| Arden Cho | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 16, 1985 Amarillo, Texas, United States |
| Occupation | Model and actress |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Website | |
| www.ardencho.com | |
Arden Cho is a Korean American model and actress who also displays her singing and songwriting talents on YouTube. In 2010, Cho was the model for the cosmetic brand Clinique's advertisement campaign in Asia.[1] She has appeared in supporting roles in the television shows CSI: NY[2] and Pretty Little Liars[3] and the 2011 feature Mega Python vs. Gatoroid.[4] Also in 2011, Cho starred in the 35-minute YouTube feature Agents of Secret Stuff presented by NigaHiga and Wong Fu Productions.[5]
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Arden Cho was born in Amarillo, Texas. She spent most of her childhood years in Dallas and her late teenage years in Minnesota.[6] Cho graduated in 2003 from Apple Valley Senior High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota and in 2007 from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign with a bachelor's degree in psychology, also studying theater.[7]
In childhood Cho developed her musical skills, studying piano for eight years and cello for six. She also took four years of dance studio training and six years of gymnastics with a floor concentration.[8] In 2003, her final year of Senior High School she performed in the Dance Team of the Walt Disney World Parade.[9] That led to her participation in sports and competitive cheerleading in high school and college. Cho has also had seven years' training in martial arts, in particular Tae Kwon Do.[10]
In 2004, Cho was named Miss Korea Chicago, granting her the opportunity to compete in the Miss Korea Pageant in Seoul, South Korea, for the honor of representing South Korea in the Miss Universe Pageant. Cho then acted as Master of Ceremonies for the 2005 Miss Korea Chicago beauty pageant and the 27th Inauguration of the Korean American Association of Chicago in 2007[11] and as co-host of the 2010 JYJ United States Tour with Shane Yoon.[12]
After being named Miss Korea Chicago in 2004, Cho visited orphanages and made public appearances for humanitarian causes in her ambassadorial role. These experiences "helped solidify her belief in the value of connecting with others and the paramount importance of helping those less fortunate".[13] In pursuit of this ideal and as a follow-up to these experiences she visited Kenya in the summer of 2007 on a two-month humanitarian trip before moving to Los Angeles.[14]
In 2010 the cosmetic brand Clinique announced Cho as the model for their newest advertisement campaign in Asia. The campaign was launched in mid-November 2010. Clinique was reported to have stated that they "selected Cho not because she was Korean, but because she had the beauty to represent Asia".[15] Cho modeled for Reebok Korea in 2010 and for Nike Japan in 2008. She has also modeled for Apple and Alexander McQueen and appeared in Vogue, Purple Fashion and Nylon Magazine.[16]
Cho has appeared in films, television series and commercials in the United States and Asia.[17] In 2011 she appeared in the role of Pru, a friend of Paige McCullers (Lindsey Shaw) in Season 1, Episode 20 ("Someone to Watch Over Me"), of the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars.[18] The episode originally aired on March 7, 2011.[19] In 2011 she also appeared in the role of Gia in the monster film Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, directed by Mary Lambert. In 2009 Cho appeared in Season 5, Episode 19 ("Communication Breakdown"), of the CBS show CSI: NY, in the supporting role of Gahee Paik, the daughter of a Korean father suspected of murder.[20] The episode originally aired on March 25, 2009.[21] In 2008 Cho played the grown-up lead of Hyori (the younger version being played by Megan Lee) in the short film My First Crush, directed by Rocky Jo.[22] She has also appeared in the webseries KTown Cowboys.[23]
On February 22, 2011, Cho released the single "I’m Just a Girl" on iTunes.[24] Cho was the co-writer, composer and singer on the single; Ed Huang was co-writer and music producer.[25] On February 25, 2011, Cho published a self-produced music video for the single on YouTube featuring Tim Lacatena.[26] Musical videos featuring her collaborations with other YouTube figures including Gerald Ko, Jason Chen, Ken Salomon and Megan Lee appear on her ardenBcho YouTube account, reflecting her initial view of them as nonprofessional.[27] Another musical collaboration to which Cho has lent her voice is the non-commercial Mark Allen song "I Once Knew".[28]
Cho is a prolific YouTube author, mainly producing vlogs and musical videos but also appearing as a guest on established YouTube channels. Her commercial and film work may also be observed on YouTube.
In May 2010, Cho and Grace Su created the YouTube account artichokeandpeachies,[29] named for its owners' respective monikers, "artichoke" being a pseudo-homophone of "Arden Cho" and "peachies" alluding to Grace Su’s personal blog at peachies.net. The channel features the collaborative video-blogging efforts of the twenty-something Los Angeles roommates. Of the channel, Cho said, “Initially, we had no idea what direction we wanted to go in. The first blog we did, we basically just said ‘hi’”.[30] Although the account is now closed, Cho has pursued the publishing of YouTube content with her solely owned accounts ardencho and ardenBCho. The accounts are for her vlogs and her film and television work, respectively.
Cho also stars as a lead in the Nigahiga and Wong Fu Productions 35-minute feature Agents of Secret Stuff. The feature premiered in a special screening event at the CGV Cinemas in Koreatown, Los Angeles, on November 23, 2010, and officially premiered online on November 24, 2010, on Ryan Higa's YouTube channel.[31] Appearing alongside Cho as the protagonist is Higa accompanied by Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval in the role of the antagonist and Aki Aleong.[32]