We’re looking forward to introducing you to Darren Cumberbatch. Check out our conversation below.
Darren, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The Discipline of Dawn: How AMD Branding Starts the Day
For the founder of AMD Branding, success begins long before sunrise. Each morning is approached with the precision of a surgeon preparing for a major operation—structured, intentional, and unwaveringly disciplined.
The first 90 minutes of the day establish focus and momentum:
3:00 AM – Rise & Praise: The day begins with gratitude and prayer, setting a spiritual foundation.
3:15 AM – Strategic Check-In: Emails and bank accounts are reviewed, ensuring nothing is overlooked.
3:25 AM – To-Do Mastery: The day’s priorities are organized with clarity and intention.
3:40 AM – Reset & Refresh: A quick routine—shower, shave, and preparation—creates a clean slate for the day.
4:00 AM – Order at Home: Laundry and meal prep bring balance before business begins.
5:00 AM – Execution Mode: Client updates are sent, projects are advanced, and the to-do list comes alive.
6:00 AM – One-Hour Walk: A daily ritual to reset the mind and body while reflecting on the bigger vision.
This meticulous routine is not about rigidity, but about alignment—spiritual, financial, and professional. It reflects AMD Branding’s belief that discipline fuels creativity, and preparation unlocks performance.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
AMD Branding: Where Faith Meets Design
Born out of faith, passion, and perseverance, AMD Branding—short for Awesome Ministry Design & Branding—is more than just a creative agency. While the name might suggest a church, its roots come from a simple truth: everything in life can be a ministry when done with love and purpose.
For founders, design is their ministry. Each logo, website, and brand identity is crafted with intention, excellence, and heart. Clients don’t just see a finished product—they feel it. Almost every time, the first word they say is: “Awesome.”
But the journey hasn’t been easy. With more setbacks than triumphs in the early days, faith became the foundation that carried AMD Branding forward. That belief not only shaped the company’s resilience but also fuels its mission: to give clients more than just branding—to give them vision, support, and the confidence to succeed.
Today, AMD Branding counts both Fortune 500 companies and aspiring startups among its clients. Whether designing for giants or dreamers, the company holds true to its guiding principle: “CAN’T DON’T EXIST.”
At AMD Branding, design isn’t just business—it’s a calling.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
When I was younger, I believed in failure. Not because I failed often, but because I was told to hold back—told to wait so others could catch up. Excelling came naturally, whether in painting, computers, drawing, or problem-solving. But that same ability to achieve quickly also bred fear: the fear that stepping fully into my potential might leave others behind.
With time, experience, and faith, that belief in failure disappeared. I no longer see failure as an end, but as a myth. God created me with unique gifts, and I’ve learned those talents are not meant to be restrained—they are meant to be maximized.
What I once saw as failure, I now see as growth. And what I once held back, I now give fully.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Turning Pain Into Power
From a young age, I was a high-energy child—always questioning, always asking “Why?” With my father absent and my mother working two jobs, I often found myself unsupervised, and the streets became a dangerous classroom. Trouble was easy to find.
On my grandmother’s advice, my mother enrolled me in an art class in Manhattan. That decision changed everything. Drawing came naturally, but in that environment, my raw talent was refined. More importantly, I discovered an outlet.
Instead of hiding the pain of growing up in a single-parent home, I began to channel it—pouring every ounce of anger, frustration, and longing into my craft. Art became more than skill; it became therapy, discipline, and motivation.
What once threatened to break me became the very force that shaped me.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Admiring Character Over Power
When asked whom I admire, my answer isn’t a celebrity, a CEO, or a figure of power. It’s Francis Gordon—a man I call “Pops.” He raised me and shaped the values I live by today.
Pops taught me how to find peace within my anger, how to stand firm on values, and what it truly means to be a man: to fall down, get back up, and keep moving forward. From him, I learned the essence of fatherhood—the sacrifice, the responsibility, and the quiet strength it takes to lead a family.
But the greatest lesson he instilled in me was accountability. Pops made it clear: every action carries a consequence. Do good, and good follows. Do wrong, and you must face the cost. Either way, the choice—and the responsibility—are yours to carry.
It’s not power that defines a man, but his character. And Pops’ character is the foundation that continues to guide me.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
No Time for Procrastination
If I knew I had just ten years left, the first thing I’d stop doing is procrastinating. I’d still be doing the work I’m doing now—but at a higher level, with sharper focus and greater urgency. I would silence negativity, ignore the naysayers, and refuse to be held back by the fear that paralyzes others.
I’ve carried words with me that cut deep. Someone once told me, “F** me and everything I stand for.”* The insult to me, I could take. But the dismissal of everything I represent—that broke me. Because while I know I’m a flawed human being, I also know I’ve spent my life doing meaningful, impactful things.
That moment didn’t crush me—it fueled me. I turned pain into drive, disbelief into determination. I went harder, pushing toward greatness not for recognition alone, but to leave a legacy worth remembering.
I was determined then, and I remain determined now—to make sure the world knows who Darren Andre Cumberbatch truly is.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amdbranding.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amdbranding/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@darrenandre913
Image Credits
AMD Branding
