Tag Archives: Brazilian Talent

Brazil, international musician, Music, Musician Interview, Musicians

Drummer Ivan Copelli remains humble in his rise to fame

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When hard rock musician, Ivan Copelli, began drumming as a young child, he had no idea of the impact it would have on the rest of his life. For the Brazilian-native, it was all about tending to the passion inside him and exploring himself through his music. The now wildly successful artist is used to other aspiring professional musicians asking him for the secrets to his success, but for Copelli, it is simple. He understands that regardless of whether or not you can be classed as a “good” musician or a “bad” one, you owe it to yourself to just keep playing.

As he earned success in his career, after playing with the hit Brazilian band Motores, he learned the true value of remaining true to yourself and to your original sound. He has mastered the ability to market himself effectively and ensure that he doesn’t allow major companies or record labels to take advantage of his purity as an artist. His art is his business and he works tirelessly to grow it wherever possible. He also recognizes that today, with the power of the internet, it is easier than ever before to educate yourself and keep yourself busy. There is no excuse to give up on what you love to do most.

After achieving a series of accomplishments with Motores, including winning MTV Rally’s fierce competition in 2007, Copelli was approached by another up-and-coming Brazilian band, Kiara Rocks. He was familiar with the band’s sound and had attended their shows on several occasions. The band’s lead singer, Cadu Pelegrini, was eager to work with Copelli when he heard that he had left Motores. He wanted a drummer that would attract the attention of a larger audience and to boost the band’s visibility in the industry. Fortunately, Copelli’s work with Motores positioned him well above other drummers of his kind and Pelegrini knew that his contributions to Kiara Rocks would be invaluable. Copelli jumped at the opportunity to lend his talents to the band and it was the beginning of something new and exciting for his already esteemed career.

What Copelli ended up enjoying most about playing with Kiara Rocks, however, was touring around the world and being able to share the band’s music to new audiences in new areas on a daily basis. “For the three years that I played with them, we spent most of our weekends on tour, playing in different cities and states, making new friends, and growing our fan base. We were very close as a band. We didn’t even need to look at each other when we were on stage to know what everyone was doing. We were so connected,” said Copelli.

Copelli’s ability to not only adapt himself to the style of the band he is playing with, but to enhance their sound is what makes him such a highly sought after addition to every project he is asked to work on. After Kiara Rocks appeared on the successful Brazilian web series, Showlivre.com, producer Clemente Nascimento realized just how intangible Copelli’s skills are.

“Across his time with the group, he provided expertise as a top tier drummer. He also appeared in a number of the band’s virally popular music videos. Specifically, in his role as the drummer for the band, he kept the rhythm solid and consistent and while his work does not overshadow the tones of his fellow musicians, anyone who listens to their music notices the harmonious coordination between his drumming and the bass to create a tight rhythm section. He is absolutely vital to any band he collaborates with, more so than most drummers in his field. His contributions Kiara Rocks highlight both his prowess as a drummer, as well as the impact his music had on the band’s incomparable success,” recalled Nascimento.

With Copelli’s rising success, came unexplored territory. When his first single with Kiara Rocks received over 300,000 views on YouTube, he started to see the impact that his music had on the band’s presence in a new light. He could see the difference they were making in the field of rock music on an unfamiliar scale and he was humbled by the recognition they were receiving. All of a sudden, he found himself encountering excited fans in the street, screaming at him and honking their horns. He still gets shivers down his spine when he thinks about it and he credits this success as being the to motivator driving him to create new sounds and bring even more high-quality music to the shelves for his followers.

In fact, it was during his time playing with Kiara Rocks that Copelli experienced one of the major highlights of his career. Being a die-hard rock music fan, Copelli had the distinct pleasure of working with Guns n’ Roses’ drummer, Matt Sorum. Sorum produced what Copelli considers to be one of the most important albums for the Brazilian rock music scene in years. Copelli played his heart out and to little surprise, the band’s fans were immediately addicted. Seeing his work come to life for his fans is just one of the many reasons he continues to play and produce music for a living.

So what does Copelli have in store for hard rock music fans around the world? He has a few projects in the works. Ultimately, however, he hopes to re-connect with some of the artists he has worked with in the past, as well as with new artists, in order to create unique new sounds and albums that his fans will thank him for.

Brazil, Cinematographer, Filmmakers, International Creative Talents, Music Video

Cinematographer Andre Chesini talks viral music video ‘Oração’

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Andre Chesini behind the scenes of Oracao 2
Andre Chesini behind the scenes of the “Oração” music video.

Anyone can move around with a camera to their eye, in fact, many people try. However, Andre Chesini understands what it is to be extraordinary at what he does. Chesini’s unwavering passion for filmmaking extends back as early as his childhood and his perspective derives from years of immersing himself in the arts. He understands that the artistry of cinematography comes from controlling what the audience sees and doesn’t see. As a cinematographer, he doesn’t just strive to make a frame beautiful, he tries to create images that evoke emotions and enhance the storytelling. That is what makes him such a rare talent.

Chesini has adopted a style of cinematography that many of the world’s most recognized strive and fail to achieve. For him, lights are motivated by nature, not only by the actors. He searches for a naturalistic cinematic sense of reality. He worked on several documentaries in the beginning of his career, and is an experienced Steadicam operator. This experience translates into his cinematography.

“Documentaries are based on working with the environment and searching for the natural and available light. That shaped me a strong bond for an alive camera and strong naturalistic sense of reality. Thus, I’m looking for a life-like images. A design that is closer to reality, yet enhancing the cinematic look making the ordinary into extraordinary. Every cinematographer is unique; it is about the inner voice that each of us have. How it echoes with the director and all the people involved in a film,” said Chesini. “Steadicam operation is an amazing skill that makes my senses for motion and blocking of the actors very sensitive. I can feel the energy that the scene requires, capture the emotion of the actors and translate it through the movement of the camera.”

Having worked on several award-winning films, such as Chocolate, Tereza, and A Fabrica, as well as the television show Life on a Leash, Chesini put his work on the world stage, showing audiences everywhere what he is capable of. However, this versatile cinematographer has had limitless success, and his work on three music videos for Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade displays that perfectly.

“Music allows you to have more freedom in style as a cinematographer. It is a great territory to experiment and push your visual limits as a creator. “Oração” was actually the first music video that I shot. I mostly work in narrative. I believe that this narrative background weighs on the decisions and how I could contribute for the impact of the music video,” said Chesini.

Three days after its release, “Oração” already had over three million views on YouTube. It now has over 27 million. Chesini went on to be interviewed by Fantastico, a popular Brazilian Sunday evening program, to comment on the video. Later that year, “Oração” won the Best Web Video for the MTV Video Music Brazil Awards.

“It was an insane reaction, from no recognition to international recognition, being published in Rolling Stone and Washington Post, among others. The Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade became recognized artists and in that year, and have recently released their third album,” said Chesini.

Vinicius Nisi, the creator of the band and the keyboard player, called Chesini to be part of the video. The proposal was to record three music videos in one weekend, the main video being “Oração,” a one-shot video while recording the live audio at the same time. Such a task was enormous, and Chesini was the only one for the job. Chesini’s Steadicam experience once again was vital for the music video, as his knowledge of where to place the camera and follow the talent to have the six-minute film be one shot was fundamental. The two other videos shot were “Boa Pessoa” and “Canção para não voltar.”

“Given the success of “Oração”, our band became full time job, becoming our main source of income. We owe this to the talent and love that Andre has,” said Nisi. “Andre is an easy-going person and very easy to work with. He is always with good-humored and is very communicative. He likes to know all details in order to do a good job. His technical and artistic capabilities are undeniable.”

“What I most like working with him, is that he is secure, calm and aware. He is also really humble, and would listen all my directions and when was necessary he was pro-active in resolving issues that would appear. Andre focuses on making his work pristine. He studies the video, techniques, equipment and always makes his best. Andre knows his immense responsibility as the first viewer of the everybody work. At the same time, he does that gently and with kindness,” Nisi continued.

It took 8 shots for Chesini to get the one-shot film that was needed. This technique was a fundamental factor for the success of the video. It required skills and a sensibility as cinematographer and camera operator that Chesini always displays.

“I’m really proud of that video and its success also gave me strength to continue to pursue my dream of film,” said Chesini. “The challenge of a one-shot film is quite exciting, and being a steadicam operator, I felt compelled to immerse myself in this challenge. The long shot also requires working together with all the musicians, extras and everybody involved and seeing the involvement of everybody was really rewarding to see.”

You can watch Chesini’s work in the “Oração” music video here.

Brazil, International Creative Talents, Writer

Writer Guilherme Ribeiro was force to be reckoned with during times with Globo TV Network

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Guilherme Ribeiro was meant to be a writer. Ever since he was young, he always enjoyed writing, but as he aged, his hobby transformed into his passion. Today, he is celebrated internationally for his talents, with an esteemed career as an online content writer, captivating readers all over the world.

Throughout his career, Ribeiro has worked on several successful projects, with readers in his home country of Brazil and abroad. He wrote about the wonders of Rio de Janeiro for Mastercard Priceless Rio, and wrote for television programs such as TV PUC, and Toxic Rio. With everything he works on, he contributes to its success, which is exactly what happened when he worked with Globo TV Network, a major media group in Latin America.

“Globo TV Network is the dream of almost every media professional, actor, comedian and journalist in Brazil. It is like a billionaire holding with the TV studios producing content meeting Hollywood standards (series, telenovelas and movies) and exporting it for more than 100 countries. I started there as an intern and I was glad I could be hired afterwards, as my career took off from there,” said Ribeiro.

And that it did. Ribeiro worked at Globo TV for three years, between 2012 and 2015. Initially, he started as an intern, but he quickly impressed. Now, he is one of the best content writers in Brazil. All those he worked with recognized his skill, and his work was always popular among readers and viewers

“Guilherme is a creative guy, takes good pictures and was a proactive journalist and reporter for Globo. He started as an intern and ended up working full time, covering daily news for the website but also participating in especial projects, such as Carnival and 2014 World Cup news coverages. He has a good eye for details, wrote interesting reports and compelling stories during his time at Globo and was constantly working on news that reached great results regarding online views and shares on social media,” said Eduardo Vallim, Editor in Chief of two websites, Gshow and EGO, owned by Globo TV Network, and was once Ribeiro’s boss.

When working with Globo and their publication G1 – Portal de Notícias da Globo, the main news program for Globo, Ribeiro’s articles and news reports were usually in tune with everything happening in the city of Rio de Janeiro. He worked with a strong team, saying the work structure was always essential to keep a good work. He could cover a good variety of subjects, culture, music events, police, politicians, protests, press conferences, prep for the Rio Olympic Games and more. Many of his stories had over a million viewers.

“Globo is a strong brand for every Brazilian and also within Latin America, so it is comfortable and challenging at the same time write reports and articles for them. It is always a guarantee your article will reach more than a hundred thousand views in couple of days, so I can say that be behind this brand makes your name be easily written by people. But it also a little bit threatening to follow the results of your work, check if you are providing accurate and clear information,” said Ribeiro. “I used to receive a huge amount of material from press agencies, PR companies, government, companies, important people and more. Sometimes a good idea comes from a source you are definitely not expecting. That’s why the field of online content writer requires a detail oriented eye for good hooks, new possibilities to redirect news that are going on media, and other always be open for the new.”

Initially, Ribeiro was selected as an intern from over 15,000 candidates. Although he describes the process as long and hard, he was recognized for his knowledge of web journalism, and his strong writing skills. He knows how to word a story to capture an audience’s attention, making him an asset to the network. He used to cover local news in Rio, working together with the TV team from the local TV news in Globo TV, so each day was a new adventure in the city. He covered special events in Rio, such as Soccer World Cup in 2014 and Olympic Games in 2016, but also yearly events like Carnival parades at the city. Eventually, he became the Web Content Editor at Globo.com, a very important position. At that time, he says he literally had to run to win, competing against media websites for audience and news.

“Working with Globo was very challenging, but very rewarding. Every day was a challenge, but I can say it made me fast and strong. It was awesome to work very close to such important and remarkable things to the history of my city, my country, totally participating on that. It is a journalism feeling that made me happy in there for three years,” he described.

Now, Ribeiro has moved beyond reporting for Rio, and is currently working with a Fortune 500 company on a new music project. It is definitely something we can all look forward to.

International Creative Talents, Writer

Gisele Goes went from writing letters to producing content for the world’s biggest brands

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When Gisele Goes was just a child growing up in Brazil, she moved around a lot. Going from city to city, she began writing letters to keep in touch with her friends. Eventually, as the internet became more readily available, she transitioned to more modern methods of communication, like email, blog posts, and social media. This gave her the foundation for what she would then need later in life. Now, she is an internationally sought-after content producer and writer.

Goes has an esteemed reputation, with an outstanding career doing what she does best. She has worked with several large companies, creating content to help boost, restore, and promote brands. Not only does she create such content, but she is also responsible for providing a strategy behind it, and how the message will be distributed to different outlets/channels. That includes press releases, blog posts, social posts, video content, event marketing and any type of asset that is part of the overall strategy.

“It is important to have a good understanding on what kind of role content plays for each brand or service. There are so many different channels to explore nowadays and so much content that you need to be able to identify the best strategy to make your name stand out and how to increase brand awareness,” Goes explained.

More recently, Goes has been doing just that with Wpromote, a digital agency with sixteen years of experience. It was elected one of the best places to work in the United States twice and has offices in Dallas, Chicago, NY, SF, LA, and more. Since starting with the agency in March of this year, Goes’ job is to manage and oversee content strategies for some of Wpromote’s clients. Wpromote has been growing in the United States, and expanding internationally is definitely something they want to pursue. Goes’ background in different content initiatives and international expansions makes her a great asset for that expansion plan, and she has been helping improve this process.

“Wpromote is an amazing agency and I’ve heard so many cool things about it. Not only the culture of the company but their reputation for being the “Challenger” agency, it sounded a lot like me,” she Goes. “It’s been only a few months but I’m really excited to move forward with the projects I have upcoming here and make Wpromote global.”

Some of Goes’ current clients include major companies like Shutterstock, RoadRunner Sports, Imprivata, Minnetonka Moccasin, and more. Her international perspective and the way she worked with Content before, such as the mega popular Asian company Meitu, is definitely essential to do a good work for Wpromote.

“It’s always amazing to see the work you do coming to life. Establishing good relationship with the clients, their teams and being able to present all those results is really rewarding. Also, being able to bring something new to an amazing company like Wpromote makes me so happy. I know I have a lot to add and I know that I’m valued as a professional,” she said.

Her team is made up of professionals with varied backgrounds, but with Goes’ experience with launching a product and working for a global company allows her to look at things from a bigger perspective. To be able to establish effective process around content production, put together solid strategies with a great sense of direction, and attach important KPI’s to measure the actual impact of the content in the goals she is already beginning to achieve make her essential to the company’s success.

“I worked with Gisele to develop an international content marketing presentation from the ground-up. We collaborated on this project from the ideation process to detailing how we would implement and execute the strategies, which we later presented to a board of directors. Currently we are continuing to further develop and grow this exciting, new offering at Wpromote,” said Ana Vila, Content Marketing Manager with Wpromote. “Working with Gisele is an absolute pleasure; she brings unique ideas to the table with a fresh perspective backed by relevant previous experiences, data and trends. She’s able to convert ideas from a stream of consciousness to actionable next steps. Gisele’s diverse life and work experience positively contribute to her successful, multifaceted approach to content creation and building strategies.”

Unlike her previous projects, working with Wpromote allows Goes to manage content for a large variety of clients rather than focusing on just one. For many, this task would be almost impossible, but for Goes, it is a refreshing change. It’s a fast paced, dynamic environment but is great to expand different content initiatives and align them with different business goals. Most of the decisions are directly related to business goals and how they can achieve them as a team, some accounts have more than one service here, and it allows everything to be very integrated, making Goes’ job much more interesting.

“Everything is super flexible and the main goal is to achieve our client’s business through powerful and unique content – regardless of what distribution channel or type of content. We cover it all,” Goes described. “I like the fast-paced environment and I love being able to “switch” mindsets every day since all my clients are so different from each other. It’s also great to be in contact with people from other industries that come from a different background. And because Wpromote has such a strong internal culture it’s amazing to feel part of the team and being able to bring my international experience to the Content team and optimize our strategies in order to grow the company and achieve its goals.”

No matter who she is working with, whether it be her clients or her teammates, Goes impresses. Her vast range of knowledge caters perfectly to the goals she aims to achieve with Wpromote, and Jessica Anguiano, a Content Marketing Manager for the agency, is continuously impressed.

“Gisele and I have worked together on developing digital campaign strategies for a number of clients ranging in size and budget. Working with Gisele is fantastic. She is a wonderful teammate and I know I can always rely on her. Above all else, the positivity and optimism she brings to situations is such a breath of fresh air. Gisele is extremely dedicated to her career and clients. She’s extremely passionate about everything she does and it is reflected in her high-quality of work. She is never afraid to tackle big projects and consistently develops out of the box ideas and campaigns, never hesitating to go above and beyond,” said Anguiano.

Goes’ dedication to her work combined with her innate talent have skyrocketed her career, allowing people all over the world to see why she is considered one of the leaders in her field.