This week we catch up with UKIN caster, Gerry!
For those who might not know you, can you introduce just who is Gerry?
Hello! I’m a 26 y/o music nut from London. I’m currently teaching but do all sorts of things from music writing workshops to gigging and producing. I tend to play mostly keyboards but am a bit of a jack of all trades, occasionally getting out my saxophones, clarinet or percussion.
By night, I go by ‘GerryTheMusicMan’, casting Rainbow 6 for UKIN and various amateur leagues, and help run ECS, another grassroots league.
What made you want to step into the world of casting?
I’ve been playing Siege since release and watching Pro League pretty much since the start. I really appreciated how much casters enhance the viewing experience, and looked up to plenty of them, but also saw some and thought “I could probably do better” - I think a lot of casters probably look back and recognise this feeling as an early motivator, even if they don’t admit it. Now I think I appreciate more how impossible it is to be perfect, and how every caster has different strengths and styles. I started casting in late 2019 as a hobby, just curious to see how it would go. Some early positive reactions made me stick it out, and just over a year later here I am!
I’ve never tried or even considered casting anything besides Siege – I enjoy it too much.
When you are playing Rainbow Six instead of casting who your go to operators for attack and defence?
I’ve always loved the tactical side of Rainbow 6, possibly because when I started my mechanical skill was so poor and my PC at the time could only run the game at 30fps – so 90% of my kills were down to intel or gamesmarts. It’s made me into a hardwired support/IGL/control freak.
So to answer the question: on defence, Valkyrie forever. I also like a bit of Mute, or Alibi if I just want to shoot things and be more dynamic. On attack I’ll often play hard breach, but recently Iana has been my go to – I love the G36C, frags, and almost infinite droning for the team.
You recently joined the talent line-up for UKIN Spring ’21 coming from UKIN Second Division, how have you found your playdays so far? And any big differences from UKIN Second Division to Premier?
It’s been awesome! We’ve been spoiled for entertainment - everybody is saying it but the competition this season is so tight. Our predictions have been truly tested. Casting alongside icons like Demo and XRTROIKA has been exciting and enlightening, and it was great to rejoin Novicaine in week 3 after our UKIN2 exploits.
Probably the biggest difference for me has been the step up in production level and support behind the scenes. For someone who started by running one-man shows (casting, observing, and producing all at once), having so many people around dedicated to making the broadcasts run smoothly with extra things like replays and stats is stellar, and the awesome desk hosts really take the pressure off us as casters/analysts. Big shoutout to Matt who carried the UKIN Second Division productions, the wizard managed about 20 jobs at once.
If you could cast a game of Rainbow Six with anyone, who would it be and why?
This must be a pretty regular answer, but KiXstar. I don’t think anyone compares as an all-round Rainbow 6 caster - his game knowledge is second-to-none, and he blends play-by-play and relevant analysis wonderfully. I love his dry humour, which would really counterbalance my awful dad-jokes, and his feedback would be invaluable.
AceOfPyrite gets 2nd place, the egghead duo just has to happen someday.
Create your own team - you are the coach, what 5 players are you picking up? It can be any player Pro or Am across the world.
Tough one! CTZN takes my top spot (#UKMASSIVE), then Shaiiko.
The rest are tricky... let’s say, ThinkingNade, ShepparD, and Pengu. A bit EU heavy but I guess I’m biased.
Any final comments or places for people to follow you?
I have three people to thank for all of this – AJ and Jhonic for making my early casts possible and enjoyable, and Mike, who nudged me to get this game I’d never heard of back in December 2015.
You can follow my twitter @GerryCasts, and I occasionally stream on https://www.twitch.tv/gerrythemusicman .
For anyone interested in my music, Instagram is the best way to keep up @gerrybrazellmusic https://www.instagram.com/gerrybrazellmusic/
