Brooke Brunson
From the Lowcountry to the Red Carpet
story by MICAH PEPPERS photos by SUSAN DELOACH
Born the only child of adventurous parents, Producer Brooke Brunson was raised on the tiny southern Caribbean Island of Bequia. “My dad was originally from South Carolina, and he and my mom met at the University of South Carolina. I was born in Charleston.” The family initially moved to Key West, but while sailing, Brooke’s father came across Bequia, and they relocated to the Caribbean. Brooke grew up on a tropical island until it was time to attend high school. The family thought it would be best to put her in a stronger school system than what was offered in Bequia. “My parents still had property in Beaufort, so we moved back to South Carolina, where I attended and am a proud graduate of Beaufort High School.”
While in high school, Beaufort was the location for many famous movies, such as Forrest Gump, The Prince of Tides, Forces of Nature, and G.I. Jane. “I just saw all these movies being filmed and was intrigued. I knew I wanted to get involved with TV and film.” After Brooke graduated from high school, she pursued her goal and earned her bachelor’s in Film and Media at the University of South Carolina. Upon graduation, Brooke immediately got a job as an assistant working on the movie Cold Mountain being filmed in Charleston. Brooke explains how her path to producing began. “While working on Cold Mountain, one job led to the next. My boss, SC Film Commissioner Mary Morgan Kerlagon, received a call from a film industry colleague, inquiring about the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean for a possible film location. Once Morgan mentioned that I was from the Grenadines and had dual citizenship, I got a phone call a few months later from an executive at Disney, asking me to come work with them as the Assistant Location Manager on their upcoming movie.” That movie was Pirates of the Caribbean. “I took the position and was able to help select locations where various scenes would be filmed.” The movie was a blockbuster, and Brooke ended up staying on and working in Set Decoration on the 2nd film in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest as well as the 3rd movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
She continued to work on several shows throughout Charleston and Wilmington, including the hit show Army Wives. “I was asked to assist for four weeks in the Art Department, and I ended up staying for six seasons of the show.” While working on the set of Army Wives, she had others mention that she should be working as a producer. “I wanted to be in public relations and knew I wanted to be a producer. Producers must be expert negotiators and be particularly savvy in making deals, bringing people to the table, and putting things together. Many don’t necessarily have that skill set because they prefer to work alone. To be a successful producer, you must be able to play well with others and respect all opinions.”
After the show Army Wives ended, she saw an opportunity to move into producing with the US adaptation of the Australian drama show Secrets and Lies, which was being filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. “Australian producers were ahead of the curve and pushed for digital producing, which was pretty unheard of then. I got the job as the digital producer. When I started producing digital content, my role was to work exclusively with talent, collecting behind-the-scenes content and promotional materials for the show. I enjoyed it. I was good at juggling studio requests with actors and actresses, and it was the perfect role to prepare me for producing on a larger scale.” The show ended up moving from Wilmington to Los Angeles, and, in 2015, she officially moved to the City of Angels.
At that time, digital production wasn’t as prominent as it is now, but it afforded Brooke several opportunities. “I worked behind the scenes with Disney and ABC, and learned a lot. I was an embedded producer on shows and worked five shows a season.” Brooke worked on popular shows, such as Modern Family, Fresh Off the Boat, The Conners, American Housewife, Stumptown, Single Parents, How to Get Away with Murder, Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, and even The Bachelor Finale. In addition, she coordinated cast photo shoots and covered red-carpet events. “Everyone on my shows got to know me and trusted me to represent the show.”
One day in L.A., Brooke was watching the news on TV. “I heard them say something about a South Carolina boat crash and saw footage that looked like Waterfront Park in Beaufort. It turns out it was Beaufort, and I ended up calling my mom, who filled me in on the scandals surrounding the Murdaugh family.” Attorney Alex Murdaugh is the head of the prominent Murdaugh family from Hampton. Since 2014, Alex Murdaugh, as well as other members of the family, have been involved in numerous investigations, including murder, corruption, and other crimes. In 2019, Alex’s son, Paul, was charged with three felonies after a fatal boat crash, leading to the death of his friend Mallory Beach. Two years later, Paul and his mother, Alex’s wife, Maggie Murdaugh, would be shot and killed at Moselle, the family’s hunting lodge. In July 2022, Alex Murdaugh was charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of his wife and son.
While visiting her mother for a couple of weeks while on hiatus, Brooke attended a cocktail party in Walterboro. Several ladies in attendance were chatting about the Murdaugh family and the case. This discussion piqued Brooke’s interest, and she read in the trades that Campfire Productions was working on a docuseries about the family and the various instances surrounding them. She reached out to Campfire Productions, letting them know her film production background and offering up her availability for any help they might need while in the area. Not expecting to hear anything back, she was surprised to receive a phone call from a Campfire Studios executive. “They asked me to work with them for six weeks. I agreed, and the case started to expand and unravel rapidly during this time. We worked for months, making connections and uncovering more and more layers to the story. Many people avoided us, but several agreed to speak with us. Our deadline kept getting extended. I was actually supposed to go work on the series Outer Banks, but I was so deep in the Murdaugh docuseries at that point, I had to finish it out.”
Finally, the series wrapped up, and Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty premiered on HBO Max on November 3, 2022. “I always loved working on scripted projects. Make-believe is light and fun. Working on this documentary kept me up at night. I liken it to half law school and half film project. The work gets the story to a larger audience while forcing people to answer tough questions. This project was incredibly tragic. There were no winners, and I am incredibly sympathetic to every single family involved. I hoped, in a small way, I could keep the light on the story and get answers for the families.”
When in between projects, you can find Brooke in the Caribbean. “I go on hiatus, which usually lasts two to three months. I still have family and friends in the Caribbean, so I spend a lot of time there, but I love traveling.” Brooke is living her dream job and has advice for anyone wanting to pursue the same path. “Get on set in any capacity. I started at the bottom and worked my way up. I worked in numerous departments. Learn to understand productions, costumes, set decorations, everything. Try to become a production assistant or an intern. It teaches you how complex the business truly is. We work 13- and 14-hour days, and it is your life. Once your foot is in the door, you will get calls and move up the ladder. Don’t come in with a sense of entitlement. Come in wanting to do anything.”
