Young Guns 19: Andre Bato
By Alixandra Rutnik and Brett McKenzie on Oct 27, 2021
Featuring the creative stars of Young Guns 19
A year and a half of uncertainty across the creative industry and beyond has finally given way to a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel — a spotlight with a great big "YG19" standing in the middle of it. After more than 70 acclaimed creatives from around the world and across a multitude of disciplines reviewed hundreds of submissions, whittling them down to a formidable finalist list, we can finally reveal the phenomenal winners of Young Guns 19!
This year, we welcome a diverse class of 32 inductees into the exclusive Young Guns family, a collection of young creative talent that is already near the top of their game — and will only get better. These are the designers, the art directors, the illustrators, the filmmakers, the animators, the multidisciplinary artists whose names you'll want to know — if you aren't already following their every move, that is.
Ahead of the Young Guns 19 Ceremony + Party taking place on Wednesday, November 17 — our first in-person event since the pandemic began — we are featuring the future legends who will be stepping into the spotlight that evening.
ANDRE BATO
DIRECTOR
Based:
Brooklyn, New York
Hometown:
Lecco, Italy
When did you first hear about Young Guns?
I heard about it from a collaborator of mine– it honestly seems like a great initiative and I immediately felt included as someone who works in the industry and who is also under 30.
Congrats on the first time win! What made you enter this year?
I felt like I was ready to submit the work my team and I have put together in front of other industry professionals and peers.
My team and I have spent the past four years strictly working on our craft and our company. I thought this was a good opportunity to finally take a stab at being part of the conversation– bringing all the work we've made, all the hours we've put in, in front of the wider industry.
Since you are only allowed to submit six projects, how did you decide which pieces were best to enter and truly reflected you and your work?
I picked the projects that truly reflected who I am as an artist. Our job sometimes requires us to edit a creative vision to fit a specific client, demographic, or message– but for the submission, I wanted to pick those projects that truly represented my point of view as a creative. The projects that felt like me, and quite frankly, the projects where I had the most fun while in the midst of it all.
How did you feel when you found out you won Young Guns?
In all honesty, I felt validated. When creating, it's very easy to doubt your path, but this made me feel like this crazy journey of mine isn't so crazy after all.
If you had to pick one of the six projects that you entered as your favorite, which one would it be and why?
GOOD MORNING. This one is special to me because it's my first narrative film, and it's also a five screen "Cinema-Install" that can only be consumed or enjoyed in a physical space.
In many ways this project truly represents me as an artist. I'm not only a film maker, but also I work with spaces, architecture, texture, materials, colors, and most importantly the people that inhabit and interact with them.
If you had to describe your creative style, the part of your work that’s most distinctively “you,” what would it be?
I try to be as "free" as I possibly can be when working. My favorite work comes from those artists that convey "creative freedom" in whatever it is that they make. Having a production company that works with brands and other partners is not always achievable, but it's definitely always the goal I'm striving towards.
Who are some of the biggest influences on your work and career, people who may have had a hand in mentoring and supporting you?
My team. I would be nothing without my teammates at AB CORP– they're the people who inspire me every single day to push forward, to improve, to better myself, and to learn.
Without them it wouldn't be as worth it to do it all. A one man band is an extremely overrated concept in my opinion.
Now that you’re in the Young Guns family, are there any past winners you look up to and admire?
I appreciate each and everyone of them. They are all people who took a chance and a gamble on their passions and their dreams, and that deserves only admiration and praise to me.
The pandemic of 2020 is slowly starting to taper a bit, so do you have any big goals moving forward into 2022?
Just keep growing my company, keep creating, and keep working on this "creative freedom" space that I enjoy spending my time in. I'm looking forward to traveling overseas again and creating in other countries.
Name a creative dream that you have yet to fulfill — hey, maybe Young Guns can help propel you in that direction!
I'm writing a feature length script at the moment– I would love to get it produced one day.
Any final thoughts about winning YG19?
I feel very fortunate and grateful. Four years ago I quit my job and took a blind gamble with starting this company, and now (thankfully!) I'm being recognized for that decision and all the work that came after it. It means a lot.
I always tell other creatives to just go for it– the second you get a taste of whatever it is that you're looking for, what fulfills you, you should take it and run with it. Run as fast as you can and never look back.
"I always tell other creatives to just go for it– the second you get a taste of whatever it is that you're looking for, what fulfills you, you should take it and run with it. Run as fast as you can and never look back."
Go check out all the Young Guns 19 Winners in the archive!
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