Meet Chiara Useche of Rakish, Lotuslink Creative House and Treemenage in Westside LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chiara Useche.

Chiara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I arrived in Los Angeles three years ago — directly from Bogotá D.C, Colombia, my home country. It’s been an epic journey — and so has my whole life, since I can recall. Full of ups and downs. Nevertheless, somehow I always find myself strong in spirit to make it through every challenging storm.

I came to the U.S. to complete a second Bachelor’s Degree in Entertainment Business at The Los Angeles Film School. I enrolled in this program after studying both Dramatic Arts and Advertising, in an attempt to bridge the gap between my two passions: Film and Music. Los Angeles seemed to be the right place to land to immerse myself in the entertainment industry… The lion’s heart of it: Hollywood. That’s how I wanted to fully understand the business at its core.

I grew up surrounded and guided by three creatives/artists, the most important people in my life: my brothers. All three musicians, one of them a filmmaker as well. Being the youngest one of us four, I can still visualize myself sitting right next to them, swinging my feet in the air, trying to follow the rhythm of the music while they played the piano… I like to think that I inherited their artistic background that way, by listening to them, observing them, and learning to understand them.

At the same time, I was able to witness and acknowledge the struggles that come with being an artist in this world. I followed the pursuit of art — trying to include other perspectives that sometimes are disregarded because of our sense of idealism. Because of this, I found myself trying to find a balance between the creative yet chaotic mind of an artist and the organizational and structured mind of a businessperson. The result: I’m a film producer by day and a singer by night! And so it has been since forever.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My childhood was not very conventional. Coming from a broken family at the age of five, being the little one and the only girl of the family, not living with my parents since then, made me understand at a very young age the meaning of the word: Survival. There were an abundant amount of challenges growing up, and certainly Hollywood wasn’t part of my mind back then, but I guess life finds its way, and places call your name when the time is right. Now I value those years and even the struggle because I can see those were the circumstances that forged and trained my spirit to live abroad in a unique city like L.A.

Once I arrived, it was a matter of weeks to realize it was going to be challenging. The change of culture, the different dynamics of the city, the language and communication, the food! And with the passing of the months, the feeling of loneliness that can reach your soul while you’re trying to find your own creative community; the real people who can – and actually want to – connect. But then, if you’re patient enough, persistent enough, focused and dedicated, and most importantly, genuine and true to yourself, magic happens. And so, like hidden gems, the right people commence to become visible to your eyes.

Life is a long curved stair and I feel I’ve walked up merely the first quarter of it, but in every step, significant people have been present. Like my brothers, Nico, Andrew, and David, my godmother Elena, my long-life Colombian filmmaking partners, and the small yet strong safety net I’ve been able to find in LA so far: My work family at Rakish and its two admirable EPs Brad and Preston, my lovely home-family Tina, Connor, and Tanner, my friends/family in Colombia and my Colombian friends in LA. Ha! And my wonderful career advisors Amanda and Steve at the LA Film School who were the ones who encouraged this interview.

Challenges have been present since I have memory, in different circumstances with new characteristics, textures, and tones — but despite all of it, I’ve been fortunate because of the people I’ve been able to find throughout my entire life. Those you want to hold close and even those you don’t. Every single one of them has contributed to shaping me into who I am and where I am today. For that, I’m infinitely grateful.

Rakish, Lotuslink Creative House and Treemenage – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Before coming to the U.S., I co-founded LotusLink Creative House, a production company based in Colombia. We’ve produced several audiovisual projects since its inception — short films, music videos, commercials, and visual arts pieces that have been featured in international exhibitions in Latin America, USA and Europe; such as the Palm Springs ShortFest, Leuven SFF, PÖFF, Viña del Mar, FICCI, Bogoshorts, among several others. LotusLink is up and running, finding its balance between the production of branded and live-action content with one Director based in Belgium and one based in Colombia.

Once in the U.S. and a couple of months after graduating with my Entertainment Business degree, I was very fortunate to meet RAKISH Executive Producers, Preston Garrett and Brad Johns. The moment I met them, something inside clicked – finally! I had found the kind of people I truly wanted to work with, no matter what position. I was totally eager to be part of what they are building. Luckily, they saw something in me as well and I started to work with them! As time has passed, and considering the demanding changes we’re all facing right now, I have been able to witness first-hand how vibrant, real, focused and professional the whole team at Rakish is; and most importantly, what incredible human beings Brad and Preston are. The exquisite content produced by Rakish speaks louder than any description I could attempt, and I’m honestly very happy to learn so much from these two gents, who I genuinely admire. I always have in my thoughts, with deep gratitude, the person who made that connection possible.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I would say when the audiovisual content I’ve been involved with have been official selections in relevant film festivals. From my perspective, each time this has happened, a true milestone was achieved. I felt particularly happy when the festivals were the most important ones in Colombia, like the Oscars qualifying ShortFest Bogoshorts and two years later the respected International Film Festival of Cartagena de Indias (FICCI) with a second short film co-produced by LotusLink.

I believe those two events set a career highlight for me and I felt very proud of all the teamwork and effort that led us to achieve recognition from the Colombian Film Industry. It was the entryway — to be officially part of the new generation of emerging filmmakers; and also the beginning of my professional relationship with the people who have been leading the Colombian film industry for the past 20 years (to where it stands right now). After these milestones, I felt eager to conquer the world!

Hopefully, more proud moments will come, not only for me but for all of those with which I’m sharing this beautiful journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lotuslink.co, www.rakish.us, www.treemenage.com
• Instagram: @ChiaraUseche

Image Credit:
Jerónimo Sarmiento, Palm Springs ShortFest, FICCI

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