INTERVIEW: ACTOR AND MUSICIAN, STEVEN “STEVIE B” BRAUNSTEIN

We had the pleasure of connecting with Actor, filmmaker, singer Steven Braunstein, professionally known as Stevie B and we’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the young talent in our interview with him that we’ve shared below.

Hi Stevie B, what do you love most about working in film and music?

What I love most about my career in film and music is the discipline that it requires to be successful. Making beautiful art demands sacrifice, hard work, and dedication. Because of that I feel that I’m really the best version of myself when I’m working on my craft.

Can you open up a bit about yourself as a creative and your career?

My Career started off Broadway with a production of “Spring’s Awakening.” I got my first break in a commercial with Kevin Bacon and later went on to star as a supporting character in the feature film “Benji the Dove” directed by award winning director Kevin Arbouet.

We’d love for our platform to learn more about your work.

For more information on my work please go to stevenbraunsteinactor.com where you can get access to my full bio as well as my headshot, reel, and resume. My contact information for booking, as well as the links to all my socials are available on the site as well.

What first got you into acting?

I’ve been acting since I was a child. At seventeen I found representation through a New Jersey based acting school and that’s when I first started to book professional gigs.

Who inspired you to make music?

In highschool I used to date this girl and her older brother used to make hip hop music. He inspired me to learn how to write lyrics and freestyle. I always knew how to sing but I never thought about making my own music until I learned about musicality and how to be a songwriter. Eventually I started making pop songs and the rest is history.

How would you describe the films and music that you typically create?

So far the major films I have been in have been family oriented and kid friendly. However, I’m a character actor and have also been in a number of short films and student films which have allowed me to experiment with the full versatility of my range. The music that I make reflects a side of me that’s larger than life. Stevie-B, for all intents and purposes, is a character. He’s the boy next door turned pop star with as much intensity as Hamlet and all the charm of a Romeo.

What is your creative process like?

My creative process is primarily receptive. I get an impression of a character, or a lyric, or a melody. I pay attention to the things in life that light me up and see if I could use them as a hook into that impression. It’s like how in an improv, the scene isn’t all about you but it’s not just about your partner either… The real scene takes place in the space between you and your partner.

When I work on a film or a song I try to get in touch with the cry of my heart and listen to its longing. I don’t do method acting either. I have nothing to bring to the character aside from my own humanity. For me acting isn’t about becoming someone I’m not, it’s about bringing myself to the character and using my imagination to relate to experiences which are sometimes still beyond me.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?

My favorite director I would like to work with is Martin Scorcese because his films really light me up. If I could share the screen with any actor it would be Zendaya Chani. A music group that I would aspire to collaborate with if I could pick any would be Daft Punk.

What is one message you would give to people that want to pursue the entertainment industry?

The one message I would like to give is this- make sure you enjoy it. For me even the worst day on a film set or in the studio is better than the best day anywhere else. If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life.

What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your career?

If I wasn’t pursuing my career right now I would like to be living in a rural area in the north east like New Hampshire. I would try to find work on a small farm and devote my spare time to leisure and the contemplation of subjects that fascinate me like: history, literature, poetry, philosophy, and politics.

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

Technology leads to progress but not all progress is good progress. Even cancer knows how to grow. Technology offers musicians new ways to create and get their music heard. If you had a child and the child wanted to use an ax would you not teach the child how to use it? The internet is a tool no different than an ax. All tools offer people some utility. When tools are used responsibility they achieve the end for which they were designed. When tools are used without care or concern for the consequences of the power they wield then the welder risks outcomes which are less than pleasant. If the music industry continues to ignore the ethical questions which surround emerging technologies, then it risks creating frankensteins in the name of progress.

Do you have a favorite song or video that you made? If so, tell us?

My favorite song release and music video I worked on was the release of my first single, “Be Good”. The song was charting in the top fifty on I-tunes and has garnered over twenty five thousand Spotify streams. The video was trending on my college campus when I was at film school in California. I performed the song live at the school talent show and after that all the girls at my school knew every word by heart.

Which famous musicians or actors do you admire?

I really admire Leonardo Dicaprio as an actor. I’ve always been a great fan of his work and I consider him to be one of the greatest actors of our time. My favorite musician would have to be none other than Marshal Mathers, the rap god himself.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

The best advice I was ever given was in a letter that I wrote myself as if it were from the future me. I shared everything “younger me” needed to hear, in order to get myself to the person I want to be in ten years from now. Everything I shared with myself is strictly confidential and stays between me, myself, and I.

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

I wouldn’t try to change the industry even if I could. The industry might change but human nature essentially doesn’t. Whatever is wrong with the industry is not due to some systemic failure. People will always be motivated by the wrong things like: money, power, and glory. Everything boils down to politics in the sense that the industry is dog eat dog and sometimes the one to do you wrong and betray you is the person you trust most. My values are all about loyalty, integrity, and honor. I don’t have any desire to change the industry but I have every desire to not let the industry change me. This is a temptation from which no artist is exempt, including myself. Before I go pointing fingers at the system I think the answer to positive change really lies in the mirror.

Here’s Stevie B’s latest music video “Be Good”