Eamonn Hubert
Endicott, NY
Musician
Hot Dogs & Gin
Briefly describe your daily job duties.
I perform live music with my band and as a duo with my Dad for several shows a month, both private and public. I was also on the US Broadway First National Tour of “School of Rock the Musical” as a musician and swing/understudy for three characters, and went on several times in 13 states when I was ten years old.
As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job.
The most challenging part of what I do is talking spontaneously to fans and doing interviews. I tend to stutter more when I’m excitedly speaking about something that isn’t rehearsed or scripted. I also stutter more while I’m in the early stages of learning lines for a role. This is a challenge every year when I participate in my school musical which is always put together in a very short time.
What are your long-term career aspirations?
I hope to attend music school someday and continue to perform as a professional musician.
Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process?
When I was cast in School of Rock I didn’t disclose my stutter, but I’m pretty sure the casting team noticed it! It didn’t seem to matter to them since most actors don’t stutter once their lines are memorized. It did affect my being selected to speak on press days– I usually wasn’t allowed to because of my stutter.
What is your proudest moment at your current company?
My proudest moment has probably been performing with my band, Hot Dogs & Gin, at the NYS Blues Festival last summer. I first performed there with another band when I was six, but to have a full set to ourselves was such an honor!
Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work.
I’m not sure how stuttering helps me, but I don’t really think about it as much anymore. I’m fairly fluent most of the time and when I’m not, I don’t let it bother me. Most of the folks who come out to see us perform know I have a stutter (I’m also autistic) from old social media posts. I hope that if anyone who stutters does notice my stutter, they will see it’s not a big deal for me and doesn’t have to be for them either.
What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success?
Focus on strengths and use whatever fluency tools you may have learned as needed. If others have reactions or questions about the stutter, just tell them it’s part of you like anything else: eye color, gender, etc. and that it doesn’t affect your ability to be awesome! The more you worry about your stutter, the less fluent and confident you’ll be.
