Making of the Golf Boys

For a guy who doesn’t have one steady job, he’s the busiest guy you’ll meet.

At least, that’s what his friends say.

Pacific alumnus Tyler Andre ‘09 has several projects he’s working on right now, each of them as diverse and creative as the next.

After the release of the video The Making of the Golf Boys, one of Andre’s many projects, he can now add internet sensation to his growing resume.

His friend, band mate and often video collaborator, Sam Martin, is the director of The Golf Boys videos.

Martin began the project in an effort to help family friends in need of a video for their charity event. The video was so well-received, they decided to make more.

The video received more than 2 million hits in one week.

Soon, it premiered on the Golf Channel.

The video features professional golfers Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Hunter Mahan in a boy band style musical parody.

Andre flew to Dallas where he helped with costume and set design, filming and direction. They finished filming in two days, edited the footage and released the finished product one week before the Master’s Golf Tournament. They were thrilled with the video’s success. In addition to playing on the Golf Channel, Farmer’s Insurance Company became a sponsor.

“It’s a hobby that’s turned into a job,” Andre admitted.

In The Making of the Golf Boys video, Andre is a featured actor, starring as the band’s colorful wardrobe assistant.

The first time Andre met the four professional golfers, he was “in character.” As Crane, Fowler, Watson and Mahan walked into the wardrobe room with cameras rolling, they saw Andre for the first time. Andre laughed as he recalled the moment when the cast realized he was in fact a regular guy, and not a strict dance instructor with an austere fashion sense.  “They were all thinking, ‘who is this guy?’” Andre said.

Andre also serves as choreographer, art director and costume designer for his band — Con Bro Chill. He makes up the band with some of his closest friends — Connor Martin, Sam Martin and Steve Felts.

The four band mates have been playing together on and off since February and have scores of ideas for the future. Andre, a back up singer and dance choreographer for the band, said “it’s all about the performance. My job on stage is energy. I have a passion for music, but it comes out in dance.”

So far, they’ve only played two live shows, but Andre describes September as Con Bro Chill month. Connor Martin, a professional lacrosse player who currently lives in Denver, will take September off to record their new album and create accompanying music videos with the band.

Andre isn’t stopping with a hit Youtube series and promising band; his attention is divided between a myriad of projects.

In addition, Andre has recently created a web series with his friend and fellow Con Bro Chill bandmate Steve Felts called “The Chronicles of Steve n’ Tyler.”

Many of Andre’s other works can be found on rainbreak.com, an online video collective. Andre and a group of friends release a new original video through Rain Break each month. Featured videos are both collaborative and individual works.

In between all of this, Andre just got back from two weeks in Peru where he was documenting a high school trip for Walking Tree Travel.

He is not one to pass up any opportunity and tries to commit to every project he is asked to do. “I’m keeping myself very busy,” Andre said. “I don’t like the down times.”

Juggling all this can be a challenge, but Andre is used to it.

A Lake Oswego native, Andre came to Pacific after attending Lane Community College and didn’t know a lot of people here.

He decided he needed to get involved in as many activities at Pacific as he could before he graduated.

While at Pacific, Andre drew comics for The Pacific Index, hosted a radio show, helped coach the university lacrosse team and played intramural basketball. In addition, he founded the Pacific University Blazer fan club with his brother Bret, O.D. ‘10.

“I’m happy I went here,” said Andre. “Pacific encouraged me to do a lot of different things.”

One of Andre’s favorite things about his time at Pacific was going to lunch a couple times every week with his brother and dad, Pacific College of Optometry professor Mark Andre.

Tyler said he and his father are very close. “We get along great,” said Andre. “He hangs out with me and my friends.”

“Both of my parents are very supportive,” Andre said.

Andre graduated from Pacific in 2009 with a degree in Studio Art. His senior capstone focused on printmaking. Although, he hasn’t been concentrating on studio arts as much since graduation, he’s taking “passion for art” in new directions.             

“I’m not afraid to try new things I know nothing about,” said Andre.

As for the future, Andre hopes to eventually work on projects with Wieden & Kennedy Entertainment Company and continue to have fun and be creative while building his portfolio.

Andre has been receiving a lot of positive feedback recently and the opportunities just keep opening up. “A lot of people believe in me, so it helps me believe in myself,” Andre remarked.

To view Andre’s Golf Boys videos, and other projects, visit http://www.rainbreak.com/

Friday, Aug. 2, 2013