when you’re putting your own piece of creative work out into the universe, sometimes there’s a hesitation there because it can be intimidating to wonder if people will rip it to shreds. I have to remind myself that what I choose to create may not be for everyone and at the end of the day, it will resonate with the right people.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Today, I am a TV spokesperson. For the past ten years, I’ve represented various companies as a live television spokesperson, as well as a host for internal company productions and tradeshows.
Television viewers local to Atlanta may recognize me from my work with 50 Floor. It’s been a pleasure to represent them on home renovation segments at various stations throughout the Atlanta area. The teams I work with at NBC/ 11 Alive’s Atlanta and Company and CBS46’s Atlanta Plugged In are a joy to work with and I learn so much from them, both on camera and off. I enjoy a good before and after transformation during the design process, so knowing I play a small part in bringing that experience into someone’s home is a highlight of the job.
When I’m not representing companies as a spokesperson, I immerse myself in my passion for travel and culture. I’ve traveled extensively and had the opportunity to spend time in some of the world’s most vibrant cities. My eclectic array of interests keeps me endlessly curious about the world around me. My husband and I most recently completed a cross-country road trip from Atlanta to Seattle and back. I believe there is always something to learn, even in what may seem like the mundane.
If you visit my Instagram feed, you’ll notice it’s consumed by photos of travel and food and I rarely make an appearance, which seems contrary for someone who works in front of a camera for a living. I’m in the process of learning to merge my travel and culture knowledge with my on-camera experience. I am currently focusing on expanding my photography and creative writing skills and I’m excited to see where honing in on those realms will take me over this next year.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
The beauty of creativity is that it’s ever-evolving – a constant flow of ideas – learning how to source those ideas and not hoard them feels like an everyday risk.
The other night I was making tea and the quote on the little tab read: “The world needs your unique gifts, don’t leave with them still inside you.” That’s the kind of energy I want to carry with me going forward; fearless creativity, take all the risks.
Contact Info:
- Email: jessicavanbrunt30@gmail.com
- Website: www.jessicavanbrunt.com/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessicavanbrunt
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/vanbruntjessica
