Written By: Jayme Face

Branden Wellington is an actor, writer and Emmy award winner! He’s been the in-game host for the New York Mets and we caught up with him about all of this and more including playing CO Jarod Young on Orange is The New Black, Season 6 out now!

upfrontNY: You star as CO Jarod Young on Orange is the New Black and Season 6 is out now, can you tell us about your character and what is in store for him this season?

Branden Wellington: My character is a by-the-book, no nonsense, type of guy. This season fans can expect my character to be somewhat of the moral backbone amongst the CO’s.

 

upfrontNY: What was it like joining such a groundbreaking show with such a huge following several seasons in?

Branden Wellington: For me, it was a dream come true because it was my first recurring role and it was on a show that I was a huge fan off.  My focus was to do a good job and make sure I brought my authentic self and creativity to a show, but I knew a lot of people loved.

 

upfrontNY: 3 years ago you interviewed Selenis Leyva of OITNB, did you ever think back then you would be working beside her and what was it like to do so?

Branden Wellington: Back then, it’s one of those things that you hoped would happen, but I don’t think I thought that far ahead. I just wanted to do a great job with the interview and make sure that I showcased her in a good light.  When I got to see her on set, it was refreshing because she was one of the people I got to know before hand and she welcomed me with grace and excitement for my journey.

 

upfrontNY: A huge part of your work is based in sports hosting/writing reporting how did you first get involved in that field?

Branden Wellington: I published a spoken-word video on YouTube called “America in Four Minutes” that caught the eye of fox sports in the NBA.  They reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in writing a piece that had a similar tone for them but about basketball. I was honored to even be asked, especially at that time during my life, I was getting through losing my older brother to suicide. So, the piece I wrote was called “Greatness”, it was about seeing the greatness that exist in professional athletes and believing that it exists in you too. In a way, it’s a message I would’ve wanted to give to my brother.

 

upfrontNY: Is it a huge transition from that into acting?

Branden Wellington: Not so much. Mainly because I began acting way before I began hosting, it’s just that the hosting jobs that I was able to land early on in my career were a little higher profile than the acting jobs- in terms of recognition received.

 

upfrontNY: You are an Emmy award winner for spoken word poetry, can you tell us more about your work?

Branden Wellington: To win an Emmy for writing a broadcast open was something I never imagined, especially a broadcast open that was primarily spoken word poetry.  The piece I wrote, “TV dreams in a world of sports”, what to serve as a highlight to an annual program that the Miami Heat run every year called “Kids Day”.  The title was actually a metaphor for the broadcast and myself; The Heat used their platform in sports to fuel the kids dream in TV by allowing them to be a part of the broadcast.  For me I have spent the last five years working in sports, but I had dreams of acting on TV. Thus, the title, “TV dreams in a world of sports.”

 

upfrontNY: What do you think of the sudden boost in popularity of spoken word poetry?

Branden Wellington: I absolutely love it.  It seems as if more corporations are using the spoken word model to advertise in commercials.   It’s made its way to Broadway in shows like Hamilton, and you see it prominently featured in the movie Blindspotting.  I see it as an opportunity to deploy my gift to more avenues.

 

upfrontNY: You were the subject of an internet production “Take a Knee” that won a 2018 Webby Award, can you tell us more about that?

Branden Wellington:  I was the subject of this video where we basically went to places where civilians were unjustly killed by police officers.  We would roll the audio from these encounters while re-creating the scenic environment and I would walk in and take a knee.  The piece was to place the narrative of “taking a knee” back on its original purpose, which was to protest against police brutality and a broken criminal justice system.

 

upfrontNY: You’re starring in a pilot in development called Payroll, can you tell us more about that?

Branden Wellington:  Payroll is a story about three friends from New York City who quit everything to launch the largest festival to culture has ever seen.  It’s essentially a story about brotherhood and entrepreneurship that’s loosely based off of the life of the writer/creator Dennis Williams from Campsite Studios and Funny Or Die.

 

upfrontNY: How does NYC inspire you?

Branden Wellington: I’m more so inspired by the people I’ve come to meet in NYC. I’ve witnessed countless personal success stories from friends and colleagues that have fought through the inevitable trenches of NYC. Their bounce-back and will to win against all odds inspired me to keep climbing when I hit my own valleys. The New York City grit is what makes champions.

 

upfrontNY: What is your favorite thing about NYC ?

Branden Wellington: Outside of the endless options of top-notch one of a kind foods… I enjoy walking and biking in NYC between 3-5AM.  They say it’s the city that never sleeps but those hours are very peaceful, and the streets are empty. You truly witness the beauty of the city beyond the rush.

 

Favorite Fast Five

Favorite Netflix Binge : The Flash

Favorite Sport : Basketball

Favorite Poet: Past: Langston Hughes, Present: Suli Breaks

Favorite Vacation Spot: My bed sleep is so underrated

Favorite Ballgame Snack: Give me a large dose of everything from Citi Field! Let’s Go Mets!