Rising Star Burgandi Trejo Phoenix On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

An Interview With Guernslye Honoré

Listen more than you speak. Becoming a great listener is a huge part of being a great actor and artist. It seems obvious but I’m only learning to hone that skillset in a meaningful way now after many years of cutting people off and thinking of something to say while someone was still speaking. As one of my first coaches said to me years ago, make them the captain of your ship and really listen to them. I finally understand what she meant.

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Burgandi Trejo Phoenix.

Burgandi Trejo Phoenix is a proud, petite Chicana multi-hyphen with Indigenous (Yaqui/Yoeme) roots and is a member of SAG-Aftra & Actor’s Equity who uses her voice in the industry to campaign for the accurate representation of BIPOC women on and off-screen. She has extensive theatrical, comedy, and improv. training and is a working actor, dancer, voice-over artist, singer, and writer. Several of the animated shows she has voiced characters on, have been nominated for Emmy Awards, (Spirit Rangers on Netflix-7 Emmy Nominations), named Spotify’s “Best of” (The Royals of Malibu-Diversion Audio) and also named “Best of” on the Google Play store, (Cookie Run Kingdom-DevSisters). She is the national spokesperson for talentboom, a former host of Casting Frontier’s YouTube show, ‘The Curve’, owns the blog, MyFeistyLife & co-founded The Actor Toolkit Club on Clubhouse. Burgandi also danced as a company member with the Tucson School of Ballet and Ballet Rincon for several years and she eventually went on to train in belly dancing, salsa, ballroom, modern, tap, and lyrical. She resides in Los Angeles, with her husband, actor Carlos Ramzey Ramirez & their furbaby, Lola.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Thank you for having me. I was born in Tucson, AZ and I grew up in a gigantic family- my mom is one of fourteen kids and my dad is one of seven. I am the only girl, I have 3 brothers and a half sister. My dad worked for the SPRR, (Southern Pacific Railroad), and we moved around a lot. Being the new girl constantly made it very challenging for me to learn how to build lasting, meaningful relationships and as a result, I became very rebellious. But when I look back on it now, I realize that being displaced so often also helped me adapt to any environment, to not be afraid to take big risks, to stand up for myself and what I believe in and to be an artist who is flexible and open to trying new things and to be excited and inviting to constant change.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

Growing up in a strict Christian household, we were not allowed to watch most things that didn’t have a G rating and even then, my mom found a way to make Disney movies evil. I dreamed of growing up to act alongside the greats that I grew up watching- I love Lucy, Black Beauty, The Little Rascals, Carol Burnette, Mary Tyler Moore and Three’s Company reruns, etc. I was a sheltered child to say the least, we didn’t have cable and we were very limited on screen time.

I started dancing ballet, tap and jazz at the age of three and I started singing at the age of five. My parents will tell you that I came out of the womb a natural born performer and I had a very dramatic entry into the world- my dad delivered me because the Dr. had already gone home. I’ve always had a vast, wild and vivid imagination, it was my best friend growing up and I could always count on it to take me somewhere else-creating my own stories always made me feel better. I was five years old when the acting bug officially bit. I remember seeing ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and I was immediately fascinated. I related most to the Wicked Witch of the West but I also to Dorthy- they were both outsiders and I understood them for some reason. I’ve wanted to be an actor and a meaningful storyteller since. So, when the company I worked for in my hometown of Tucson, Arizona closed, I decided on a whim, to take a major risk. I sold most of my belongings and moved to LA to be a working actor. And although the “working” part took many years, a lot of training, working in student films, and auditioning in anything and everything I could, that work is what led me to where I am today.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I just came back from working at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the World Premiere of ‘For the People’, the new play by Native/Indigenous playwrights, Larissa FastHorse and Ty Defoe and directed by Michael John Garces! It was a dream come true and I was elated to share the stage with Indigenous artistic ICON’S like Wes Studi, Sheri Foster Blake and Kalani Queypo. I learned so much, met and worked with some amazingly talented artists and we were honored by the Lieutenant Governor of Minneapolis when she made a proclamation that November 12th will officially be known as ‘For the People Day’. Seeing the power of theater and its ability to effect change in our society, is definitely one of the major highlights of my career and I will never forget that life changing experience.

It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I learned the hard way not to try to help the crew on set- no matter how heavy the load they are carrying looks. I was working on my first indie feature film set and I tried to help a gaffer pick up a few strands of cables after they dropped them. Instead of the ‘Thank you’ that I expected, they instead yelled at me to not touch their equipment. At the time I was confused and taken aback that someone I was trying to help yelled at me. But I learned shortly after, that my job as an actor is exactly that, to be an actor- not to help the crew etc. I also learned that it’s not only dangerous but it’s against union rules…Oops. And as hard as it was to understand then, I can’t tell you how happy I am that I learned this lesson when I did.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I just found out that the podcast that I recently worked in, The Royals of Malibu, was #1 Peak on Podcasts for over 35 weeks on Spotify and we were also named the Best of 2023 on Audible! Also, the amazing animated show ‘Spirit Rangers’ on Netflix, created by an amazing Native/ Indigenous/Mexican woman named Karissa Valencia and starring almost all Native/Indigenous cast and crew members, has received SEVEN Emmy nominations and was just picked up for its third season! Last but certainly not least, the sweet, (pun intended), Cookie Run Kingdom game created by the DEVSISTERS won the best on PC, Best of 2023 and best ongoing honorable mention! Oh and while I was in Minneapolis I started writing a few fun new projects that I am planning on starting production on before the end of the year and I’m excited to get some dedicated poetry time over the holidays.

As a rising star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated and overcome obstacles in your career?

I cry… a lot. :) Mostly because for the first time in my life, I am letting myself feel, I mean really feel all of the feels and go through them instead of around them. I am working on taking everything one day at a time and to laugh more than I worry. It doesn’t always work but hey, I’m human. But in truth, I am always working so much that I don’t have time to focus on the obstacles. At some point I had to decide to focus less on the obstacles and more on rolling up my sleeves and getting to work. I also meditate. I exercise at least 4 times a week. And then there’s therapy. I believe that everyone can benefit in some way or another, from therapy! Hurt people hurt people-FACTS.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

The idea that I have to explain to people why a diverse representation of our society and stories told by diverse individuals is important, productive and good for our society, is extremely frustrating. Studies have shown that not only is diversity a great idea, but that companies are more productive and more successful.

Diversity is tossed around a lot as an umbrella term and most of the time, it’s to merely check boxes to “prove” that a company or organization is “diverse”. There are SO MANY BIPOC stories that aren’t being told that NEED to be told and that are worthy of being told, yet the mass majority is still made up of NON BIPOC and/or whitewashed storylines. If film and television productions have BIPOC overseeing every stage of a film or TV show, I believe accurate representation is possible. By having an industry that is truly inclusive, it would slowly but surely, shift people’s perspectives about who BIPOC are and show the world what we are really like, from OUR perspective. If we only see stories about one faction of our society, then we begin to believe the stereotypes about those who are different than we are.

As a proud Chicana, (a Mexican who was born in the US), with Indigenous Yaqui/Yoeme roots from Tucson, AZ, I am anything but “typical”. I have olive skin, hazel eyes and have been asked many times “YOU’RE Mexican!? Why don’t you speak Spanish?” or “If you have Indigenous roots, why aren’t you tribally enrolled?” and my favorite, “But you don’t look Mexican/Latine/Indigenous…”. I know who I am and what I bring to the table and now more than ever, it’s important that we all uplift and support one another in any and every way possible so that ALL BIPOC have a seat at the table.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1 . Know who you are but also, know that who you are now, may not be who you are in 3 years, 3 months or even 3 weeks. Who you are will evolve and shift and if you’re anything like me, a person who loves constant change, it will change a lot. So instead of focusing on the big picture of who you will be or who you aspire to be, focus instead on who you are NOW, at this exact moment in your life. Don’t listen when people tell you to change your name, change the way you look, change the way you talk, change your mannerisms or even your natural accent. JUST BE YOU, and take things day by day. If you don’t know who you are, fantastic, sit with that and go through what that feels like and then take action and start to piece together what makes you uniquely you. Fun fact, most of us don’t know who we are at one point or another and there are a lot of us who are great actors and are just pretending to know. We are all a work in progress and we are constantly evolving. The only thing permanent is change. Is that the saying?

2 . Trust your instincts. BUT also know when your “instincts” are actually your fearful self sabotager just trying to keep you safe and complacent. Nothing grows from nothing so if it feels scary, do it anyway. 99.9% of the time, you will be better for taking the risk than if you hadn’t because your gut told you that you might fail. I’ve been focused on learning to change my mindset for years now and I can say it’s changing my life and my relationship to my art.

3 . Listen more than you speak. Becoming a great listener is a huge part of being a great actor and artist. It seems obvious but I’m only learning to hone that skillset in a meaningful way now after many years of cutting people off and thinking of something to say while someone was still speaking. As one of my first coaches said to me years ago, make them the captain of your ship and really listen to them. I finally understand what she meant.

4 . Your job is not to get people to like you. Not casting directors, not your acting classmates, not your potential agent, your job is to know your worth, be confident in your abilities, know how to market them (I still struggle with this), show up preferably early and to be prepared, be professional, listen, and then do the work. This is a business and while friendships are oftentimes built and are a huge bonus of working with other amazing artists, the majority of people are not your friends. They are your colleagues, your co-workers, your collaborators and they all have a job to do, just like you do. So be kind, be generous with your play, be assertive when needed and keep an open mind and heart and as hard as this has been for me, don’t take things personally. You’ll eventually find your people and as a recovering people pleaser, I can say firsthand that it feels great when you do.

5 . You can’t control anything but yourself and you react to the things life throws your way. This would’ve saved me a lot of heartache and stress had I really understood this years ago.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Live a full life, whatever that means to you, and fill your time with things and people that inspire you! Find beauty in everything and remember that the most important thing is your health. Mental, physical, emotional, spiritual- without these, no amount of jobs, awards, friends or money, matters in a meaningful way. Make yourself a priority every single day and consider taking a self care day every week.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I don’t understand why society see’s artists and storytellers in a negative light. In my culture, the storytellers have always been the enlightened ones, the ones depended upon to share wisdom and mentorship. I am a passionate advocate for human rights, animal rights, and planetary rights but I also would love to see a movement in which actors, writers, poets and other creative artists receive the respect and dignity they deserve.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Stuart K. Robinson is hands down, the one person who has been in my corner for years and who I admire, respect and am extremely grateful for. He has helped me immensely to understand the business side of acting and he believed me at times when I wasn’t so sure I could believe in myself. I met Stuart K. Robinson when I was a host of ‘The Curve’, an industry show created by Casting Frontier and his book, ‘It All Begins with “I”: The “New Rules of Thinking” and the Simple Secrets to Living a Rich, Joyous and Fulfilled Life’ is a must read for any artist and reading it was the first step in building a lasting relationship with him.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“You are not what other people you think you are, you are what you think you are.” Stuart K. Robinson. Your thoughts are incredibly powerful, be selective of the things you’re reading, watching, listening to and especially who you surround yourself with. If you want to be incredibly successful, surround yourself with positive, motivated and successful people! “Show me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are?” Vladamin Lenin I am a huge believer of thinking and speaking things into existence- ask and you shall receive. And although it might seem unrealistic to some, I truly believe anything is possible if you believe it is.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Oh wow, there are a lot of people I would love to meet one on one but I would love to talk with Alex Borestein. I admire her and her work very much and have since I was in high school. I used to watch her on MAD TV reruns and still watch Family Guy and her character on Marvelous Ms. Maisel was everything. I wrote her an email when I was in HS and told her how inspired I was by her and that one day, I wanted to be an actor and voice over actor just like her. The best part about that letter? She wrote me back!!! She actually took the time to write back to me and it was the kindest letter- I will never forget that.

How can our readers follow you online?

Yes! @burgandiphoenix on all of the things.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

Thank you for having me!

About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.