Brandon Tillis

By age 15, Brandon had already experienced more loss and hardship than most do in a lifetime.

His parents struggled with addiction throughout his early years, finally managing to to pull their lives together. Not long after, his father died of cancer and his mother literally fell apart. She is currently addicted to crack. Brandon and his siblings were taken from her home and moved to his grandmother's home.

Brandon's home life became increasingly turbulent. With his mother in and out of his life and his brother joining a gang, he found himself drawn to Inside Out's School Project at Henry Clay Middle School in South Los Angeles. When he started the program, he was extremely moody and depressed but soon discovered that he was in a safe place, that the artists were on his side and began to make friends.

Before long, Brandon's natural born leadership skills were evident - he arrived to workshops early, he helped other kids in need, all the while demonstrating a true gift for acting.

Seeking stability, he moved to West Los Angeles with his Auntie, bringing him closer to our Center in Venice. He immediately signed up for Inside Out's Neighborhood Arts Project and began actively volunteering with the organization. He watered the garden, swept the courtyard and lent a helping hand in the office.

"It was fun to help out and made me feel like i was helping make everything happen."

Brandon's acting abilities were showcased in the docu-drama One Ordinary Woman, One Extraordinary Journey (2004), the compelling story about the heart and determination of single mother, Carrie Ponder who overcame poverty, spousal abuse, homelessness and gang violence to successfully raise eight children in the tough inner city of Chicago and guide each of them to the best educational institutions in the country.

Brandon was featured in the recent KTLA-Channel 5 news segment on Inside Out. He has been an Inside Out Youth Artist mentor since 2006. Brandon has just graduated from Venice High School, where he played on the Varsity football team.