By Keith Brunson
It’s probably difficult to grow up in the shadow of a sports broadcasting legend. And Brandon Eells would know. His father, Paul Eells, was the voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks, the sportscaster in Nashville and Little Rock.
Paul Eells (left), Father of Brandon Eells (right).
A sensory overload for a little boy who witnessed the adoration of his Father by the public no matter where they went together. “He was known by everyone, and It had an overwhelming effect on me,” says Paul. And so, this experience would alter the course of Brandon’s life. “And still does, because It helped me realize I wanted to be an actor.”
Things moved along quickly for Brandon. Brandon began his voice acting journey in the ninth grade and noticed a strong resemblance between his Father and himself. “We were both using our voice to pave our way,” says Brandon, “and it gave me the confidence to take further steps.” Attending a Catholic school for boys was Brandon’s light bulb moment when he realized that being born into voice privilege would help him for the rest of his life.
Fast forward years later, here’s Brandon as the voice of Meow Mix.
“Cats may ask for the product by name” as is part of that advertisement, but it was Brandon who began to be requested because of his unique and noticeable delivery of words on a page. Listen and view a different Meow Mix commercial and the tonality of Brandon’s signature voice once again.
As a full-on departure from Meow Mix, Brandon demonstrated an ability to voice an entirely different kind of voice, as you’ll hear here in this television ad for Capri Sun.
https://tivoads.com/watch/capri-sun-roarin-waters-tv-commercial-viking_mcN37jEctT7mESt.html
His professional image was taking shape as a voice of variety. Notice in this commercial for the same drink company, the voice at the end, that’s Brandon.
https://tivoads.com/watch/capri-sun-organic-tv-commercial-pet-dragon_53Nzqd4Sz39bJrW.html
Soon came the video game industry. The need was for a voice-over actor to play DRAX in the Marvel video game. Here is Brandon’s performance.
His voice acting continued to attract the attention of big advertisers. VALSPAR made contact for the voice of an iguana, and with total believe-ability, Brandon created his imaginary voice of what he thought a lizard would sound like. Here’s what he delivered.
https://tivoads.com/watch/valspar-tv-commercial-chameleons_vNham8PpuGHEIEX.html
The voice worked. This provoked a return performance, and here is the work.
https://tivoads.com/watch/valspar-reserve-tv-commercial-mess-proof-paint_RBhB3xTNHkxQljR.html
Taco Bell was yet another hallmark. Noticing Brandon’s voice as a good fit, the fast-food chain used him for a new product they were debuting. I think you’ll agree he morphed into the action hero perfectly.
If “variety is the spice of life,” Brandon evolved into a voiceover artist that could handle just about anything. From Italy came Alfa Romeo. In this case study, Brandon sounded nothing like his character credits. Here he voices a campaign from DDB Worldwide, a prominent ad agency, to handle the sex appeal and flash needed to carry this client directly into introducing a new product. It sounded nothing like him. But it sold cars, and Brandon continued his journey toward outstanding performances.
“I guess I’ve now done about 2,000 commercials,” says Brandon, “And every time, it’s a pure sensory experience that reminds me of how childhood taught me to be versatile.” And so, Brandon continued his journey with no destination. He studied voiceover, and he kept the same goal. “You have to find the magic,” says Brandon, and you do that “with your imagination.”
You can find your imagination when you choose to study your voice at The Voice Shop. Voice classes are offered remotely in a group or privately. You can start your voice acting career there or fine-tune it there. The operation is headquartered in New York City, but the class location is wherever You are. https://www.Voiceshopcoaching.com
At the time of this writing, Brandon is doing a theatrical production of “Our Town,” a classic play produced worldwide for audiences to enjoy. “And theatre allows me to remain grounded,” says Brandon. But the commercial world pursuing his very unusual voice persists beyond the tradition of community theatre. Here’s Meet Alex.
And his versatility continues to dominate his voice-acting career. Listen here to the chocolate Frosted Flakes commercial.
So, for the inspired reader, Brandon advises you to master the audition process. “It’s the audition that determines your success,” he says. “You’ve got to learn to be in the moment.” https://www.virtualbrandon.com
