Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Green.
Hi Brandon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
While I wasn’t born in Texas, my parents got me here a couple of months later, and I have spent most of my life living a good middle-class life in the DFW area; the only exception is the three and half years I spent in prison.
I was raised in and around Fort Worth and quickly developed a passion for storytelling. From a very early age, I had a burning desire to be a writer and would often create bizarre and sometimes macabre stories. That aspiration lived on through middle school until I discovered a new form of storytelling, video production. Instead of being an accomplished author, I was ready to write screenplays and direct feature films.
I relished the attention and accolades that I received from the videos I would create, but more importantly, I loved that it gave me an opportunity to escape the latchkey life that in my head was boring and meaningless. My motives weren’t to entertain others but to find conduits for recognition.
I was an active participant in my high school’s Media Technology program winning awards and scholarships and growing my talents in storytelling while discovering new talents in graphic arts and website design.
I ended up being a part of the instructional staff for the Media Technology program for a few years before leaving and beginning my career in creative marketing and advertising. That career path eventually led me to freelance and full-time work for many retailers and restaurants based in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denton. On the surface, it might seem that I had a robust trajectory in my career, but the truth is, I was just digging myself deeper into an addiction to chaos and attention and feeding a narcissistic demon.
I refused to admit that I had mental health issues even after being removed from projects, fired from a dream job, and destroying my marriage. Eventually, I started acting out toward close friends, gaslighting them and secretly destroying their property. It all finally caught up to me in the summer of 2013 when I was arrested for criminal mischief, which was later elevated to a stalking charge and eventually led me to a four-year prison sentence in the Fall of 2014.
I thought my life was over, but I was at least ready to admit that I needed help. Little did I know that my life wasn’t over; it was actually just beginning. After being incarcerated for 6 months, I received a postcard from the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) inviting me to apply to their leadership training and business education program. The narcissist in me told me to throw the postcard away because I already had those skills, but my fiance (now wife) encouraged me to do it anyway. It was the best decision I have every made. I was accepted into the program and was transferred to a prison unit in Cleveland TX where PEP operates and began the first phase of PEP. Phase 1 of the program wasn’t business though; it was three months of intense character development and unpacking of all those issues I refused to address. It transformed my thinking and my life.
I graduated PEP in December 2016 and was a finalist in their Business Plan Competition. After graduating I became a Peer Educator helping the next classes that came through until it was time for me to leave prison. I was released in April 2018 with a new lease on life and a desire to help second-chance citizens and business owners.
A few months after my release, I was hired by PEP to join their development team and eventually establish and direct their marketing and communications department. I will celebrate my 4-year “workiversary” in August. In addition to being the Director of Marketing and Communications, I also started a small branding and marketing agency called The Lone Star Local, where I assist second-chance business owners and entrepreneurs.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It is rarely a smooth road for anyone who has a criminal record or has gone to prison, but the support system of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program is incredible and allowed me to be successful in my community. The success that I have found isn’t measured by personal recognition or financial gains; my success is quantified by my relationship with my wife and son and the genuine friendships that I developed or restored. Despite my “clean” living and getting passed the 3-year recidivism statistics, I am still hindered by a lot of things that make life challenging, but my experience on the “inside” has shown me that an obstacle isn’t a dead end; it’s just an opportunity to innovate and adapt.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As the chief storyteller for the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP), I tell the endless stories of success from PEP participants, graduates, and entrepreneurs. I also take business owners, C-level executives, and burgeoning entrepreneurs into prison to participate in business plan events and connect them with the individuals that will soon re-establish themselves in their communities. As odd as this might sound, I actually love going to prison now. Mainly because I get to walk out of the front doors at the end of the day. I am most proud of the fact that I get to shine the spotlight on the excellent work that is taking place by our second-chance citizens and be a part of constructing the dialogue that is emerging in reentry reform and social equity for the underserved and underprivileged.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
First off, my wife deserves an immense amount of credit. She wrote me a letter every single day that I was incarcerated; she never stopped believing in me and serves as my most trusted sounding board. Secondly, I have to recognize PEP’s CEO, Bryan Kelley. He has served my roles in my life and has been instrumental in my post-release success. Then there are all of the executive volunteers who shared their experiences and advice with me when I was going through PEP and after I was released. Many still serve an active role in my professional development.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pep.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/prisonentrepreneurshipprogram/
- Facebook:www.facebook.com/prisonEntrepreneurship
- Twitter:www.twitter.com/peptweets
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PepOrgTX
Image Credits
Israel Thompson
Prison Entrepreneurship Program
