We were lucky to catch up with Kory Alexander recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kory, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved to document every meaningful & entertaining moment in my life. There’s nothing more special than being able to capture a moment in real time, and being able it to keep as a gift to yourself forever. The art of visual media/modern filmmaking, is one that’s accessible to everyone today who owns so much as a phone. My official journey began in 2020, when I bought my first camera to start taking filmmaking more seriously. With nothing but time on my hands in the pandemic, I took it upon myself to learn the essentials of lighting, sound, editing, casting, and creative direction all in itself. UCLA film school was also another great banner, where I got to learn all the fundamentals of screenwriting and creative ideation. Since then, I’ve written several scripts, produced and directed my own internet series, completed brand and BTS shoots, and so much more. I’m forever grateful for all the connections I’ve made along the way, and without my brother Will, it would’ve been a much harder route to get here.
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?
As a creative director and filmmaker, I love the process of creating an idea from scratch and building it up to perfection. A successful project stems from successful preparation, and so a good amount of my hard work goes into the preproduction stage. Location scouting, casting, and script revisions are all pillars of the most important features to a story that I’m trying to tell. With the small team I have now, we’ve been able to achieve and derive successful results from effective planning. With that said though, I can confidently say that there is always a chance that something may go wrong/outside the script of how a shoot is planned. Damage control is an essential skill that’s helped me learn to adapt and react in a moments time all while shooting on a tight schedule. Knowing how to pivot in these moments has saved me great amounts of time, money, and even more energy spent on potential reshoots. What sets me apart from other creators is the tenacity, passion, and precision I bring to each project. It’s the small details that make a project as strong as they can be, such as knowing correct soundtrack placement, appropriate location settings, and even actor coaching. I strive for the all the films I make to be impactful and captivating, and I’m proud of the results that have returned to me thus far. I love the energy that everyone brings to set on a production of mine, and I love being able to create alongside creators who think and work as hard as me. I’m hoping for this year to be my biggest one yet!
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
In Los Angeles specifically, there’s a lot that can be done to help and encourage artists to support each other. One of the downsides in of the creative community in LA is the hall of fame level of gatekeeping that goes on to prevent the next artist being able to reach their next milestone. The mentality of “I made it on my own, so you should too” is one that holds us back far too often. Despite this, there have been a handful of artist networking events that I’ve gone too which felt genuine. Finding a way to maximize events like these that support growth and connections is what will be the solution to having a more inclusive creator community in our city. It’s an uphill battle from here, but not one that’s impossible.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist I’d say is completing a project and loving its end result. Knowing how much time, energy, and money went into a project and seeing it develop into its original vision is one of the most rewarding feelings ever. I’ve found that this feeling is best preserved when you create for your own satisfaction rather than the viewership and liking of others. Personal projects are meant to be fulfilling to your own standards of success first, before worrying over the perceived reactions of others. Create for your own enjoyment, and you’ll never feel stressed by the ratings and validation of others.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koryalexanderr?igsh=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@klstudios11?si=CBFhuNHLsDpmSvFq&fbclid=PAAaataXgNG2aqG9Fi2rMfyEi3ts87fd4ISuYZvpabwEJsRsxdE9sI3frKli4_aem_AQVaSQjYdx0z6lKNMBX19lcpUZIdrn0fiR3nW92rMx0cJDhczXZ4jLW69pPtvFhUADk