Lights, camera, action! Director from Wolverhampton opens up about life and working with Ed Sheeran, Burna Boy and KSI

After attending Priory Green Primary School, Troy went onto Aldersley High School and from there onto Codsall football academy where his dream was to become a professional footballer. However, after injuring his ankle at around 17 when playing for Lichfield City, he had to stop playing.

From that moment on, he decided to go to university and make his parents proud - he studied marketing, advertising and PR at Worcester University. But after graduating, like many graduates, he struggled to get into the marketing industry and then found himself taking on different kinds of jobs that eventually moved him to London where he worked in sales.

After working in London for a while, he eventually got his breakthrough in marketing but once getting his foot in the door, he soon realised that he didn't enjoy it at all and even became depressed and was looking for something else to do in life.

It wasn't until 2017 where he and a friend decided to pick up a camera, go out and take some shots and when editing those shots, Troy realised he had now stumbled on his calling for life and wanted to make film his life.

Troy said: "I was always that kid at school that was going to make it as a professional footballer and anything I did, was always playing football up to the age of around 16/17.

"Then I went to Codsall football academy where I started doing really well and began playing for Lichfield City but then I got an injury.

"It's that typical story of 'could have been a professional footballer, but I got injured'.

"I did marketing, advertising and PR at Worcester University. Got my degree, left there and then I was like cool, I might as well try use it. But I couldn't get a job in marketing, it was the whole thing of people wanting someone with experience but no one was willing to give the experience.

"I was struggling for ages, trying different things out. Then I got a job in sales, moved to London. Did a load of random finding myself kind of things, then I finally got a job in marketing and realised, 'oh, I don't even like this'. I was depressed. Genuinely depressed and everyday I would think, I hate this.

"But I have always had a creative side to me, even in relation to football, my creativity would be on show and I was a player with a lot of flair. I was very sociable and the captain in the teams that I played in, and so I was at the point of 'how can I display all these abilities that I have in my career?'

"My friend basically got a camera and he was like 'let's go out and take pictures' and so I did that, and whilst out there we said let's try the video setting, got a few random clips of him walking in trees.

"Then when we went back to his place and began editing, I was like 'wow, I am obsessed with this editing process'. It's like I can film something out of nothing and create something that I can show people. It woke something up inside of me. The passion that I had in that moment, I felt the same as I did for football.

"And I had been searching for this for so long. This was in late 2017. I had sat there for around eight hours straight without eating, just editing away, and I was like 'from this moment on, I am going to aim to be the best in the world at doing this'. So from there, I set out on a journey, watching YouTube videos on how to edit, how to create different types of videos.

"And it's just been a journey from there, I've been filming since. I then began doing fashion videos and doing club night videos and began working with music artists, doing their videos."

Troy then joined the same management group as social media superstar, KSI, with manager Mams Taylor taking him on, and from there there he made the transition from a videographer into a director.

Speaking about making the transition into a director, Troy added: "I met KSI's manager and met KSI, then he took me aside and wanted me to do his music video as a director and that was my 'in', and from there it has been a whirlwind. That was in 2020, so since lockdown, it has been crazy.

"Lockdown was crazy and really humbling as it took us back to our roots of not doing anything but it was a beautiful thing for me as that was when I started pushing myself to do things that I had never done before, and it's crazy to think this is my career now.

"So yeah, I grew up in Pendeford, Wolverhampton is a crazy place because the industry that I am in now, no one is from there. The only reason people really know about Wolverhampton is because of the football team. When people ask where I'm from, I say Wolves and then they know by the football team.

"In front of the camera you have some big people from Wolverhampton, but behind the camera there aren't many people.

"This is why I am trying to push more, that anyone from Wolverhampton, we can do it. We can make it.

"I never had that growing up but I would like to do it for youngsters here.

"It is difficult because you walk into some rooms and you stand out straight away with the accent. It is a special ability to have though as in an industry where everyone is the same, you can walk in and start a conversation and people will be like whoa, where are you from? And it's a really special thing to have, and when I first started, people would always mimic me for my accent and I would get annoyed, but now I find it funny and find it flattering. Like yeah, I sound different to you people and I am different but it's cool now.

"I had a friend named Daniel and he was doing videography at the time and doing really well with it. I used to watch his videos and feel like I could do that. But I never really did anything with that feeling, until I had that experience with the camera with another friend and we said let's just try it.

"And it came out of a sort of desperation for wanting to be great and be better and it wasn't until I tried it, that I knew."

Troy says he wants to get the word out to people and from using his own experience, tell people to go out of their comfort zone, try something new and you may find you are amazing at something you never considered or were afraid to try because it is not the 'norm'.

He added: "That is why I tell people now, you have to try things to find your thing.

"And it comes down to race as well, as most black people won't ever play something like croquet and so in that environment, you wouldn't ever find out if you're great at it. So you need to put yourself out there in the situations, and try something different like croquet, rowing, karate and you could absolutely love and be like whoa, I'm really good at this.

"So you may not know what your calling is until you try it and get that feeling.

"I have said it on my Instagram before, stepping out of your comfort zone is where greatness is. It isn't within where you find yourself comfortable, it is where you discover new elements about yourself.

"I had no video editing or directing experience before picking up the camera in 2017. Before that we would film some gym promotion videos but my friend Shaun would do all the editing and I would be asking when it would be completed, as I would avoid it. But it makes me think, if I had been doing the editing, I may have found my calling sooner but I didn't really care for it and didn't think it would be for me, but it absolutely is for me.

"Moving from a videographer to a director, I didn't actually want to make the switch at first and initially turned it down as I wasn't sure if I could articulate a vision that I had in my head and get a team of say around 50 people to execute it.

"I wasn't sure if I had the confidence to articulate it and how to do it. But what happened was, I went on tour with KSI and then his manager signed me into his label as well and so we have the same manager, Mams Taylor.

"Mams said to me that he wants me to direct KSI's next music video and my instant reaction was that I can't do it and turned it down but he came back to me, saying I should do it as the other director fell through, so just do it.

"So I reluctantly agreed but I am so glad that happened. As yeah I didn't believe or have the confidence to do it, but the moment I stepped onto the set, I thought wow, I have got this, this is my thing, I have got this.

"And I hadn't slept at all the night before as I was so nervous and worried about making sure it went well, but yeah, the moment it began, just like the video editing, I knew I could do this.

"I absolutely love it. I am obsessed with it. If I could direct a video every single day for the rest of my life, I would love it, and absolutely would."

The music videos that Troy Roscoe has worked on in total amount to hundreds of millions of views, and he has gone on to work with some of the biggest artists in the world such as Ed Sheeran, Burna Boy, Rick Ross, Tyga, and many more.

Though working with the world's biggest artists comes a bigger responsibility and pressure to deliver a brilliant product, but he finds that he thrives when on set and the pressures go away.

He said: "Speaking about Burna Boy's latest music video where he is on top of the world, I said to my VFX guy that I want it to be a surrealistic world, like an Inception and we finally got there and got the result.

"I have become a believer in the fact that you can't become great at multiple things at once. So instead of diluting and trying to become great at several things, I have chosen to not allow my ego get ahead of itself and focus on becoming a great director rather than an insane director, videographer, VFX artist, editor, so I focused on directing and allow others to do the other elements.

"I could do short films and create things like that but at the moment, I just want to do music videos and so I'm trying to stay away from certain types of music or artists, and so I don't just take any job, I'm waiting for the right type of jobs.

"The creativity in the music videos from my experience of being an editor and a VFX artist. I grew up playing video games and football, and so I use my creativity and ideas to help inspire my ideas for a music videos, and it's like a super power to use all that creativity for a video.

"For the Rick Ross music video, I saw so vividly what I wanted the shot to be in my head, and so I went to the Entertainer toy shop, bought some figurines and created my vision for the music video with the figurines.

"Rather than me explaining my vision, it helps being able to show what I want it to look like.

"My root to getting these jobs, it came from being a videographer with mind blowing effects in the videos and it caught the attention of people in the industry. So when I was doing KSI's videos, I was creating things that cannot be ignored.

"So a production company in America called UnderWonder, they do some of the biggest music videos in the US. They saw a video that I created for KSI and then got in touch with Mams and said they really want to sign Troy, so I signed with them and got opportunities in America through that.

"The Rick Ross video and the Tyga video came through them and it's all about who you know.

"Then the Ed Sheeran video came about at the start of 2022, I signed with an agent named Marissa and we still work really closely. Her focus of course is to become the best and get the best jobs.

"So in 2022, I went through a phase of not working for like five months. I had no jobs for five months and it was a stressful time. I signed with Marissa, and she hit me up saying I've got this Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy job and they want me to write for it.

"I was like of course, I haven't worked in ages, and I'm going to give them a stormer of an idea.

"I gave them a great idea as you can see on screen with the travelling to different places in the world, it is a beautiful music video. They were happy with my idea and went with me.

"We shot it in Ireland as Ed was on tour at the time, and he only had one day free with just three hours to shoot everything. So Ed Sheeran came and shot all this bits, then Burna Boy came, and it was a beautiful thing as I learned a lot.

"Working with artists with such high stature was amazing. Usually, an artist is there for the day because it is their music video that we are creating but both artists were so busy at the time, and I was told I only had each artist for a limited amount of time so I had to figure out how to get them together enough and get a video out of it.

"Even with Burna Boy in his latest music video, he was only on set for three hours, but because I now know how to do that now, working within a tight deadline, I knew how to shoot things in a way that allowed him to go when he needed to and managed to get such a profound music video out of it.

"It is really special to be on the journey with Burna Boy. When I did the first video, I of course knew it was a big deal but I didn't think that I would go on to do four other videos with Burna. I didn't realise that he would go on to become such a global superstar, where like he is the number one artist in Africa and the fact that I am apart of the journey is special.

"My job is so special because I am part of his legacy and he is part of mine. So in years to come, if anyone searches Burna Boy, it would be my videos that I created and they will be there forever, and I'm super grateful.

"I have grown so much mentally from being associated with him and his team and they always show me a lot of love."

Despite working with some of the biggest artists in the world, Troy remains grounded and never forgets his roots back in Wolverhampton, and instead wants to use his platform and experience to inspire others that you can be great, and follow your dreams and passions in life.

He said: "It's crazy, being from Wolverhampton, I can look at my life and say that the people that I know has come from me putting myself out there, doing the work, grafting, and nothing has come from handouts.

"A lot of people in the industry can say they got in because they knew X person, but everyone I know and have worked with has come as a result of me working doing the graft.

"SX, who is also from Wolverhampton, I met him through my work. Despite both of us being from Wolverhampton, we did not know each other and it was because he saw my work that we connected and put me through to KSI.

"I would say that to get the opportunities, it was from creating work that cannot be ignored."

The next steps in his career will hopefully involve more work out in America, where he shot the Rick Ross Wiggle music video, and he recently obtained a visa for the US and is hoping to 'make it' out there.

"I've just got my visa for America, and I plan on going over there more often and work out there as I feel that I have to.

"Because once you make it in America, you make it everywhere. You can make it in England which is good but it will probably only be in England, but if you make it in the US, it is literally making it everywhere."

With over 107 million view on YouTube, For My Hand is nothing short of a global success, and to be a part of that success means a lot to Troy.

"Even little things, like the Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy song, For My Hand, a lot of people use it for their wedding song or first dance and so when I see people doing their first dance to a song, I'm like wow. This song will always mean something to them and they will go onto YouTube and love the music video, or if they ever meet me, I can say yeah I did that video, it's such a rewarding thing.

"It is special to have such an amazing part in so many people's lives.

"I went to the Burna Boy concert in June at the London Stadium and when For My Hand was played and other songs that I have worked on, when they were playing, it was such a surreal moment.

"Seeing people sing along and scream to songs that I'm literally like wow, I was a part of this, it surreal.

"It was like an out-of-body moment. I teared up when For My Hand came on because everyone was singing it, everyone was emotional, you could see couples singing along, to each other, and I'm like wow, I play a part in them loving it.

"Yeah people would have loved it just for the song but when the video came it, it offers something more and it has like 107 million views, all of those people that have watched it.

"That video literally just came from me sitting in my room coming up with ideas on what to do with these two artists together, brainstorming ideas and it is crazy that it came from on my head and now onto the screen."

When asked what his favourite music video is that he has worked on, he had to split them into two categories, the favourite to have worked on, and the favourite outcome.

"Favourite video that I have worked on is definitely KSI - Not Over Yet, purely because he is my friend and so it made work easy and fun. It was a two-day shoot, the vibes were so good, but the pressure was so high because it is of him fighting himself, and so getting all the shots and the technology was big, and people would have doubted me that I could pull it off. We celebrated getting the shot of him punching himself, and it was the highest point of my career in terms of how I felt in that moment.

"In terms of video outcome, my favourite is between For My Hand and Burna Boy's latest song, Sittin' On Top Of The World.

"For My Hand with Ed and Burna is special to me outcome wise because it is such a beautiful video and it captures the essence of the song so well and that is also why the latest Burna song is so perfect to me because it captures the essence of the song so well.

"It is based on a 90s hit and I got that brief perfectly. I had to make sure I got a 90s vibe video and it fits perfectly, and that is essentially my job, to make sure the video matches the feeling of the song."

"Short term, I love music and always have done and that helps me be so good at what I do. So because I love music so much, I want to just enjoy my music video phase as some directors transition into commercials and films and then stop doing music videos, as you level up, so whilst in this era, I want to become the best at it.

"I want to work with artists such as Drake, Post Malone, I want to work more with Ed Sheeran, Burna and all the biggest artists.

"I want to work towards winning awards for the best director, and yeah, eventually I will go on to work on commercials.

"I would love to work on commercials at the Super Bowl, at the Champions League final. Then I would like to do films, and more specifically horror films as it gives you such a good feeling because you're scared but can't stop thinking about it.

"The way a horror movie is captured and visually it grips the viewer and that is the work of the director to get that for the viewer."

When asked what piece of advice he would give to anyone reading, wanting to get into videography or become a director like himself, he said to utilise the tools we all have at our disposal, i.e mobile phones. The smartphones we all have today have cameras that can shoot movies and short films and with an array of editing apps available on the app store, there are endless opportunities for aspiring videographers, editors and directors to work on their craft.

He added: "One thing that I want to say to young people and kids that look like me. I want them to be able to reach to me, ask any questions.

"I want to tell people that anyone can become a superstar now, they just need to put themselves out there.

"One piece of advice I would give to anyone wanting to get into directing or videography is to create and create.

"We can create great content with phones now and video editing apps. You do not need a camera, you can use your phone and create any content you want. Utilise your resources and try things out.

"If you're good enough and work hard enough, someone will take notice of your work. YouTube has everything that you want to know, so spend the hours learning how to edit on there, the information is out there."