One on One: Brandon Watson

This weeks One On One is just incredible. Brandon Watson is a incredible young man, who is pretty much everywhere helping out with numerous charities, a spokesperson, an actor, and the list goes on with the accomplishments he has done. I'm thrilled that Brandon is taking some time today to allow me to share his story. I think you all will be amazed at what he has done.

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Here's a bit Brandon wrote about himself:

My name is Brandon Watson, I'm a 12 year old actor born in Cornwall, ON, now living in Calgary, AB.
I've been interested in acting/writing/directing for a long time now and started taking acting
lessons from Peter Skagen, a Calgary based actor/director/writer/coach, over a year ago. I've been lucky to have
connected with Peter as I was able to study with David LeReaney (dialects), also from Calgary, and Amy Lyndon,
from L.A.(booking coach) both friends of Peter's. I've been cast in a movie "Survival Guide" (male lead) now in festivals, and
a comedy web series "Night Sticks", (Nigel the Punk Kid). We hope "Night Sticks" will grow a large following so it will get picked up
by a major Network.

Peter told me to study the greats. In my opinion Gary Busey is one of the greatest actors of his generation. His
role as Buddy Holly was very captivating and that led me to watching more Gary Busey movies & subscribing to his
YouTube channel, The Busey Zone. It was on the Busey Zone that I watched a video of Gary & Steffannie talking
about Kawasaki Disease, an obscure illness that can affect kids long term, that their son Luke was afflicted with when he
was 14 months old. I decided to shoot a video to post on social media to help raise awareness for KD and sent them a private link asking for
their blessing which after a few days they did. I never expected to get a reply from Gary but I did. I got their
blessing and began a social media campaign that eventually got me in the paper
http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/05/19/young-calgary-actor-takes-to-youtube-to-raise-awareness-for-the-busey-family-foundation
and on the radio http://www.660news.com/2013/05/19/young-calgary-actor-raising-awareness/

The NHL Calgary Flames have committed to supporting me and the Busey Foundation and other companies and celebrities have joined me on Twitter
as well. I was thrilled when Gary called our house asking to speak with me. It is remarkable that a celebrity like Gary Busey
would accept the help of a 12 year old struggling unknown Canadian actor and to me this speaks volumes about the man and his beautiful heart.

Because of Gary's endorsement of me Free2Luv.org, a U.S. based charity spreading the message of love and peace and helping to end bullying, contacted
me to be a Youth Advocate for them which I was honored to accept. I have written and shot one video for Free2luv to post on their social media sites with
more to come. Free2Luv have many celebrity ambassadors and it is my wish that celebrities who watch and share my videos embrace and support the Busey Foundation
and help Gary get publicity for his charity.

I have been active with charities like The Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Diabetes, and Ronald McDonald house long before I pursued my love of acting.
I realise that as a kid and an unkown actor that I may have a harder time to get people to take me seriously about the charities I support but I also believe
that this shouldn't stop me from trying to help make a difference in this world we live in. I hope kids my age get inspired to stand up and support the many
worthy causes in this world and realise that there are wonderful celebrities out there like Gary Busey who really do care and in spite of your age, you can
help them make a difference.

God Bless us all,
Brandon Watson
Calgary. AB.
Canada

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I can't thank you enough Brandon for taking part in my blog. Let's get started

Chef D: I think it's incredible the charity work you do.. What made you take interest in this? Do you know someone that has been effected with the Kawasaki Disease.
Brandon: "Thanks so much for the kind words. I've been studying acting now for almost two years and my acting coach Peter Skagen told me to study the best actors young & old. I'm not your usual kid because I admire Charlie Chaplin, Jerry Lewis, Jimmy Stewart, James Dean, Gary Busey, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, from the 1910's to the present, Jim Carrey, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Colin Farrell, Colin Ford, Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, just to name a few.
What happened was I subscribed to actor Gary Busey's YouTube channel, The Busey Zone, and watched a video of him & Steffannie they posted about a disease that their son Luke caught when he was 14 months old called, "Kawasaki Disease". In the comments were some very unflattering posts & I felt devastated for them, especially after I Google'd "KD" to find out what it was. I decided to shoot a video & post it on social media to help raise awareness & donations, so I sent them a link to the video I shot & had made private, asking for their blessing to send it out on Twitter (click the pic to watch the video)

Three days later I got a tweet from Gary saying I had their blessing. That was late March & my videos have gone out to over 35 million people on Twitter. Actually, we stopped counting after 35 and it's probably closer to 40 - 50. The Calgary Flames NHL team have come on board to endorse me & support the Busey Foundation. I have a lot of companies & celebrity Twitter followers in Canada & the United States because of Kawasaki Disease, Free@Luv.org, and other charities that I support & these other charities have been following me for the past 2 years. Gary & Steffannie hired a Calgary tax lawyer to get them Canadian tax status, which is hard to get, & I hope that we can get a social media buzz happening in the U.S. to help Gary & Steffannie raise the much needed money for diagnostic testing & a cure, and I hope that not only Canadians but people from around the world send in donations to their foundation. This is incredible what the Buseys are doing on behalf of children suffering from Kawasaki Disease all around the world. Gary & Steffannie have since sent me some gifts and I was thrilled the day my dad brought the phone up to my studio while I was filming and said, "Brandon, Gary's on the phone, he'd like to speak with you". That was the greatest day in my life when my idol Gary Busey called me at home to say hello and just chat. I sat there in disbelief until I realized I had left my camera on and recorded the whole thing. Dad has a habit of always having the speaker phone on. It's annoying sometimes but not that day. lol.

Chef D: Your plate seems to be pretty full with acting and your charity work when do you get time to do regular everyday kid stuff? And what do you do for fun?
Brandon: I love to ride my bike and so does my Sister. And I practice on my skateboard as much as I can too. I walk my dog Bobbie twice a day and for real fun, we love the park, Zoo, or driving into Banff and walking the streets there and visiting the shops.

Chef D: Are you working on any upcoming projects and if so can you share them with us.. Who do you look up to as a mentor or inspiration...
Brandon: Currently I'm a supporting character in the web series 'Night Sticks', which just started production two weeks ago. I play Nigel the Punk Kid. We're all hoping we grow a following and get picked up by a major network. I have one movie (male lead) submitted to film festivals, a short called 'Survival Guide' directed by Phil J Connell, my first IMDB credit. We shot 'Survival Guide' last December in Toronto at Humbercrest United Church on Baby Point Rd & the surrounding area. I have an audition Monday, October 28 for a recurring role on a major network TV show shot in Canada & broadcast in the United States. I also produce my own web series 'The Brenda Balgaboo Show' where I play all characters in split screen that I write/produce/star/direct/edit. Basically, I dress up as a girl, Brenda Balgaboo, and interview various celebrities. I't a comedy and my New York agent told me to do it to keep working my acting chops while I wait for roles. I have many mentors but if I had to pick just one it would have to be Jerry Lewis for his acting/writing/directing/editing. For inventing video assist and for the 1.6 billion dollars he raised for Muscular Dystrophy. When I gow up I want to be just like Jerry Lewis. Why hasn't Jerry not won a Nobel Peace Prize yet? Isn't it about time?

Chef D: When you and your family are all at home what is your favorite dish that is made and please share the recipe because me and my readers would like to try it out ourselves...
Brandon: Believe it or not, my dad downloaded a PDF file from KFC.com (no longer there) and on a whim did some internet searching and figured out the famous KFC recipe. It was easy finding the 11 herbs & spices...the ratios took a little trial & error. He altered it slightly for sharing publicly but as you know even this version will knock your socks off.

Here it is. Sort of :^)....

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1 tsp of Tellicherry Black Pepper
2 tsp of White Pepper
1/2 tsp of Tarragon
1/2 tsp of Mustard
1/4 tsp of Bay Leaf
1/4 tsp of Cloves
1/4 tsp of Nutmeg
1/2 & 1/8 tsp of Mace
1/2 tsp of Sage
1/4 & 1/16 tsp of Ginger
1/8 tsp of Coriander

2 tbs of Salt (mineral) to taste.
1 tsp of Msg optional

1 cup of all purpose Robin Hood Flour
Pure vegetable oil ONLY

Brine/egg wash
Water & milk half & half. For every 1 cup of wash add 1 egg. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Pan fry, deep fry (wings come out awesome) or pressure cooked, 8 quart 6 pieces for 12 minutes at I dial left of Medium heat.
Don't let the oil burn. A sizzle is all you need. The Colonel pan fried in the beginning so try this first. Skinless and boneless chicken come out beautiful in the deep fryer and pan fried. Brest/thighs/legs should be done in a pressure cooker. Buy skinless breasts and slice thinly to make your own Double Down or chicken on a bun.
Try double dipping the batter for a thicker coating.

You'll notice a rim of cracklings in the pan/pressure cooker. Take this out and mix with half water, half milk, and 3 tablespoons of the mix. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. You'll not believe the taste of this gravy. Put left over pieces in a baggie and store in the fridge. We love cold chicken and it seams to taste better the next day.

Any question/comments please direct to my dad @_Goofy_Dad.
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Thank you again Brandon. You and your story are just incredible, I think you are a brilliant young man.

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