Roderick McClure: From a Birmingham Janitor to a Hollywood Power Player

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By Je’Don Holloway-Talley | For The Birmingham Times

Growing up in Birmingham’s Powderly neighborhood in the 1970s, the idea of becoming a filmmaker felt as distant as the movie sets of Hollywood for Roderick McClure. While attending Powderly Elementary School, he found solace and inspiration in the images portrayed on screen.

“My exposure actually came from watching movies,” he said. “That’s when I discovered there was a world outside of the community I lived in. Watching movies piqued my interests, broadened my horizon, and enabled me to dream about a life outside of the community I grew up in.”

McClure has gone from watching movies to producing them. McClure is now CEO of RodFather Productions, and teamed up with his son-in-law, Joshua Ferrell, for their first feature, “Both Eyes Open,” which hit theaters on January 17.

The film is a psychological thriller that stars Gail Bean, known for her role as Wanda in the FX television series “Snowfall,” and veteran actor Taye Diggs, celebrated for his work in “The Best Man” franchise and the CW network’s “All American.”

“Both Eyes Open” not only showcases McClure’s ability to assemble top-tier talent but also reflects his lifelong passion for storytelling.

“They call me ‘The RodFather’ for a reason—I know how to get things done. I know how to make things happen. I know how to pull people together. From one lunch meeting in November 2023, [our team] successfully cast everyone we wanted to appear in the movie, got everybody locked in, and signed cast and crew. By April 2024, we were shooting the movie. We filmed in Atlanta, [Georgia],” McClure told The Birmingham Times.

Both McClure and Ferrell, who founded RodFather Productions in 2024, are credited as executive producer/producer on the film, according to IMDB.

“Rise Above My Circumstances”

Life in Powderly wasn’t easy, McClure recalled: “There was a lot of crime, a lot of drugs, and a lot of hardship. But, at the same time, there was a strong sense of community, a lot of churchgoing people. We had our share of struggles, but there was still hope.”

He went on to attend and graduate from West End High School but admits that he hadn’t mapped out a clear plan for his future after graduation. Though he had written a ninth-grade paper envisioning a move to Atlanta and returning to uplift his hometown, life initially took a different turn. After high school, McClure found himself working as a janitor.

“I took a job at West End Hospital mopping floors,” he said. “When all my friends went off to college after high school, there was a moment in time where I was just kind of lost because I had not made plans for the next phase of my life.”

McClure worked in environmental services at the hospital for two years before deciding enough was enough.

“There was a lot of hardship around me, but I was determined not to be impacted by what was happening in the community,” he said. “I had a dream, and I knew that one day I was going to rise above my circumstances. … I decided to move to Atlanta in the early 1980s, and things started to gain traction. It wasn’t easy, but it happened.”

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

The Birmingham native has decades of experience in sales, organizational management, and ministry leadership.

He began a career in sales mostly to outearn his then-law-student girlfriend, Terri, now his wife of 35 years, he said. His drive enabled him to become a top sales account representative for several brand name companies, including former camera manufacturer Minolta and consumer electronics company Panasonic.

“I was never the smartest person in the room, but I was always the hardest worker and I had no problem outworking everybody,” said McClure. “I have a saying, ‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me.’”

McClure’s career reached a new peak at Pitney Bowes, a technology company specializing in shipping and financial services, where he was named the top regional sales manager in the country. In 1998, he launched his own business, DocuPro, a document management company that provides litigation support services for law firms and corporations, marking the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey. But that led McClure to another phase in his life.

In 2007, he sold his company and went into the ministry.

“I just had a desire to serve God. I wanted to take some time away and serve God in ministry [locally] and abroad,” said McClure, who is part of Birmingham’s prominent McClure family. His brother is Pastor Mike McClure Sr. of Revelation Church Ministries, and his nephew is Stellar Gospel Music Award-winning artist and pastor of The Rock City Church, Mike McClure Jr., affectionately known as “PMJ.”

Philanthropy

Of all the things he’s been part of, McClure said ministry is the most important “because of my relationship with God.”

“I gave my life to Christ after I moved to Atlanta, and that changed everything,” he continued. “My desire was to walk with God and live a life that’s pleasing to Him. … I was so grateful for the blessings I received and for God answering all my prayers that I wanted to serve the Kingdom and my community.”

McClure earned a bachelor’s degree online in Bible/Biblical Studies from The Theological University of America while serving as pastor of Power in Christ Ministries in Atlanta. Part of his ministry is a promise to his teenage self to reach back and uplift his native community.

“[Through this ministry], millions have been donated [to support] other ministries, nonprofits, and missions work, including in various countries in Africa and around the world,” said McClure, who added that his hometown is at the top of his list with donations to the Faith and Works Electoral Justice Project, an advocacy group addressing state policy and the needs of disenfranchised communities to build Black political power and Democracy Trailblazers, an organization dedicated to inspiring future leaders new to civic engagement and the democratic process.

Others include Ethan’s Heart, a Birmingham-based organization committed to advocating and supporting people experiencing homelessness. The McClures have also donated $100,000 to Central Park Christian School and given away nearly 1,000 turkeys to the Powderly community over the last nine years.

Family

The Powderly Community is important for McClure, 62, because that’s where he grew up in a two-parent household with five siblings. He and his brothers and sisters thrived on laughter, sports, and faith.

“We spent most of our days playing basketball or football in the streets or up at the park,” he said. “And through God, I discovered how to be a man, how to be a father, how to be a husband. It’s all due to my relationship with Him.”

McClure and his wife, Terri, have two daughters: Kirstin Ferrell, 32, who works for Delta Airlines and is married to Joshua Ferrell (McClure’s son-in-law turned business partner), and Morgan Kokaram, 29, who is an Atlanta-based attorney and mother of 2-year-old Riley Kokaram.

McClure said he’s been able to become the man, father, and husband he is by focusing on four core principles—faith, family, finances, and fitness.

“With fitness, I ride my bike 120 miles a week around the city of Atlanta. I have ridden my bike as far as from Atlanta to [the Alabama state line], 115 miles,” he said, adding that cycling gives him time for meditation and evaluation.

“It gives me the opportunity to reflect on the blessings I have received, commune with God, enjoy nature, and escape from the things that are happening in the world, which are not always pleasurable,” said McClure. “Sometimes we need an outlet to escape and think and plan for the future.”

The Third Act

Filmmaking is a passionate hobby of McClure’s, and it’s much better than a never-ending vacation, he said: “I’ve always felt like early retirement was overrated. This is the next chapter.”

“Both Eyes Open” centers on Ally (Bean), a woman who emerges from an abusive relationship hoping for a fresh start. Haunted by persistent hallucinations of her abuser, she begins to receive mysterious messages that suggest her tormentor may still be lurking in the distance. As the cryptic messages escalate and the ground beneath her starts to crumble, Ally discovers that the answers she seeks may lie closer to home than she could have ever imagined.

In addition to Bean and Diggs, McClure was able to secure other television and film actors, including Joy Brunson (NBC’s “This is Us”), Michael Oloyede (“This is Paradise,” streaming on FuboTV), Tristan Mack Wilds (films “Red Tails” and “The Secret Life of Bees”), Carla Fisher (film “Trouble with the Curve”), and Christie Leverette (Tyler Perry’s “Sistas” on BET+).

Asked how a brand-new independent film company could score such talent, McClure said it’s all about the script, which was written by Ariel Julia Hairston (films “The Comeback and “Boxed In” and television series “Outlandish,” streaming on Peacock), who also is credited as the director and an executive producer on the film.

“It takes a really credible script in order to attract a cast of that caliber,” McClure said. “We presented the script first to [Bean], and once we received word that she liked the script we knew we had a key piece toward building the cast.

“And then I had a good friend of mine—Jack Carter, CEO of Freeli TV—who had recently done a movie with [Diggs]. We asked [Carter] to cast [Diggs], who liked the script and agreed to the role, as well. [When] we landed [Bean] and [Diggs], it was just pretty easy from there to cast the other actors,” McClure explained.

“Both Eyes Open” will be available for viewing in nearly 50 theaters across the country and locally at Regal Trussville, AMC Patton Creek 15, and AMC Classic Lee Branch 15 theaters. Check out the trailer at final teaser.mov and follow on Instagram @botheyesopenmovie. You also can follow Roderick McClure on Instragram @rod.mcclure and @rodfather_productions.

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