We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alec Bewkes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alec , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Well it was basically non existent all the way through college. I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker from a really young age, so I just used that as an excuse for why I shouldn’t apply myself in any of my normal classes, which was obviously bullshit. I was in for a pretty rude awakening when I moved to LA and found out that “really wanting” something wasn’t going to cut it. But in a funny, roundabout way, the shame I felt from never giving anything 100% really lit a fire under my ass that is still very much burning today. I’m always internally guilt tripping myself into working as hard as I can to make up for all that lost time. Now it’s like a little OCD tick where even if I take an hour to watch one episode of TV there’s a little voice in my head chastising me for being a lazy bum.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a filmmaker who’s trying to build off the momentum of my short films and get my first feature film off the ground. It’s a one-location comedy called “Stockholm Squad” that’s basically “The Breakfast Club” but with kidnapped victims. We’re getting ready to go pitch investors and find an amount of money I probably wouldn’t earn even if I drove Uber for another 10 years. So, if you’re reading this and have a burning desire to part with some cash feel free to hit me up! (melting smiley face emoji)
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?
I’ll kind of package it all under one umbrella quality, which is balancing your attitude. I don’t think it’s a secret that you have to be a little insane and delusional to try and make it in the entertainment industry these days. And while confidence is definitely key, you have to be realistic and make sure you’re not living with your head too far up in the clouds. I don’t think there’s any substitute for hard work and putting one foot in front of the other in a practical, down to earth way. At the same time, sustaining yourself in this business is a long road and a certain amount of optimism is required to keep your sanity. That was definitely more than three qualities, but I did preface it by saying they all fall under the umbrella of balancing your attitude, so legally I should be safe.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Man, that is a long, competitive list right there. It would take me years to list even a small portion of the impactful things my parents have done for me, but the number one has to be just believing in me. I don’t think it’s any parents’ dream to hear their kid is driving cross country at 22 years-old to go “make it” in LA without a plan or a job, but they didn’t blink an eye. They’ve been nothing but supportive as I stumbled through this industry, and are still to this day my biggest cheerleaders. None of what I’ve accomplished would be possible without them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alecbewkes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coolhandbewk/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alec-bewkes-bb3b4b7a
Image Credits
Linnea Bullion
Stacey Bewkes
Thea Traff
Thea Traff
Thea Traff
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