We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rob Alicea. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rob below.

Rob, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I can’t speak enough about the importance of craft. Art comes from within, and a certain amount of talent is innate, but skill(s) can always be increased by developing and honing your craft. I began my career as an actor. Directly after college, I went to study at the incredible William Esper Studio. When my appreciation for filmmaking became another area of my career I wanted to explore, I started learning any and everything I could about screenwriting, directing, and producing. I quickly realized that each of these disciplines, while they have some crossover, all have their own challenges and lessons to be learned. Out of anything I learned about screenwriting and directing in the past several years, the greatest tool I added to my repertoire was learning everything I could about narrative structure.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a writer, director, and producer, and have been in the entertainment industry my entire adult life. I started acting at 19, which is also when I wrote and directed my first short film. I’ve since gone on to work on numerous films and television shows, commercials, music videos, and everything in between. In 2016, I launched my production company Leaving Normal. We focus primarily on genre and inspirational true stories, as well as scripted and unscripted shows for television.

As a company, we love partnering with like-minded creative people who have a true passion for storytelling. We are fully committed to telling undiscovered stories from underrepresented voices.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

While, like most filmmakers, having to go out and pitch is a regular part of my life, around 75% of my clients (if not more) come from word or mouth or referrals.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A habit I’ve worked hard to break (I’m still working on it, mind you) is trying to do it all. I don’t know if one project in particular has helped me to realize just how important it is to rely on your team – more so it’s been seeing just how much more successful, and just how much better a project can be when you’re paired with the right partners and collaborators. Every voice, opinion, and idea is valid, and the best idea in the room always wins, so surround yourself with smart, creative, and positive people!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.robalicea.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/robalicea
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/robalicea
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/robalicea
• Other: www.somoslife.org – join the community!