Meet Brian Childers | Award Winning Actor and Owner/Operator of Audition Recording Services

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Childers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As I was returning to acting there was a new piece of the process being introduced: “self-taping” an audition instead of showing up at the casting office, receiving the sides and being called in 5-15 minutes later to stand and deliver.

Sandra Dorsey, my Strasberg method teacher, told us about a young man in midtown that would tape us and submit our audition for $10. Cool!, I thought and started using his services exclusively.

Until I went to a casting director workshop at The Robert Mello Studio. (I had heard about it too late to secure a working slot, so I was auditing from the back of the room.) She was reviewing people’s self-tapes and offering her feedback. So, up comes a tape that was obviously shot at the studio of the man I had been working with – I recognized the backdrop, etc. Good audition, feedback, etc.

THEN, comes a tape from a different taper. WOW! the difference was remarkable and amazing and head and shoulders above the previous one – the one from my taper. Just WOW!!! The quality of the video alone would massively overshadow the previous audition itself, regardless of how good the acting was!

I inquired and learned who that taper was and called him up and set up a session. Tape looked great (b/c he was using a Canon 5D Mk III instead of a Canon Video Recorder (my guy’s tool of choice)). HOWEVER, he charged $50 a session instead of $10.

Well, $50/session was untenable in the days of 4-5 auditions a week. So I researched the cost of a lesser expensive Canon DSLR, bought one and a couple of lights and began to learn how to use it.

Next, I placed a post or ad on FB inviting experienced actors to come to my office in home and trade reader services in return for free taping. That was the beginning of Audition Recording Services. approximately 12 years ago.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
A man once called me a raconteur – yes, I had to look it up.
“A raconteur is a person who excels at telling stories and anecdotes in a skillful, entertaining, and humorous way.” I had never looked at myself that way, but I did have to own it. Like, yep, that’s me. Lots of notes sent home during elementary school: talks too much in class. Won’t stay in his seat, etc. (They hadn’t discovered ADHD yet.) So…

2019: Got an audition for Queen of the South (I call it the most popular show that NOBODY ever saw. A person meeting me and finding out that I’m an actor: “So what have you been in that I might have seen?” Me: what might you have seen? 😀 Me: Have you seen Queen of the South? Them: “No” Downhill from there.)

Anyway, I got the audition; 2 line co-star. Booked it! I told my agent, Jana VanDyke, that I was going to New Orleans and turn that 2 line co-star into a recurring guest star (a character that the episode is largely about). She said: “speak it into existence!”. I said ” I just did” Fast forward: I went to NOLA and shot the 2 line costar AND I started asking questions, of my co-star, of the writer, etc. attempting to get clear about the relationships between characters and I did a good job acting. Fast forward some more: 3 weeks later they called my agent Jana and asked for me again, this time for a much larger scene with my costar, the Judge. I delivered a strong performance concluding with the Director telling me “wow, you’re really directable!” I said “thanks! How about doing me a favor?” “What?”, she said. I said “ask them (the producers/writers, etc.) to get me back.” “I will”, she said.

A few weeks later they indeed called Jana again asking for me, but this time with some actor perks: upgraded my character from Kingmaker 1 to a named character (Gordon Wheeler) and wrote me a scene with two of the main stars/characters in the show, one of whom offs me (3 to the chest, squibs and everything – wahoo!) at the end of the scene in a fit of righteous indignation. AH, success!

Notably, we (QOTS) were the last Disney show shooting before everything slammed shut for a COVID 19 break. (Ask me more about that in the next interview – quite an interesting story, said the raconteur.)

A thing that sets me apart from some other actors is the paucity of “f’s” that I give after I tape an audition and send it off. Zero. I’ll get it or I won’t and sweating it will make absolutely zero difference about it. So, zero “f’s” given post submission.

Another thing that sets me apart from some other actors is that I can usually be talking with someone or clowning around (grade school? 2nd childhood) until the moment the 1st AD calls Action! and I’m IN! Once I have it, I HAVE IT! Yay me!

Yet another difference and fortunate thing for me is that I have very little difficulty learning dialogue. I often doubt my process, but it has VERY rarely failed me. Now if this interview is about truth telling (not sure ;-), I have never done a play in my life – onstage as an actor. Strictly TV & Film for me – so far. I am pushing myself to move forward into areas of discomfort, such as a play. Ever heard of “The Actors Nightmare”? So true for me – in my very vivid dreams…no costume, a woman’s costume, no idea which play we’re doing, script in alien cuneiform, no script…etc. Keep your eyes open, I’m planning to tread the boards before the end of 2026. You heard it here first!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Daytime meal: The Old Hickory House for chopped inside pork sammich and a bowl of the world’s best Brunswick Stew and either a stick to push it down with or a glass of sweet tea with lemon (I recommend the latter).

Late night grub: The Waffle House. Say no more.

Whenever you can get there: The Varsity downtown at Spring St. and North Ave. The largest Drive-in restaurant, again IN THE WORLD. The food is damn tasty if a tad greasy! Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, French Fries, Onion Rings, Fried Pies and Frosted Orange or PC (Chocolate milk over ice). YUMMY!!! Been going there since I was 5, when my Grandaddy took us in his 53 Ford or later in his ’58 Chevy.

Wild entertainment: (Though I have literally never stepped foot in the place and also though I have played drums in many strip clubs – where the dancers noticed my shyness around their nekkidness and playfully beat it out of me) – THE CLERMONT LOUNGE, where I hear they have “mature” strippers to go with your eggs Benedict. I’ll drop you off and send an Uber later.

Day Trip: Zoo Atlanta has quite a reputation.

Stone Mountain used to be one of the Eight Wonders of the World (perhaps until it got canceled for having a giant Confederate carving on the face – I am not making a political statement, I think it’s still remarkable to see and unless they’ve found a bigger one, it is the largest piece of exposed granite in the world and a noticeable hike to the top.

Interesting to me is that The Hartsfield/Jackson International Airport (named after two former Atlanta mayors) is still the reigning busiest airport IN THE WORLD and has been for 27 of the last 28 years!!

The Roswell Riverwalk, along the Chattahoochee River, is lovely and great for some relaxing exercise – sometimes followed by a meal and a beer at the North River Tavern to eat and drink enough to put back all the calories you just burned.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Scott Deal – for being my absolute best client of ARS for years. Through these years he has booked many things and read for me tirelessly an we laugh about “Childers’ House of Props” (the admonishment being don’t use props). We have learned how each other works and we mine for the gold as we get the best take we can and then “throw one away”. Many times the throwaway take is the one we submit 😉 And, not unusually it books the gig. We have a pretty good booking & callback rate!

Robert Mello – an excellent teacher of The Meisner Technique, I have studied with him and at his studio with other teachers for 7-8 years. It was many times tough work, mentally and emotionally, especially emotionally (for me, anyway.) But, Rob wouldn’t sell me out. He demanded honest work from me and the other students. He pushed and challenged and offered opportunities to get in front of agents and casting directors. He has now started Atlanta’s first Acting Conservatory at The Robert Mello Studio. Bravo, Rob!

John Swanbeck – a rather unique individual in my experience. He teaches “cinematic acting”, though he claims to not be a teacher, but a coach operating a cinematic acting gym where he conducts workouts using the principles of his cinematic acting approach. I have worked multiple times with John and can report that my callbacks & bookings increased 50% using the things I learned working with him. “I’ll be back!”

Sandra Dorsey – she was my first serious ACTING teacher. I had taken commercial TV acting classes and movement & audition classes and workshops, but Sandra got down to the real nitty-gritty of acting based on Lee Strasberg’s interpretation of the Stanislavsky Method. She was tough and patient. She challenged and me and gave me private praise and encouragement. I studied with her for ~3 years starting around 1980. I stayed in the acting game another 3 years and then went into business for about 30 years. When I went back to acting, and Sandra, she said “I don’t think you’ve dropped a beat since you were training here 30 years ago, in fact I think you’re better now”. Boy, that was a shot of encouragement that got me kickstarted on this phase of my acting career and journey. Love you Sandra!

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