About Us
The Wooden Roots’ Story so far…
We are Marcus and Gemma Brown. We met in Los Angeles in 2003 backstage at a New Years Eve party (yes, really!) and we have been inseparable ever since. Marcus formed Wooden Roots in 2007 whilst we were living in a tiny 600 sq feet apartment in Woodland Hills, CA. It was very much a low key affair as we worked our corporate jobs by day, however on weekends it gave Marcus the creative outlet to do what he enjoyed – building, selling and teaching djembe to our local community. The turning point for us came when we bought our first house and got married 2009/10. Our house afforded us more space to grow the business and operate from and we held classes and workshops in our living room.
We are Marcus and Gemma Brown. We met in Los Angeles in 2003 backstage at a New Years Eve party (yes, really!) and we have been inseparable ever since. Marcus formed Wooden Roots in 2007 whilst we were living in a tiny 600 sq feet apartment in Woodland Hills, CA. It was very much a low key affair as we worked our corporate jobs by day, however on weekends it gave Marcus the creative outlet to do what he enjoyed – building, selling and teaching djembe to our local community. The turning point for us came when we bought our first house and got married 2009/10. Our house afforded us more space to grow the business and operate from and we held classes and workshops in our living room.
Meet The Team!
Gemma Brown
Meet Gemma Brown, our multitasking COO at Wooden Roots Ltd! From crunching numbers and managing calendars to drumming up excitement in schools and crafting stylish apparel and eye-catching flyers, she’s our resident jack-of-all-trades! When she’s not busy you’ll find Gemma jamming on her djembe, losing herself in dramatic shows to unwind, or sipping on a strong espresso to kick start her day.
Marcus Brown
Meet Marcus Brown, aka Mr. Brown, the CEO and Founder of Wooden Roots! If there was a job title for “Master of All Things Djembe,” he’d hold it! From crafting these beautiful instruments to selling them, teaching & playing them, Marcus is truly a one-man band (pun intended)! When he’s not busy drumming up business, you can find him juggling his laptop and a djembe. The only way to pry him away from his passion? A one-way ticket to West Africa!
Penny Whitfield
Meet Penny Whitfield, our financial wizard and CFO at Wooden Roots Ltd. When she’s not juggling budgets and crafting grant proposals to keep our lights on, she’s busy ensuring our students are up to speed on our latest workshop offerings. In her downtime, you can find her jamming on her djembe, cuddling her dogs, or embracing the chill of a cold plunge to soothe those aches.
Anne Robson
Meet Anne Robson, our Roadie Extraordinaire for schools & communities. From day one, Anne has been the unsung hero behind the scenes, helping Mr. Brown lug drums for community workshops like a pro! When she’s not busy keeping the rhythm alive, she’s stitching up a storm with her business, Art Quilts by Anne. And when the sun sets, you’ll find her busting moves at local dance clubs in Suffolk, proving that she can groove just as well as she can lift!
Jo Salcombe
Meet Jo Salcombe our Digital Content and Data Manager. Jo joined the team in 2021 to create short form videos. With a background in live streaming, creating social media & YouTube content, Jo’s role has since developed to encompass marketing strategy, design work and collecting & analysing data for our funders. You will often find him at our events behind a camera or interviewing participants/artists.
Rosy Mason
Meet Rosy Mason, our Dance Programme Producer, Youth Engagement Coordinator, Accessibility Artist. Rosy first connected with Wooden Roots in 2021 looking for a collaborator for her Caribbean dance film: The Islands. Quickly she developed a bond with Marcus over their Jamaican heritages and started devising engaging and educational dance programmes for schools, community groups and private events, featuring traditional West African movement along with dances of the wider African diaspora. As a neurodivergent artist, Rosy knows how crucial accessibility can be, so she strives to make our offerings accessible to as many people as possible.
We decided to ‘come home’ in 2016 and moved everything from California in 2018, it was a monumental move for us. We are now located in Rendlesham, just outside Woodbridge in Suffolk and we love it here. We run Wooden Roots from a 3000 square foot unit containing our shop, classrooms and workshop. Bentwaters, a disused American Air Force Base has everything we need plus we can make as much noise as we want – handy when you have a drum business.
Where are we now?
We decided to ‘come home’ in 2016 and moved everything from California in 2018, it was a monumental move for us. We are now located in Rendlesham, just outside Woodbridge in Suffolk and we love it here. We run Wooden Roots from a 3000 square foot unit containing our shop, classrooms and workshop. Bentwaters, a disused American Air Force Base has everything we need plus we can make as much noise as we want – handy when you have a drum business.
Our Mission Statement
“Connecting lives through creating a safe and fun environment where our local community can explore and learn a culture they would not typically expect to find.”
We sell high quality djembes, accessories, apparel & drum building supplies
We offer West African djembe & percussion workshops to ages 8-Adult.
We offer customised programmes to schools, & community groups
We offer corporate team building events
We run events and workshops that are culturally appropriate and authentic
We custom build Djembes & welcome your repairs at our state of the art workshop
- We sell high quality djembes, accessories, apparel & drum building supplies
- We offer West African djembe & percussion workshops to ages 8-Adult.
- We offer customised programmes to schools, & community groups
- We offer corporate team building events
- We run events and workshops that are culturally appropriate and authentic
- We custom build Djembes & welcome your repairs at our state of the art workshop
We decided to leave the USA behind in 2016. We felt that it was a good time to “come home” to England – our native homeland and continue our Wooden Roots journey. One of the last sale’s we made before leaving was to Marvel Studios. They called us and said they were making a movie called Black Panther and could we supply them with Djembe’s for the movie. They told us that they had been watching us for several years and were impressed with our branding and logo. We are very proud to say that we supplied them with drums, straps and ksink ksinks (a form of percussion used on a djembe).
We get asked this question all the time “Why did we leave the USA”?
We decided to leave the USA behind in 2016. We felt that it was a good time to “come home” to England – our native homeland and continue our Wooden Roots journey. One of the last sale’s we made before leaving was to Marvel Studios. They called us and said they were making a movie called Black Panther and could we supply them with Djembe’s for the movie. They told us that they had been watching us for several years and were impressed with our branding and logo. We are very proud to say that we supplied them with drums, straps and ksink ksinks (a form of percussion used on a djembe).