Rodolfo Mancuso is a Brazilian-Italian-American actor, Internet personality and musician most notable for his comedic videos on YouTube and previously on Vine. Many of Mancuso's videos consist mostly of musical comedy sketches. He has over 7.2 million YouTube subscribers and 9.2 million followers on Instagram. Mancuso is managed by John Shahidi of Shots Studios.
Early life
Mancuso was raised in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, the son of an Italian-American father and a Brazilian mother. He attended Glen Ridge High School. He lived in Rio de Janeiro for a while and speaks Portuguese fluently. He started playing the piano at the age of five. He also has a sister by the name of Marianna Mancuso. Marianna is said to have played a vital role in Rudy's comedy skills.
Career
Mancuso's partnered with Shots Studios to create videos and launched his YouTube channel in 2016. He has been featured on Comedy Central's Drunk History and HBO's Outpost. He also starred in YouTube Red's Keys of Christmas along with Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled. Awkward Puppets, a puppet series on the YouTube platform, is owned by Mancuso and Shots Studios. Mancuso was the opener for Justin Bieber's Purpose World Tour in Brazil's section of his Latin America shows in 2017. Dolce & Gabbana invited Mancuso to walk in their Milan Men's Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 show on June 17, 2017. Mancuso performed and presented an award at the 2017 MTV Millennial Awards in Mexico. In July 2017, Mancuso performed at Villa Mix, Brazil's biggest music festival, in Goiânia for two consecutive days. On October 6, 2017, Mancuso released his first single, "Black & White," in collaboration with songwriter/producer Poo Bear. On October 7, 2017 Mancuso performed at the Villa Mix festival in São Paulo. Mancuso's next single, "Mama", was his first video single without a featured artist. The video, directed by Mancuso, featured Chantel Jeffries, evoked "odd nostalgia", according to Billboard. Mancuso also released an original song coloration with Alesso to the latter's channel. In 2018, Mancuso directed the music video for Lele Pons' debut solo single "Celoso" and the music video for Alesso's single "REMEDY." Mancuso also directed the music video for O.A.R.'s single "Miss You All The Time" which was released October 2018. Mancuso collaborated with fellow comedian and musician Simon Rex for the video "Storytelling" which was released on his channel July 2018. In September 2018, Mancuso joined O.A.R. at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado for a performance. Mancuso and fellow Shots Studios artist Lele Pons hosted the 2018 Hispanic Heritage FoundationAwards show. The two performed Pons' "Celoso," with Mancuso playing the instrumental on the piano. In September 2018, Mancuso released his fourth single, "Lento." In October 2018, Mancuso released "Superhero Therapy" with Lele Pons, Anwar Jibawi, and King Bach. The video is the most recent installment of his super hero series, which has over 68 million views total. In November 2018, Mancuso both performed and received an award at the 2018 ALMAs. The award was presented by fellow Shots Studios star Alesso. He also performed a cover of Queen'sYou're My Best Friend in support of Netflix's Bohemian Rhapsody and the Mercury Phoenix Trust which was released to his YouTube channel. Mancuso also hosted the 'Concert for Tommy's Field', a charity event held at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. Performances included Lele Pons, Bryce Vine, and others. Mancuso has produced sponsored videos working with companies such as Target and Clif bar which blend music and comedy. He also appeared in a video with basketball star Stephen Curry for Britawater filters.
