Santa Monica College student David Reyes has his sights set on Harvard Medical School and becoming a cardiologist, but his talents also lie in music videos – and he has a $10,000 prize to prove it.
Reyes has won the OnVidi.com’s Student Video Contest in the Music Video category for his upbeat retro entry, “Best Around,” by the Rancho Cucamonga band Tha Boogie.
“I couldn’t believe that I won at first, I couldn’t even believe my video placed,” Reyes, 20, said. “When the OnVidi people contacted me, I didn’t know what to say, I got chills everywhere.”
Reyes and his brother Mario are producers who have collaborated with many bands to make quality music videos on low budgets. He said he plans to share a portion of the prize money with those who worked on the video, including the band.
“The video is fun, upbeat, and most of all unique,” he said. “It’s nice and simple, visually tantalizing and somewhat nostalgic even for those who haven’t lived in the portrayed time period (late ‘60s/early ‘70s).”
A biology major who started at SMC in spring 2010, Reyes plans to transfer to UCLA for his bachelor’s degree, then go to Harvard Medical School. But he also plans to continue producing music in his free time.
“SMC is great,” he said. “I love the atmosphere, the people, the professors and staff. SMC is always there to help.”
The contest was launched by Vidi Entertainment Inc., a dynamic social media services company that focuses on and utilizes video-based entertainment websites and mobile applications to serve its customers.
In early 2012 the company plans to release a cutting edge online environment for showcasing and sharing videography talent. OnVidi.com will combine visual entertainment with social networking.
Vidi Entertainment officials said they want the best content to showcase during the launch phase and recognized that students, and student filmmakers in particular, are a talented group of artists “who are the creative vanguard of the filmmaking industry.”
