Eddie Ganchegui

Eduardo "Eddie" Ganchegui is a Detroit-based Cuban sound designer, director, video game programmer, editor, author, photographer and former drug lord who currently works at Sunrise Sound Services since February 2000. He formerly worked at from 1991 to 1999.

Bio
Ganchegui was born in Havana, Cuba on December 11, 1959.

On April 27, 1980, Ganchegui arrived in Miami, Florida, as part of the Mariel boatlift, where he was sent to a refugee camp with his friends, Reynaldo Gámez, Rayden Macanas and Alejandro Matriz. The four were released and given green cards in exchange for murdering a former Venezuelan general at the request of Miami drug lord Miguel Ángel Tejedor. They became dishwashers at an eatery, but a dissatisfied Ganchegui proclaimed that he was meant for bigger things.

Tejedor's right-hand man, David Atenas, sent the four to purchase cocaine from Colombian dealers, but the deal goes badly. Macanas was dismembered with a chainsaw, while Gámez and Matriz rescue Ganchegui and kill the Colombians. Suspecting that Atenas set them up, Ganchegui and Gámez insist on personally delivering the recovered drugs and money to Tejedor. During their meeting, Ganchegui is attracted to Tejedor's trophy wife, María José. Frank hires Ganchegui and Gámez. Ganchegui reunites with his mother and younger sister Francisca, of whom he is overprotective. Disgusted by his life of crime, his mother Carmen throws him out. Gámez is attracted to Francisca, but Ganchegui tells him to stay away from her.

Tejedor sends Ganchegui and Atenas to Cochabamba, Bolivia to meet with cocaine kingpin Simón Piñón. Ganchegui negotiates a deal without Tejedor's approval, angering Atenas. Piñón claims that Atenas is a police informant and that Tejedor has poor judgement; Ganchegui witnesses a beaten Atenas hanged from a helicopter. Ganchegui vouches for Tejedor's organization, and Piñón, taking a liking to Ganchegui, agrees to the deal, but not before warning Ganchegui never to betray him.

Back in Miami, Tejedor was infuriated by Atenas's demise and the unauthorized deal struck by Ganchegui, while Ganchegui starts his own independent cocaine operation. At a nightclub, Hans Schwarz, a German corrupt police detective on Tejedor's payroll, attempts to extort money from Ganchegui in return for police protection. Tony spots Francisca fraternizing with a man and beats them both when he sees him grope her. Hitmen then attempt to assassinate Ganchegui, who escapes but is wounded. He confronts Tejedor and Schwarz, certain that they orchestrated the attack; Tejedor confesses his involvement at gunpoint and begs for his life, but he and Schwarz are killed by Gámez and Ganchegui, respectively. Ganchegui marries María José and becomes the distributor of Piñón's product, using his profits to build a multi-million-dollar business empire and construct a vast, heavily guarded estate.

On May 26, 1983, the day after seeing, a sting operation by federal agents results in Ganchegui being charged with tax evasion and money laundering, with an inevitable prison sentence. Piñón offered to use his government connections to keep Ganchegui out of prison, but only if Ganchegui assassinates an activist intending to expose Piñón's drug operations. During a public dinner, Ganchegui accuses Gámez of causing his arrest and María José of being an infertile junkie, causing María José to leave him.

On June 1, Ganchegui traveled to Manhattan to carry out the assassination with Piñón's henchman, Kadhir Bustamante, who plants a radio-controlled bomb under the activist's car. However, when the activist is unexpectedly accompanied by his wife and children, Ganchegui tries to call off the hit. Bustamante refuses to back down, and Ganchegui kills him before he can detonate the bomb. Ganchegui returns to Miami, where an enraged Piñón calls him to promise retribution for allowing the activist to deliver the exposé. Ganchegui, at his mother's behest, tracks down Francisca and finds her with Gámez; in a fit of rage, Tony shoots Gámez dead, after which Francisca tearfully tells Ganchegui that they were married the day before. A distraught Ganchegui returns to his estate with Francisca, and begins a massive cocaine binge in his office.

While dozens of Piñón's men begin to invade the estate and kill all of Ganchegui's guards, Francisca accuses Ganchegui of wanting her for himself and shoots at him. One of Piñón's men kills her and is in turn killed by Ganchegui. With assassins outside his office, Ganchegui turns a grenade launcher-equipped rifle on them, mowing down many. He is able to overpower Piñón's men and escape the grounds, just as the DEA and Miami-Dade police arrive. Piñón then receives a call from one of his men, who says Ganchegui's mansion is on fire and being seized by law enforcement, his drug empire is reduced to nothing, and he is certain Ganchegui is dead. Meanwhile, hiding in a safehouse in the Miami glades, Ganchegui laments the deaths of his friend Gámez and sister Francisca, curses himself for not listening to the advice of others due to his stubbornness, determines to quit cocaine, and vows retribution on Piñón.

Three months later in March 1984, Ganchegui returns to Miami. All of his assets have been frozen, and the districts of Miami he used to dominate have been divided among other drug cartels. His first act was to ask Phil Shifley to become his lawyer again. Shifley reluctantly agrees, but at a higher wage than before. As Ganchegui had no authority, he had no choice. He next travels to see his old friend and contact Felix Mercer, who tells him Piñón is working with Eduardo Montenegro in an effort to take over all of Ganchegui's old turf. He also warns Ganchegui that there are very few dealers who can be trusted anymore, as most report back to Piñón. Ganchegui says he needs to make some small deals so he can make enough money to buy his mansion back from the Vice Squad, and begin to rebuild his empire. Mercer advises him to speak to a waitress named Jazmín Martínez. She puts him in touch with some dealers, as he slowly begins to re-establish his name, earning enough to re-purchase his mansion. He calls Mercer, who tells him that he thinks Montenegro is smuggling cash. Ganchegui steals one of Montenegro's trucks, carrying $50,000, and uses it to open a bank account. Reconnecting with his old banker, Archie Collins, uses the bank to launder his money as he sets out to reclaim control of Little Havana from the Kobayashi Brothers. As Ganchegui's reputation increases, the brothers plan to have him murdered. He survives the assassination attempt, and one of the killers tells him the Kobayashis have killed his mother. Killing them both in retaliation, he regains control of Little Havana.

Ganchegui then gets a call from Edward Gill, an associate of Shifley's. He tells Ganchegui they have information regarding the location of Ganchegui's estranged wife, María José, and he arranges to meet. However, the meet is a trap. Ganchegui escapes and kills Gill, realizing that Shifley has turned against him. Meanwhile, he sets about taking control of Downtown from the Contreras cartel. Upon doing so, he is contacted by Gilberto Vargas, a cocaine producer from the Caribbean islands south of Miami. Vargas also wants Piñón out of the picture, and he invites Ganchegui to come to see him. They agree that with Ganchegui in Miami selling Vargas's product from the islands, they can run Piñón out of business. Ganchegui then meets Natasha Scott, Vargas's ex-girlfriend and a powerful influence on the islands herself. She tells him of the owner of a nearby casino, being run on a disused oil tanker, who is killing women and dumping their bodies overboard, and asks Ganchegui if he can take care of it. The man turns out to be William Livingston, formerly in control of Downtown's drug trade. Ganchegui travels to the casino and kills Livingston.

He next sets about taking control of South Beach and North Beach, both of which are controlled by Montenegro. Upon doing so, he was contacted by Vargas, who tells him he was going to war with the Colombian drug cartels. However, the Colombians get word of Vargas's plan and attack his plantation. Ganchegui helps defend it, but Sandman tells him the Colombians have taken over his processing lab on the island of Tranquilandia, and are holding the workers hostage. Ganchegui heads there, killing the Colombians and rescuing the hostages. Upon returning, Vargas sells Ganchegui his plantation, meaning Ganchegui is now in charge of production and distribution, making him the most powerful drug lord in the area and allowing him to finally go after Piñón, who is in Bolivia.

At his mansion, Piñón is hosting a meeting with Shifley and Montenegro in which they are discussing how best to get rid of Ganchegui. From outside, they hear an explosion, as Ganchegui attacks the house. Fighting his way through the grounds, he kills Piñón's security people, before shooting and killing Shifley. Heading further into the estate, he kills Montenegro. Eventually, he confronts Piñón, who tells Ganchegui he warned him not to betray him, but Ganchegui did, referring to the planned assassination of a journalist which Ganchegui refused to carry out because there were children in the journalist's car. Piñón says that in their business, sometimes children have to be killed. Ganchegui then kills him. As he leaves the mansion, Ganchegui finds one of Piñón's men still alive. The survivor begs for his life, and Ganchegui offers him a job.

Piñón's surviving henchman worked as Ganchegui's butler, as Ganchegui and Scott watch television in a Jacuzzi. Feeling good about his life, Ganchegui declared he finally had what he always felt was coming to him: "the world."

On April 27, 1991, wishing to find a job, Ganchegui joined with his first two projects being  and. On November 14, 1999, with his last two projects being and, Ganchegui decided to resign from Skywalker Sound and went to see Toy Story 2 a week later.

On February 17, 2000, Ganchegui was employed by Sunrise Sound Services as Sound Designer/Editor. Three days later, he joined.

Filmography

 * (1991) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1991) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1991) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1992) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1992) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1993) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1993-1994) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1993) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * Nothing Is Impossible (1994) - Sound Designer
 * Hit Me with Your Best Shot! (1994) - Sound Designer
 * (1994) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1994) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1994) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1994) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1995) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1995) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1995) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1996) - Apprentice Sound Editor
 * (1996) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1996) - Assistant Sound Editor
 * (1996) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1997) - Supervising Sound Editor
 * (1997) - Supervising Sound Editor
 * (1997) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1997) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1997) - Supervising Sound Editor
 * (1997) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1998) - Supervising Sound Editor
 * (1998) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1998) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1998) - Apprentice Sound Editor
 * (1999) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1999) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1999) - Sound Effects Editor
 * (1999) - Sound Effects Editor
 * Ricochet (2000) - Designer
 * (2000) - Programmer
 * Deathmatch Classic (2001) - Programmer
 * (2001) - Programmer
 * (2003) - Programmer
 * (2004) - Programmer
 * (2004) - Programmer
 * (2004) - Programmer
 * (2005) - Programmer
 * (2005) - Programmer
 * (2006) - Programmer
 * (2006) - Programmer
 * (2007) - Programmer
 * (2007) - Programmer
 * (2007) - Programmer
 * The Black Hole (2008) - Programmer
 * (2008) - Programmer
 * Feast for the Eyes (2009) - Supervising Sound Editor
 * (2009) - Programmer
 * (2010) - Programmer
 * (2011) - Programmer
 * (2012) - Programmer
 * (2013) - Programmer

Trivia

 * Ganchegui formerly owned a computer from 2000 to 2010.
 * Some of the footage during his drug and cocaine career were recorded by camera operator James Derryberry, the older brother of voice actress.