Andres Useche
Encyclopedia
Andrés Useche is an award-winning writer, film director, graphic artist and singer/songwriter.
Vana Espuma ("Idle Mist"). Upon high school graduation Useche composed "Azul de Noche", a quintet performed by members of the Manizales Chamber Orchestra. Its conductor, lead violinist Gillermo Gomez, would go on to perform with Useche on the compositions and live multimedia
projects Useche created during his college years.
documentaries
and wrote, directed, edited, scored and starred in Vana Espuma (1998), a 25-minute film adaptation of his graphic novel. The film had a $100 budget and won the Best Fiction Film, Best screenplay and Best actress César Award
s, along with other nominations for Useche for Best Actor and Best Music.
After graduating as a visual designer with emphasis on Film from the Universidad de Caldas, Useche moved to Los Angeles, California
, where he has worked as a script writer and is developing a feature film project.
In 2008, in support of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign
, Useche wrote, performed and co-directed in the viral video
"Si Se Puede Cambiar
", a Spanish language
music video
also directed by Eric Byler
and Warren Fu, which debuted on YouTube
on February 22, from the group United For Obama. On April 8, 2008, "Si Se Puede Cambiar" was chosen by YouTube to represent Obama in the first ever "Trendsetter Tuesday". The video was featured on the main page of the site along with videos about the other remaining US presidential candidates. "Si Se Puede Cambiar" quickly reached 325,000 views and maintained a rating of 4/5 stars, beating the scores for the Hillary Clinton and John McCain
videos. The video had been watched in 193 countries. Versions of the video with subtitles in German
, French
, Chinese
, Vietnamese
, Korean
and Arabic
have also been released.
Through 08 Andrés gave television, radio and newspaper interviews in which he promoted Obama's campaign.
On December 29, a live TV news program reported Andrés Useche had been tapped to sing at the Presidential Inaugural Ball and Gala "We The People" at Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2009.
Andres was also confirmed to perform at The Latino Inaugural Gala to be held at the Hall of the Americas / The Organization of American States (OAS) across the street from White House grounds on January 19, 2009.
In 2009 El Principio (Del Final) with music and vocals by both Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) and Andres Useche was made available as a free download at Useche's website http://www.andresuseche.blogspot.com
On 09/09/09, a 96.3 FM Colombian radio special featuring an Andres Useche career retrospective, confirmed the upcoming production of "Aún Aquí", a film written, directed, scored and produced by Andres Useche to be shot in his hometown of Manizales, Colombia. In 2010, The Internet Movie Database
released the first trailer for "Aún Aquí".
In 2010 Andrés Useche directed The Cove PSA
"My Friend is..." in which he joined forces with Oscar-winning producer Fisher Stevens
, Lina Esco
, Jennifer Aniston
, Ben Stiller
, Robin Williams
, Hayden Panettiere
, Paul Rudd
, Naomi Watts
, Courteney Cox
, Mariska Hargitay
, Woody Harrelson
, Jason Mraz
, James Gandolfini
, John Leguizamo
, Evan Handler
, Rob Morrow
, Tamlyn Tomita
, Carrie Ann Inaba
, Chris Tashima
, Russell Simmons
, James Kyson Lee and Richard Kind
among other talented artists. Andres also worked as composer, co-writer and co-editor on the project.
In response to the passing of Arizona SB 1070, Andres Useche wrote and recorded the song "Marching into the Light". On May 19, 2010 he traveled to Phoenix, performing the song and joining marches protesting the law. Images from the rallies and subsequent travels around the country appear in the music video for "Marching into the Light", also directed by Andres and dedicated to the memory of Tam Tran and Cinthya Felix, two recently deceased DREAM Act
activists from UCLA. Andres also took to the airways speaking on various TV news programs to denounce what he felt was racial profiling implicit in the law and called for compassion, unity and comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. The Obama administration also opposed Arizona SB 1070 and the bill was blocked at the federal level. Republican Arizona State Sen. Russell Pearce, who had been the architect of the controversial senate bill, was voted out of office in a special recall election.
In 2010, the Coffee Party USA website announced that Andres Useche would perform at the National Convention on September 24 of the same year.
Early life
Useche published his first political cartoon, "Soy Libre", at age 11. In high school, he won the Colombian Ministry of Culture Individual Creation Prize in Graphic Arts with his graphic novelGraphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
Vana Espuma ("Idle Mist"). Upon high school graduation Useche composed "Azul de Noche", a quintet performed by members of the Manizales Chamber Orchestra. Its conductor, lead violinist Gillermo Gomez, would go on to perform with Useche on the compositions and live multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
projects Useche created during his college years.
Career
In the late 1990s, Useche also scoredFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and wrote, directed, edited, scored and starred in Vana Espuma (1998), a 25-minute film adaptation of his graphic novel. The film had a $100 budget and won the Best Fiction Film, Best screenplay and Best actress César Award
César Award
The César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
s, along with other nominations for Useche for Best Actor and Best Music.
After graduating as a visual designer with emphasis on Film from the Universidad de Caldas, Useche moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where he has worked as a script writer and is developing a feature film project.
In 2008, in support of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign
Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Barack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008, he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
, Useche wrote, performed and co-directed in the viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
"Si Se Puede Cambiar
Sí Se Puede Cambiar
"Sí, Se Puede Cambiar" is a song and music video created in support of Sen. Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. However, the video has no official ties to the Obama campaign. The song was written by Andres Useche...
", a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
also directed by Eric Byler
Eric Byler
Eric Byler is an American film director, screenwriter and political activist. He identifies as hapa biracial, born to a Chinese American mother and a white American father. He grew up in Virginia, Hawaii , and California. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1994, majoring in film...
and Warren Fu, which debuted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on February 22, from the group United For Obama. On April 8, 2008, "Si Se Puede Cambiar" was chosen by YouTube to represent Obama in the first ever "Trendsetter Tuesday". The video was featured on the main page of the site along with videos about the other remaining US presidential candidates. "Si Se Puede Cambiar" quickly reached 325,000 views and maintained a rating of 4/5 stars, beating the scores for the Hillary Clinton and John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
videos. The video had been watched in 193 countries. Versions of the video with subtitles in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
have also been released.
Through 08 Andrés gave television, radio and newspaper interviews in which he promoted Obama's campaign.
On December 29, a live TV news program reported Andrés Useche had been tapped to sing at the Presidential Inaugural Ball and Gala "We The People" at Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2009.
Andres was also confirmed to perform at The Latino Inaugural Gala to be held at the Hall of the Americas / The Organization of American States (OAS) across the street from White House grounds on January 19, 2009.
In 2009 El Principio (Del Final) with music and vocals by both Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) and Andres Useche was made available as a free download at Useche's website http://www.andresuseche.blogspot.com
On 09/09/09, a 96.3 FM Colombian radio special featuring an Andres Useche career retrospective, confirmed the upcoming production of "Aún Aquí", a film written, directed, scored and produced by Andres Useche to be shot in his hometown of Manizales, Colombia. In 2010, The Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
released the first trailer for "Aún Aquí".
In 2010 Andrés Useche directed The Cove PSA
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
"My Friend is..." in which he joined forces with Oscar-winning producer Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
, Lina Esco
Lina Esco
Lina Esco is an American actress, producer and activist. She gained recognition in 2007 for portraying Jimmy Smits daughter in the CBS drama show "Cane"...
, Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
, Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
, Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
, Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in...
, Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
, Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
, Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
, Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay is an American actress, best known for her role as New York City sex crimes Detective Olivia Benson on the NBC television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that has earned her multiple awards and nominations, including an Emmy and Golden Globe.The daughter of actress...
, Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
, Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
, James Gandolfini
James Gandolfini
James J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...
, John Leguizamo
John Leguizamo
Jonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo is an Colombian-American actor, producer, voice artist, and comedian.-Early life:...
, Evan Handler
Evan Handler
Evan Handler is an American actor who is best known for playing Harry Goldenblatt, Charlotte's divorce attorney and later husband, on Sex and the City, and Charlie Runkle, Hank's comically bumbling friend and agent, on Californication.-Early life:Handler was born in New York City, the son of Enid...
, Rob Morrow
Rob Morrow
Robert Alan "Rob" Morrow is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Don Eppes on Numb3rs and as Dr. Joel Fleischman on Northern Exposure, a role which garnered him three Golden Globes and two Emmy Award nominations for "Best Actor in a Dramatic Series."-Personal life:Morrow was born in...
, Tamlyn Tomita
Tamlyn Tomita
Tamlyn Naomi Tomita is an actress, who has appeared in many Hollywood films and television series.-Early life:Tomita was born in Okinawa, the daughter of Shiro and Asako Tomita. Her father then later became a Los Angeles Police Officer, rising to the rank of sergeant. He succumbed to cancer in...
, Carrie Ann Inaba
Carrie Ann Inaba
Carrie Ann Inaba is an American dancer, choreographer, actress, game show host, and singer.She started her career as a singer in Japan, but became best known for her dancing, first introducing herself to American audiences as one of the original Fly Girls on the sketch comedy series In Living Color...
, Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima is a Japanese American actor and director. He is co-founder of the entertainment company Cedar Grove Productions and Artistic Director of its Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He is the son of U.S. Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima...
, Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
, James Kyson Lee and Richard Kind
Richard Kind
Richard John Kind is an American actor known for his roles in the sitcoms Mad About You and Spin City .- Early life :...
among other talented artists. Andres also worked as composer, co-writer and co-editor on the project.
In response to the passing of Arizona SB 1070, Andres Useche wrote and recorded the song "Marching into the Light". On May 19, 2010 he traveled to Phoenix, performing the song and joining marches protesting the law. Images from the rallies and subsequent travels around the country appear in the music video for "Marching into the Light", also directed by Andres and dedicated to the memory of Tam Tran and Cinthya Felix, two recently deceased DREAM Act
DREAM Act
The DREAM Act is an American legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 and most recently reintroduced there on May 11, 2011....
activists from UCLA. Andres also took to the airways speaking on various TV news programs to denounce what he felt was racial profiling implicit in the law and called for compassion, unity and comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. The Obama administration also opposed Arizona SB 1070 and the bill was blocked at the federal level. Republican Arizona State Sen. Russell Pearce, who had been the architect of the controversial senate bill, was voted out of office in a special recall election.
In 2010, the Coffee Party USA website announced that Andres Useche would perform at the National Convention on September 24 of the same year.
External links
- director Andrés Useche, Hollywood and "The Cove" Join Forces for Dolphin Awareness, Andres Useche interview for MashableMashableMashable is an American news website and Internet news blog founded by Pete Cashmore. The website's primary focus is social media news, but also covers news and developments in mobile, entertainment, online video, business, web development, technology, memes and gadgets...
- Marching into the Light" music video by Andrés Useche on Daily KosDaily KosDaily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
- Andrés Useche TV news interview on Mega TVMega TVMega TV was an analogue cable television broadcaster, which launched Malaysia's first ever subscription-based TV service in 1995. It was incorporated on 18 October 1994 and was operated by TV3...
- Trailer for "Aun Aqui" a film by Andres Useche on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Andrés Useche TV interview on UnivisionUnivisionUnivision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
news program. - Andrés Useche, el Otro Colombiano que Cantara para Obama on El ColombianoEl ColombianoEl Colombiano is the leading newspaper in Antioquia Department in Colombia whose headquarters are located in Medellín.The first edition of this newspaper was published on February 6, 1912 which only had one page, 13 advertisements, but no news articles. In 1976, the first color pictures were added...
- Andrés Useche sings for Change (the Obama Kind) on the Austin Chronicle
- Si Se Puede Cambiar Useche for Obama video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Andrés Useche Activista, Cineasta y Músico on Semana Conexión Colombia
- Borges: Influence and References - Andrés Useche by Manu El on www.themodernworld.com
- Vana Espuma trailer on myspacetv.com
- "Election rocks to a new Latin beat "Andrés Useche", and other artists express their support on The Miami Herald
- Andrés Useche le canta a Obama on La Patria.com
- Protagonistas del Mundo: Andrés Useche on RCNRCN TVRCN Televisión , is a Colombian private television network. It started as a production company in 1967...
Radio/TV station - Andrés Useche music videos on Will.i.am's website DipdiveDipdiveDipdive is a social networking website tagged as "a Lifestyle Engine for Music, Arts, Action & More." It is best known for the original source site of the "Yes We Can" music video. The site allows users to upload images, videos, MP3s, Blogs and create playlists. Videos and MP3s are allowed in the...
.com - Channel 9 News: Andrés Useche and other young Democrats on Vice-Presidential debate on CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Television