Nyerere Haynes
Rodell “Ro’dey” Cumberbatch is here to entertain. Though widely known for his funny Facebook Marry Me and Lessons videos, he prefers not to be called a comedian because he says the title does not fully represent his brand.
Besides being one of the hosts on a popular morning radio show, running his production company (Blu Moon Productions), and his comedic videos, he also produced his first film Return of Lady La Diablesse, which was screened at the T&T Film Festival in 2012.
He writes his own scripts, acts in multiple roles and shoots and edits his own work. Last year he ventured into the music industry with the comedic soca track Pig Tail, and for 2016 he has already released Doh Stop Whyning; the music video for the song will be launched on December 19, #Whydoinit and Breakfast Party.
T&T Guardian was surprised he could find the time to sit for an interview. But even that came at a price because it meant forgoing his lunch. Luckily, at the Estate 101, Maraval, where the interview took place, he was able to grab a meal in between shots while the photographer sought another background.
Cumberbatch has done a lot with relatively little financing. Instead of spending a huge budget and stressing to source actors and equipment, he decided to take a minimalist approach by filming and editing on his cell phone. In addition to the humorous scripting and acting, it is his editing style that really takes the viewer on the hilariously jerky ride that is Marry Me.
Speaking about his preferred medium, Cumberbatch said: “Internet for sure. You have more reach and you don’t need as much financing. Social media is the place to be right now.” For as long as he can remember, he has been performing for his family. However, it was only in January 2015 that he began to put his videos online.
“It’s just my personality; I wasn’t doing it to get into anything. I don’t like to categorise myself as a comedian, I prefer entertainer.
“I have my business (Blu Moon Productions). I was always interested in videography and I wanted to find a way to monetise it but to still stick in that realm of entertainment,” he said.
Moving around a lot and coming from a family with a lot of women has definitely shaped the way he creates his characters and the topics he chooses for his videos, which are mainly relationship oriented. A recent comment made by one of his fans has stood out to him and made him realise just how influential his work is.
Apparently the guy used the skit as a way to successfully broach and resolve an issue of his wife hanging a brassiere on a clothes line that was exposed to the public. Cumberbatch said: “I just fish from different characters and different experiences in life. I lived in a lot of different places when I was younger; Arima, in the Valley...all over, so I had a lot of interactions with different personalities. Some of my characters are a mixture of people. So it’s a lot of me, my sisters, my family members ...I’m drawing a lot from them.
“At the moment my fans are making me laugh. When I read the comments they write, they actually inspire my script.
“People may think that I script everything, but I feed off the vibe they put out, I feed off of the feeling they put out.”
Obstacles serve only as opportunities to overcome challenges for Cumberbatch who prefers to focus the next move rather than slump into despair. He said that the support he received from his fans has been overwhelming.
However, he also said that there were people who weren’t too keen on the idea of him as a singer but he remains unfazed. He emphasised the importance of developing himself as a brand, noting that a failure to do so would render his plans impotent.
“I don’t really focus too much on obstacles. I focus more on how to get over them. The hardest thing right now for me is staying grounded and not studying other people.”
“Some people think I should just stick to comedy and stop trying to sing.
“They won’t say it out loud, but I refuse to put myself in a box.
“I want to explore different avenues and music is definitely one.
“I’m not trying to do music to get into Soca Monarch.
“I’m not interested in a big hustle. I’m driven by passion and love for what I do,” said Cumberbatch.
When asked if there were topics he wouldn’t touch on, he said: “Number one, I don’t judge, so if you are a comedian and you choose to curse or that is the direction you want to go, you are only going to be appealing to that kind of market. Fine.
“To each their own.
“My brand appeals to a wide audience, so two things I don’t touch on are religion and politics.
I like to stick to relationships because I think everyone relates to that.
“Not just man and woman but family relationships as well.
“I know the message I’m trying to push.”
Looking to the future, he intends to do a tour and eventually go international with a full cast of comedians. He is also planning a full length movie starring the characters he portrays.
Fans can also look out for his Hot Box game show project which features Ro’dey’s character Wettty and Nikki Crosby’s Granny conducting interviews with people on the street at multiple locations each week in an unairconditioned cuboid car—hot topics, hot questions, no A/C!