Andy Guerrero’s earliest career goal was to become an author. He wanted to tell stories, and looking back, he said it’s not far different from what he wants to do now.
Guerrero, senior digital technology and culture major, is now working behind a camera, making sports hype content for ZZUCRU and directing and producing the show “Silent Truth: Origins” for the student production club Cable 8.
“The reason I wanted to be an author is the fact that I wanted to write and tell stories. Now I am just doing that behind a camera,” Guerrero said. “Storytelling has been the thing I’ve been passionate about my whole life and I consider myself a storyteller.”
Guerrero said he grew up a fan of sports, especially basketball and soccer. Hailing from Quincy, Washington, sports have been at the forefront of his life and interests for a long time.
Every day after school, he and his two younger brothers Alec and Adam would hang out and play video games like “NBA 2K” or “Madden NFL,” or go outside and play basketball in their backyard. The trio bonded over a shared interest in sports and had been very close.
At 15 years old, in December 2016, Guerrero said his life changed when the sudden death of his brothers in a car crash caused heartbreak and devastation for his entire family.
“I felt like my whole world just came crashing down on me. I felt like before they passed away, in those couple months before, it felt like I had like the perfect life,” he said.
Struggling through the grieving process, he said what helped guide him forward was sports.
“Sports helped me keep remembering them and honoring them. That’s probably why I’m so passionate about watching and being involved in sports,” Guerrero said.
He had been motivated to come to WSU thanks to his desire to engage in sports, he said. The Cougs had Division-1 athletics and opportunities to get involved.
He joined ZZU CRU, the official student fan group of WSU athletics, as a videographer in May 2023. He filmed several different sports, but the one that stood out most was the 2023–2024 men’s basketball season.
Though Guerrero has only been involved for less than a year, ZZU CRU president Abigail Gerken said he has grown a lot in his video-creating and creative voice, always showing a high level of passion for creating meaningful content.
“He has been ambitious and has sought out opportunities to film and develop his craft,” she said. “He is always ready to help and jump in with whatever we need, even when it is outside the scope of his role. He is a very valued member of our team.”
Guerrero said the other way he grew his skills outside the classroom was from Cable 8, a club he joined in January 2022 and eventually pitched his own show to for the spring 2023 semester.
He said he directed and produced the show “Silent Truth,” the first show he led the creation of.
In the spring 2024 semester, the show got renewed under the title “Silent Truth: Origins,” a story with the main theme of dealing with loss, in the fall. The main character loses his brother, and Guerrero wrote the script in a way that used his own grief and reflection on his experience of losing his brothers. It also plays on another personal theme of Guerrero’s life. He said the main character wants to become a detective but continues to be pushed out of the field.
“I’ve emphasized in the show trying to show what happens if you never achieve your dream,” he said. “I’m showing that [theme] as it is a great fear of mine and I can draw from experience.”
Guerrero said by making “Silent Truth,” he has grown a lot in both his production work and his grieving. Still, he is hesitant to be open about the show when looking for opportunities after graduation.
“It was so endearing to see his reluctance to add his show ‘Silent Truth’ to his online portfolio. He thought the production might come across as too obvious from a student,” said Simon Ličen, sport management associate professor. “There is nothing wrong with that. Andy is a student. But more importantly, the show incorporates so many production tricks and details that Andy intuitively picked up while learning and observing other shows.”
Ličen said Guerrero has the potential to do great things, earning the title of being creative.
“I think the word ‘creative’ is much overused in American society. Not in Andy’s case,” Ličen said. “In a world of instant culture and creativity, Andy celebrates established canons with a contemporary take. I am extremely excited to see where his camera takes him.”
