We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allex Tarr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Allex, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
My journey with confidence has been wavy. In Los Angeles – as everyone who lives here knows – it’s so easy to fall into the mind trap of “I’m not enough” or “I’m not doing enough”. In a place that’s so full of no’s, rejections, and ‘we’re going to pass on that’s” – and not to mention so full of people on social media seemingly doing it all and succeeding more than you are – it’s also easy to assume that a “yes” is never going to happen.
I tend to have a timeline in my head of when and how I want things to happen, how I want my career to progress. My confidence takes a blow each time an expectation isn’t met the way I thought it would be. I’ve been working on breaking that habit and instead reveling in the little wins, the small steps toward my dream, and the meaningful friendships and connections I’m making along the way. This seems to boost my self-esteem since I’m spending less time frustrated about everything I don’t have.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
For the past two years, I have been in the process of moving away from directing branded digital content and more toward narrative content – and I will say, it’s been anything but a walk in the park. That being said, I’ve been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to direct two seasons of a scripted young-adult show, and I’m in conversations to direct my first feature. Additionally, I have two other female-centric features written that are in the first phases of funding, which I plan to direct as well.
I am proud to say that I recently finished my first original short film, which I wrote, directed, and acted in a supporting role. The short is called “The Ritz”, and it will be premiering at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival at the end of February. It’s a female-forward story (as is all of my written work), and is based on a true story about my grandmother in Oklahoma in 1950 who decided to escape her abusive father and elope with a new boyfriend – my grandfather (spoiler alert).
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Be well-rounded: I used to be hard on myself because I had a difficult time picking a “lane” or a focus. I’ve always enjoyed every aspect of filmmaking – writing, producing, directing, editing, acting, etc. – and I’ve worked in each capacity both in narrative and in the branded digital world. Sometimes I feel a bit all over the place, but the further I progress into my career, the more I realize that my knowledge of each area of filmmaking has helped me while leading a film or TV set. I know the proper language to speak to each department, have empathy for the job they all have to do, and I believe this allows me to set a healthy tone for the production.
2. Travel as much as you can: I believe being a good writer and filmmaker requires you to get out into the world and have real-life experiences. Another thing I have been hard on myself about (there’s a theme here) is that I didn’t start taking my work seriously until my mid-to-late twenties. Even though I was broke, all I wanted to do was travel, try new foods, go dancing, and meet unique people from different walks of life. I kept thinking, “Ahh, I’ll worry about real life later”. I was almost thirty when I realized I should buckle down and have a career plan (not to mention a savings account). That being said, I find that I have a lot of life experiences to draw from in my writing, a lot of kooky characters I’ve come across that are burned into my brain forever. I’m not saying to go live a life with no savings account (don’t recommend), but there is something to be said for saying “yes” when people ask you to go on an adventure; you never know who you’re going to meet or what new thing you’re going to experience.
3. Have empathy: I moved around a lot as a kid, and I was often the new kid in school with zero friends. It’s a vulnerable (and kind of horrible) position to be in, especially over and over again. The bright side is that this taught me to have empathy at a young age. I know what it feels like to be nervous and feel like no one is listening or looking out for you. This has made me a good communicator – especially with my actors – and an inclusive director in general. I enjoy making everyone on set feel comfortable, seen, and heard because I believe this is not only good human nature, but also it will yield the best creative results. Filmmaking is collaborative, and when everyone on set feels valued they’re more likely to try their hardest and uplift one another. I don’t believe in the dictator-director attitude. There is a healthy way to get things done efficiently while also having fun.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
The challenge I’m facing right now is finding directing representation. While moving into a more freelance life, my current goal is to obtain a manager and agent to help find directing work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.allextarr.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allextizzar/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q14z3UoPpn0
- Other: TikTok: @allextizzar
Image Credits:
Noah McCool
