Kinka Usher is a director of television commercials. He also directed the 1999 feature film ''

Mystery Men ''Mystery Men'' is a 1999 American superhero comedy film directed by Kinka Usher (in his feature-length directorial debut) and written by Neil Cuthbert, loosely based on Bob Burden's '' Flaming Carrot Comics'', and starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azar ...

''.

Early life

Kinka Usher was born in Nice France, one of five children. His mother, an Italian by birth, owned a ballet production company and his father was a museum exhibit designer. Growing up he spent his time between Europe (primarily the island of Capri, Italy) and the United States (primarily Santa Barbara). During these early years he explored a career in the restaurant business, in the back of the house, and ultimately attaining the status of Sous-chef.

Career

Entering the film industry at 23, he began as a production assistant at Harmony Pictures in Los Angeles and gradually worked up to camera assistant,

Steadicam Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizer mounts for motion picture cameras invented by Garrett Brown and introduced in 1975 by Cinema Products Corporation. It was designed to isolate the camera from the camera operator's movement, keeping th ...

operator and eventually a director/cameraman. His big break came though when he was hired as a cameraman to director

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

on one of his films. His directorial debut came in 1992 on "Aborigine," a spot for Acura which earned him a Belding Award. Three years later he opened House of Usher and by 1997 he had four gold Lions from Cannes International Festival and clients from around the world. The following year he received the

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Catego ...

for Best Commercial Director. His extensive list of credits includes spots for

Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includin ...

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

Got Milk? Got Milk? (stylized as got milk?) is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of milk and dairy products. Created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993, it ...

, Nissan,

Miller Lite Miller Lite is a 4.2% ABV light American lager beer sold by Molson Coors (previously MillerCoors) of Chicago, Illinois. The company also produces Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life. Miller Lite competes mainly with Anheuser-Busch' ...

, Polaroid and

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...

. In 1999, he crossed over from commercials to features, directing ''

'' for Universal Studios. He subsequently returned to directing commercials, including a Bridgestone ad featured in the 2011 Super Bowl.

Personal life

In Feb 2022 he sold his Montecito seaside mansion he had built in 2014 called Villa Tragara, which was modeled after the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain to Ellen DeGeneres for $22 million, down from the original listing price of $35 million.

Awards

* Directors Guild of America - 1998 Best Commercial Director * Nine Cannes Lions - Gold, Silver, and Bronze * Five AICP Awards * Clio Awards - 5 Gold, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Usher, Kinka Living people Television commercial directors French film directors 1960 births Advertising directors