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), written by Neil Cuthbert, loosely based on Bob Burden's '' Flaming Carrot Comics'', starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, ...

''.

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. The Steadicam brand was acquired by Tiffen in 2000. It was designed to isolate the ...

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 (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

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

Taco Bell Taco Bell Corp. is an American multinational 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 ...

, Nike, Got Milk?,

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

Miller Lite Miller Lite is a 4.2% ABV reduced calorie light American lager beer produced by Molson Coors. It was introduced in 1973 in limited markets by the Miller Brewing Company (then owned by Philip Morris, Inc.) and began being distributed nationa ...

, Polaroid and

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

. 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 Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...

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 The Clio Awards, also simply known as The Clios, is an annual award program that recognizes innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design, and communication, as judged by an international panel of advertising professionals. The award ...

- 5 Gold, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Usher, Kinka Living people Television commercial directors French film directors 1960 births Directors Guild of America Award winners French advertising directors