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CCU
LINKS
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Brandon
T. Snider
Brandon T. Snider moved to New York City in 1999 to seek fame and fortune as an actor because he was delusional. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised by perhaps the most amazing parents in the world, Brandon believed New York was waiting for him to get there. Sadly, it wasn't.
This excerpt from Snider's autobiographical sketch gives
an insight into the personality of this Coastal theater major
who graduated in 1999 and didn't lose any time moving
on to New York City. And, though Broadway wasn't exactly
waiting for him, Snider is nonetheless making his artistic mark.
The 29-year-old has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien,
Chappelle's Show and Law & Order: SVU, various commercials,
stage productions and short films. He also co-wrote, co-produced
and co-starred in an original comedy-variety show in a small
Broadway theater, The Carrie & Brandon Show. But it wasn't
until he started writing that he truly found his niche—or
one of them.
An avid comic book reader as a child, Snider is now writing
about his beloved superheroes. Fantastic Four, Batman, Spider-Man
and Superman, published by Meredith Books, are for younger readers.
While it's not difficult to tell the story of the Fantastic
Four superheroes to young adult readers, according to Snider,
it's more of a challenge to communicate to the kindergarten
and younger crowd. His books, co-written with Mike Issacson,
have buttons that produce voice and sound effects to accompany
the story line.
His most recent book, Superman Returns: Last Son of Krypton,
is aimed at the teenage reader, and Superman Returns Sound Storybook,
another just-published pre-kindergarten book, is doing well
also. Snider recently submitted History of Superman to his publisher
and is editing the manuscript.
But it all started at Coastal, where the CCU alumnus was fond
of hanging out at Wheelwright, participating in all facets of
theatrical productions, working off campus, enjoying an active
social life and, when he had time, studying.
"What
did I take from my time at Coastal?" I think I took it
all," says Snider. "I learned a lot from the theater
faculty. Everyone has an opinion, some don't always agree,
but it's important for your opinion to at least be based
in fact. Listening is important. Communication is important,
not just in the theater, but in all facets of life. If you can't
communicate well, then you're going to have trouble in
life."
Snider lives in Queens and works for fashion designer Marc Jacobs.
When asked to choose between Cincinnati, Conway or New York,
he says, "You have to ask? I live in a city where I can
order any type of food 24-hours-a-day and have it delivered
to my door." But he confesses to missing Coastal and Conway
where he returned in late summer 2006 to visit his old haunts.
He toured the rapidly-changing campus, went to the Myrtle Beach
Pavilion one last time, ate Calabash seafood, enjoyed the performance
of a friend's band, caught up with old friends and visited
with his grandmother.
Snider's advice to aspiring performers: "If you
want to grow as an artist, you have to pay attention, pursue
the toughest roles and read the toughest books. Do things you
don't want to do. Don't do things that are easy
for you. Define what you want. You have to want it for the long
haul."
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