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Ambitious: Samuell Benta

ADOPTING THE attitude that television isn’t the be all and end all, actor, writer and director Samuell Benta decided to create a family drama for the world wide web.

Recently premiering on YouTube was All About The McKenzies; a new drama about a black British family.

The show has already garnered attention overseas, scooping the award for great ensemble cast in a comedy at the Los Angeles Web Festival earlier this year.

New faces: the cast of YouTube family drama All About The McKenzies

Here, London-born Benta – who also stars in the show as a young father who aspires to be a Hollywood superstar – talks about the representation of black people on television; taking his show to LA; and playing a Power Ranger!

How do you describe All About The McKenzies?

Fresh, new exciting, and funny but serious. I’ve been told by Americans that it’s like a British version of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

What was your inspiration for creating the show?

Firstly, a tough relationship I was going through at the time, which helped with the storyline. Secondly, the fact that we, the black community, don’t have a lot of content that reflects us in a positive light. I feel it’s my responsibility to shine a different light and offer a different perspective for the sake of the younger generation.

Thirdly, I feel that TV networks do not give us a chance to come up with our own content; it will either be watered down or tampered with in some shape or form. I said to myself that I was going to independently make a show that will be a huge hit internationally, and be in huge demand!

Why are the McKenzies described as ‘your most unlikely family’?

That’s because the cast don’t look related and this was done on purpose because I wanted to represent all kinds of black people in the family unit.

There’s a lot of judgement and criticism in the black community in terms of where you’re from originally, but to me, we are universal; everyone has their own contribution. So I included mixed race, Jamaican, Dominican, African and Antiguan people in one family.

You attended the 2012 Los Angeles Web Festival, where the show won an award. That must have been a great experience.

It was a fantastic experience flying out there for the event and when the show was screened, I was happy to hear laughs in the audience. It was also a great chance to network and meet people and view content from around the world. I’m actually looking into creating a UK web festival to encourage young filmmakers to step up and utilise the web.

What are some of your previous career highlights?

I starred in the third series of [the EastEnders spin-off] E20, which was a blast! I’ve also had roles in TV shows Hotel Babylon, Doctors and Silent Witness, but my highlight was playing the black ranger in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive in 2007!

What are your hopes for All About The McKenzies?

My hopes are for it to be an international TV show that reaches audiences worldwide.

For more information visit: ww.youtube.com/allaboutthemckenzies