After the audition, he says he was “blown away” by all the program had to offer, especially the chance to work with mentors like Nancy Taylor Porter, whose attention to detail and love of her craft stood out from the beginning. McQuillan says he aspired to be a performing artist, and IC gave him the opportunity to explore acting, singing and writing, while his liberal arts education provided him a diverse background.

“The training and support provided by my awesome professors gave me the confidence and security to try new things and explore different areas of myself that I never would have,” he said.

McQuillan graduated magna cum laude, majoring in theatre and winning the College’s top award in the arts, The Carole Ann Ryan Fine Arts Prize, in addition to the Julian M. Sturtevant Campus Leadership Award. He went on to appear on local stages in both community and professional productions. When his father died, he turned to YouTube as an outlet to continue performing while coping with the loss.

His channel became popular and a casting director saw his Bea Arthur impression video and asked that he audition for a 2018 episode of Cartoon Network’s long-running hit show, “The Amazing World of Gumball.” McQuillan voiced the character of Angela (a Bea Arthur type) in the show’s parody of the classic sitcom, “The Golden Girls.” McQuillan also provided vocals to mimic the show’s iconic theme song. He said that being on a popular television increased his visibility and the skills he learned at IC continue to lead to more jobs. Today, he’s excited to see where the momentum leads him.