We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alix Oliver a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alix, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I would say there were three projects that were meaningful and impacted me. The first one would be The Conjuring 3. It was my very first time working on a bigger production than I was used to. I learned a lot and got fantastic connections and built relationships that I still have to this very day. The second production would be the proof of concept for Dead Serious. I realized and learned what it takes to be a showrunner and the time that goes into creating a tv series. My series has been in the works for a good three plus years and it will continue to grow. The final production that has been very meaningful is the one I currently have in development. I’m not ready to reveal the name, but it will be a feature film on my accident and four years in high school. Those are the projects that have impacted me greatly. And, I would add BMF (Black Mafia Family), because I met people that I cherish greatly in my life and that have become family to me.
Alix, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Well, I’m Alix, of course. I got hit by an SUV in the second semester of my freshman year of high school. It was a hit and run that dramatically changed my life. At first, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then, I went to college and wanted to be a pastor for a short term. When I got into my studies, I realized my passion was filmmaking and screenwriting. I’ve always loved watching movies and going to new movies with my grandfather and uncle so when I took an intro level to screenwriting course, I realized I was on the right path. I did short films before joining The Conjuring 3 production which created a string of new possibilities to get me to where I am now. In 2019, I opened my own production company Midnight Coffee Productions with various members that I met in Georgia Film Academy in college. The company evolved and we have lost and gained members that continue to help and benefit the company. We are currently working on our first two subsidiaries, one in California called Midnight Coffee West Coast and a music label called Midnight Coffee Records. I have very passionate and skilled individuals wanting those branches and me to succeed. We plan to evolve and open more branches in the next 2-3 years. I continue to develop new productions that I feel are original and creative. Some great ideas come from other members and my producing partner, Will Frontera, who screen writes and has productions of his own. Our team’s ideas and scripts are worth creating into a reality. The biggest problem I solve for my clients is formatting the screenplay and moving them along the development and pre-production process. A lot of people aren’t familiar with that process and find it to be difficult. Although it can be challenging at times, with a positive mindset I keep moving forward and have a team backing me up throughout the process. I think what sets me apart from others is my mind and intellect because I continue to grow what I know and what I do to make a production better. My mind and creativity continues to expand on a daily basis. The main thing I want people to know about me is that even though I might be in a wheelchair and appear disabled, I can do anything other people can do, except for running. The main thing I want people to know about my company is that we do the productions with the love and respect they need to become a success.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal and vision driving my creative journey is to one day be a giant fixture and positive light in the entertainment industry. I want to be like Disney, but bigger and better. I want to be one of the top, youngest, black, successful producers of my time. And hopefully one day out perform and (don’t think I look down on him) strive to be greater and more brilliant than the great, Steven Speilberg.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
I don’t have a co-founder in my company because I’m the founder, but I do have a producing partner. I met Will Frontera through the current president of my company, Bernard Ansa. It was on the set of his short film The 80s. Will was our assistant director and at the time I didn’t know him, but we grew into best friends and brothers from another mother. Will is a great guy that I hold dear to my life and he has my back through thick and thin. I can call him about my personal and business life because he understands the invisible line between both of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.midnightcoffeeproductions.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/_alixoliver?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midnightcoffeeproductions?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alix-oliver-255397185
- Other: https://linktr.ee/MidnightCoffeeProductions?fbclid=PAAaYeSb9bOLOFAoMkVPSNS-ylk-e_5Xpi9aYKlshLcpOWFnGBsR_X12OnAQU_aem_ATOXV1CSGYtgN3wuHcivPlUGIBp-ybvZPlmNNmzLFuFCaUTJyIcsoZg8qhZOR6J1nVU
Image Credits
Tasha Smith, Slick Naim, Eif Rivera, 50 Cent, and Regina Hall