Meet some GOOD people – Andres Guerrero
BY: Sharon Fitness for GOOD.
When Andres Guerrero was studying advertising in his native Colombia as a university student, he would never have imagined that one day he would be travelling across the vast countryside of Australia, driving along the Nullarbor Plain, documenting an epic charity bike ride.
But in September 2022, that’s exactly what happened.
It all started when GOOD CEO, Mike Jeffs, an avid bike rider and Compassion Board member for over 28 years, decided to join the ride. The concept of documenting the ride was a no-brainer. It would be an extraordinary trip, with plenty of compelling human stories, incredible people to meet along the way, interesting towns and regions to explore. But the logistics of this kind of thing are always tricky… and who would be available to do it?
Meet GOOD production team member Andres Guerrero. A Colombian living in Australia, who was at the time enrolled at Griffith University undertaking a Master of Screen Production. This was a big project that needed a filmmaker and Andreas needed a project. Sorted!
A Unique Opportunity
Andres worked with fellow GOOD team members and Compassion to produce, film and edit what is now COAST TO COAST: RIDE FOR COMPASSION. (Watch it now: CLICK HERE) He relished the opportunity to participate in such an unusual film project. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to see parts of the country very few see.
“I really enjoyed the opportunity of see so much of Australia, the landscapes… also to meet people from different parts of Australia.”
Driving a campervan and armed with a couple of cameras, lenses and filters, a tripod, a drone and a laptop computer, Andres set off with the riders and crew from Perth for the 4200km journey to Newcastle.
A Huge Learning Curve
“I learnt a lot about film-making. Being a one-man-band on the road is very different to a shoot in a studio or with a crew. That was challenging but a good learning experience.”
A trip across the Nullabor could never be without drama. “A scary moment was when Mike fell off his bike and the guys called me from the support truck on the walkie-talkie. When they said they need me on the road because Mike fell, I was very worried – I thought they wanted me to take him to a hospital or something!” (Thankfully Mike was a bit scraped and bruised but nothing serious.)
“Another crazy moment happened when I was filming and running after a dingo in the desert and because I was looking at my phone screen I missed two huge eagles flying over the drone. They attacked it and destroyed it.”
As with all epic adventures, it was over all too soon for Andres. The team from GOOD was then faced with the task of editing the hours and hours of video he’d recorded and putting together the story that is now COAST TO COAST and the 6 rider profile short films, all of which can be viewed on GOOD.
The good news, Andres passed and graduated with his Master of Screen Production in December.
Get to know Andres
Morning or Night? “Night”
Summer or Winter? “Winter”
Cats or Dogs? “Dogs”
Coffee or Tea? “Coffee always”
Favourite Food? “Mexican”
What’s one thing on your bucket list? “Visit Israel. (Not right now, 😬)”
What song do you sing in the shower? “So difficult to choose just one – The Pretender (Foo Fighters)”
What’s a movie you could watch every day? “The Back to the Future trilogy” (ok that’s three movies, but as it is a trilogy we’ll let you have it.)
Images from Andres Guerrero and GOOD production.
Watch Coast to Coast: Ride for Compassion now. CLICK HERE.
To find out more about how you can support Compassion CLICK HERE.