Rik Cordero is featured in this month's New York Institute of Technology Magazine under Alumni Notes. Rik graduated from NYIT in 2002 with a B.F.A. in Computer Graphics but honed a lot of his passion for motion pictures by creating video presentations, music videos and documentaries for his professors with a Sony Digital 8 camcorder. Special thanks to Michael Schiavetta, M.A., Editor for NYIT Magazine for the feature. For more information on NYIT click here.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Rik Cordero (B.F.A. '02)

Current Position: Music video, commercial, and feature film director for Los Angeles, Calif-based Robot Films. "My responsibilities include writing treatments as well as guiding technicians and artists. In addition to my directing work, I also create strategic marketing plans for various brands, including viral videos and graphic design.

The Right Direction: Rik won the Best Film Award for his film, "Inside A Change", at the 2009 HBO New York International Latino Film Festival. He was also nominated for Video Director of the Year at the 2009 BET Awards and selected to lead a global film campaign for Sprite soda called "The Spark". He has worked with several major recording artists, including Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, The Roots, Q-Tip, Wu-Tang Clan, Consequence and John Legend.

Best Part Of My Day: "Waking up to my daughter yelling 'Papa!' at the top of her lungs after she eats breakfast. I'm very fortunate to have a job that allows me to watch her grow."

Secret To His Success: "The biggest myth about directing is that you have to be some kind of loud and obnoxious dictator to do this kind of work. Directing is all about compromise and some of the most successful directors are laid back sensitive souls."

Music Video Vs. Feature Film: "Directing a music video is much like shooting a short film but more attention is paid to the marketing aspect and how the final product would appeal to fans of the music. When directing a feature film, I'm more emotionally invested because it's a longer process. Plus, I'm taking the time to develop real characters on screen."

The Place To Blossom: "NYIT was the perfect fit and allowed me to harness my creative energy. I enjoyed the freedom and inspiration the professors gave me."

Favorite Food: Lasagna

Last Book Read: "Under The Dome" by Stephen King

Focus On Family: "I spend my free time watching movies, movies, and more movies with my beautiful wife and daughter, who are my inspiration. After we started a family, I learned to live for the moment and appreciate every opportunity that comes my way."

Welcome To The Imperial

A crowd sourced creative collaboration series by Lemon Andersen and Rik Cordero

Welcome To The Imperial" is a 1-minute viral video from Brooklyn born spoken word poet and actor, Lemon Andersen and Queens-bred filmmaker, Rik Cordero to the millions of New York City basketball fans. It features a mixture of Rik's eye for iconic New York City sights and faces seamlessly combined with the richness of Lemon's poetry. In essence, the Big Apple exerts a powerful influence over those who live here and those who play here. Welcome To The Imperial...

"...It represents two artists on their way to the throne. It's Majestic. It's us. Now when you hear "Welcome To The Imperial" you will hear our stamp." - Lemon

"...What we've done only scratches the surface of what Lemon and I are capable of but ultimately we achieved our goal with Imperial: to visually capture the essence and magic and complexity of New York City." - Rik

Be sure to visit our facebook page here.

The Lemon Andersen x Rik Cordero collabo drops tomorrow!

Check out Capone-N-Noreaga's homage to the classic Eddie Murphy/Martin Lawrence film "Life". Directed by Rik Cordero, Produced by Power Quevedo with Cinematography by Clayton Combe.