Brunson has found success as a casting executive at Sony in Los Angeles, and recently offered a virtual workshop with BFA Acting Seniors as they prepare for careers in an industry in transition.
In the midst of a pandemic that has started to reshape the dynamic of the global entertainment industry, Elon’s BFA Acting program continues to stay connected to what has always made its art great: the students.
On Monday, Sept. 28, the current senior BFA Acting class enjoyed a virtual workshop with Loren Brunson, a 2019 graduate of the program. Brunson currently works at Sony Entertainment in their Los Angeles casting department as the assistant to the executive vice president of talent.
Brunson describes her start at Sony as almost cinematic, describing how she received a call from the Los Angeles office offering her the position right after she walked off Elon’s graduation stage in May 2019. That experience is one of the reasons Brunson wanted to come back and work with the students.
“For me, the way it worked out seemed very fairytale and I knew that wasn’t going to be everyone’s story, so I wanted to make sure I filled that gap,” she told the students.
Since starting at Sony, Brunson has found her passion in promoting diversity and inclusion in TV and film, both on and off-screen. In her first year, she took the initiative to create a report outlining the current diversity in Sony’s TV series and presented it to her team. This diversity report has now become a regular quarterly report within Sony, allowing Brunson to collaborate with the Screen Actors’ Guild and other studios to promote diverse storytelling.
“It’s important that everyone’s story is being told and everyone gets the opportunity to tell that story,” Brunson said.
As for future plans, Brunson is drawing on connections she made at Elon. She is currently collaborating with fellow classmate and acting program graduate Tess Tregellas ’19 on a short film, with plans to finish it by the year’s end. Brunson also recently finished the Academy Gold Program and will continue by working with a mentor producer/director currently working in the TV and film industry during the next six months.
It seems that Brunson’s passion, however, will stay rooted in teaching others about the industry and creating opportunity for greater equity for industry newcomers. “When you’re looking for your legacy, if the ones who come after you start where you started, then what was the point?” she said.
Her plan to clear the path and create more opportunities for the next generation of actors is already well on its way.