Cheeks

 Cheeks (born Bradley C. Bell; October 4, 1985) is an American mixed media artist based out of Los Angeles, California. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, he began his career at an early age doing commercials and theater.  Cheeks studied film and acting before branching out to write, perform and produce electro pop music in 2008.

Cheeks released his sophomore EP, Glambition, on September 1, 2009, independently. The EP reached number 3 on the iTunes and number 8 on the Amazon electronica charts on its day of release. In addition to music, Cheeks continues to produce a variety of mixed media content including socio-satirical videos on both his You Tube, GoCheeksGo, and his website, CheeksTV.com. A series of podcasts, Cheeks: Unbuttoned, can be found on his own social network.

Early life and training

Cheeks began showcasing his interests in entertainment as a young child in Dallas, Texas. His aunt, a 5th grade teacher, nurtured his talents and urged him to perform songs for her class by artists such as Paula Abdul and the Beach Boys. He was cast in several commercials and theater productions during these early years. He developed an interest in film production while attending high school; eventually forming a film club which allowed other students that shared common interests an environment to hone their skills.

Following high school, Cheeks decided to move to Los Angeles, California in 2004 to develop his knowledge of the entertainment industry. He studied film production with a strong interest in editing at Los Angeles City College.  During this time he began making short horror films and music videos, this would later lead to experimentation with his own music.

Cheeks continued his studies at The Second City Training Center, an improv-based sketch comedy theater and training center with an alumni list that includes John Belushi, Steve Carrell and Tina Fey. He performed in a graduate show, Stereotypecast, a humorous exploration of the way minorities are viewed by the mainstream.

Television leads to inspiration

In addition to his early commercial roles, Cheeks appeared in 2006 on MTV in Why Can't I Be You?, a reality show featuring ordinary people wishing to gain self improvement and emulate characteristics of others more outgoing and confident than themselves.  Cheeks coached his pupil on techniques for building a stronger self image. This appearance would become the catalyst that allowed Cheeks to discover his ability and desire to motivate others to gain their own self awareness through positive affirmations; he would later utilize his social network account on Twitter to spread motivational messages of hope and love.

Character Roles

Cheeks continued to pursue his love of acting in several independent projects. He collaborated with Dana Lauren, an actress and producer, playing a character named Chad in the internet based show Bruno's; a satirical series based on the true adventures of working in a wacky restaurant. The series was launched on Roband.tv.

In 2008 Cheeks landed the role of Basil in Lushes, directed by Ash Christian of Fat Girls (2006) fame. The film chronicles the tale of two “Transtastic” drag queens, Cork (Ash Christian) and Desi (Parker Torres) that have set out to make a name for themselves in the formidable bar scene of the West Coast. Cheeks portrayal of Basil, the arch nemesis of Cork and Desi, received critical acclaim during its 2009 run at Frameline Film Festival, a San Francisco based LGBT film showcase by reviewer Jay C. Bird, "Basil...performed with such perfect sexual ambiguity in style, fashion, manner and humor. The short film was also featured at Outfest 2009 in Los Angeles, CA and at the Indianapolis LGBT film festival.

Following his success in Lushes, Cheeks appeared in the comedic Doormat: It's a Boy!, a digital film series by writer/director Erik Larson. Doormat is a three part series based on the adventures of Aunt Doreena, played by Uncle Alice, as she adjusts to life in her new neighborhood. In part 2 of the series, Cheeks plays Xoie, a character with a couple of secrets to hide, the new girlfriend of Auntie Doreena's favorite nephew, Buckley, played by Christopher Logan. The series premiere is yet to be announced.

In 2010, Cheeks will appear in the thriller, Dreamkiller, as Julian Stoli. The film is set for a limited theatrical run beginning in January.

Cheeks is currently developing a webisode series, Frontmen, for release in Summer, 2010.

Internet builds a following

In 2008, Cheeks created his own You Tube channel, GoCheeksGo, focusing a large portion his efforts on the development of Internet based content after recognizing the opportunities afforded to progressive artists through consistent exposure to new audiences and the ability to spread his work through viral video.

His popularity grew as he introduced such comedic videos as It's Hard Out Here for a Cheeks, 7 Things to Hate About Me, and the socio-satirical commentary on Miss California DETHRONED! capturing the attention of celebrity internet blogger Perez Hilton.

In June 2009, Cheeks urged his fans to follow him into the 21st century by launching a new video, Things You'd NEVER Twitter, to officially launch his Twitter account, GoCheeksGo. It was on Twitter that Cheeks began to provide followers with motivational affirmations encouraging people of the power of positive thinking. Following the launch, Cheeks placed 8th in overall competition for the Mr. Twitter Universe, an online contest where followers nominated their favorite Twitter personalities.  One month later, followers voted him to a 3th place finish in the Ultimate World Mr. Twitter contest. Currently Cheeks is ranked as 25th most popular account in Hollywood by Twitterholic.com.

 In August 2009, on the heels of this surge in popularity, Cheeks founded his own social network, Cheektopia, a community where members are encouraged to 'share, create, explore' through self expression and connectivity with one another. In September 2009, a podcast series, Cheeks:Unbuttoned, was launched on the network, resulting in membership levels tripling in the first day of release.

Music emerges

Cheeks began experimenting with music as a medium while still pursuing his studies in film and acting. With such early musical influences as Depeche Mode, Britney Spears, and Madonna, the resulting sound emerged in the electro pop genre.  This early experimentation captured the attention of writer/director Liz Adams who commissioned Cheeks to co-write and record the title song for her horror short Side Effect; a film that went on to win awards at film festivals around the world.

In September 2008, Cheeks independently released his first EP, The Boy From Venus, on iTunes. Through self promotion on his MySpace page, Cheeks began to build a sizable following for his music.

Encouraged by positive feedback and digital album sales, Cheeks went to work on what would become his second independent album. On September 1, 2009 his sophomore EP,   Glambition, , was released worldwide. The EP began climbing the electronica album charts on iTunes and Amazon within hours of release; capturing the attention and praise by fellow artist Adam Lambert, "GREAT hard electropop!” LA Celebrity Examiner music critic Viviane Feilhaber states "The four song EP blends synthetic production, unrepentant naughtiness, and pulsating beats...”

On September 27, 2009, Cheeks released a collection of ringtones on iTunes and Voeveo titled, Put a Ringtone On It; a mixture of whimsical and inspirational messages for cell phones.

Cheeks released a video for the single Down Low on his You Tube channel that was well received by fans and critics. A video for the single Instant Gratification was released on January 29, 2010.

Cheeks - Down Low

Cheeks - Instant Gratification

 Glambition EP