We recently connected with Alexander Heller and have shared our conversation below.
Alexander, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I don’t think there’s ever overcoming imposter syndrome. And I don’t know if that’s necessarily a bad thing. You should always be looking to improve and keep pace with the people around you and the people nipping at your heels. If you want to be making things that are relevant and (ideally) commercially successful…you should be worried about what people are going to think about it! As long as it doesn’t consume you, a little bit of a fire under you isn’t always terrible.
That said, I think the most important thing is- and always has been- just writing a lot. If you keep writing and keep trying to get better. And hopefully if you have people around you who want to build you up in a constructive way…eventually you get to a point where you read something someone else wrote and you’re like…oh I’m at this level. I belong here.
Then the thing becomes doing everything you can to not become a bitter, jealous prick who feels like they’re good enough but not getting what they deserve. And that might be the harder thing in this industry, honestly.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a writer-producer living in LA. Classic, right?
For me, though, I like to focus on comedy. Partially because I find it impossible to be sincere about anything, and partially because I think comedy is really important. We need to laugh, especially at the things that make us uncomfortable.
As a writer I’m really interested in bad people. People who do things that I wouldn’t (or can’t bring myself to) do. It’s so cathartic to laugh at someone doing something terrible. And there’s a part of me that really believes it purges us of our desire to do it. Like, if I can see someone do something terrible and think “well I wouldn’t go THAT far”…I might have just saved myself a meltdown in Trader Joe’s. Which is good. My neighbors should thank me, really.
As a producer I love to get involved with projects that I couldn’t have dreamed up on my own. It’s so invigorating to be approached with an idea that’s completely outside of my own brain and work with that person to bring it to life. Nobody LIKES the budgets and the permits…but it’s so satisfying when you get it all to work in service of something greater.
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?
Being nice to people. Unquestionably.
I should say: I THINK I’ve been nice to people. I’ve certainly tried to be. If there’s somewhere out there in the comedy world who thinks I’m a righteous ass…I’m sorry. You probably deserved it. No. I’m kidding. Am I? I am.
I try to be nice to people because first and foremost, I think it’s the right thing to do. And second- and I’ve seen this borne out a few times- that’s the most important consideration people take into account when hiring or teaming up. It’s always more fun to work with people who aren’t dicks. And that comes back around a long time later, not instantly. It’s that classic difference if you wanna be at the top in a short time, or around for a long time.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Visa. Visa. Visa.
I’m recently out of grad school and doing everything I can to stay in the country. The industry here is amazing, and I’ve had the opportunity to work on some truly exceptional projects with some truly exceptional people. Now I just need the paperwork to stick around!
And I’m so lucky to be able to navigate as much of the visa structure as I am. I speak English, I know a handful of people who have done it before…and it’s still insanely hard and stressful. I can only imagine what people without those advantages have to deal with.
But I’ve got my application in and hopefully it will all work out!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @originalheller
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-heller-88916877/
