Today we’d like to introduce you to Alec Bewkes
Hi Alec, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
It all started when I was about 7 years old. My father made a grave mistake by leaving a VHS of Die Hard on the kitchen counter before leaving the house. When he returned, my face was glued to the TV and his dream of having a son with a stable job was destroyed. Fast forward to college, where I started writing and doing stand-up. I spent most of my time in class writing screenplays, which would explain my grades. I moved to LA as soon as I graduated, and rocked the classic “aspiring comedian” starter pack: couch hopping, open mics, and working odd jobs. One of those couches belonged to my friend’s roommate, Austin Chapman, who’s an amazing deaf filmmaker. We quickly became close friends and he gave me a crash course in Adobe Premiere so I could help sound edit his first feature. After that, we made a web-series together about Peter Pan and the Lost Boys being a bunch of Neverland frat bros who smoke pot and sniff fairy dust. Absolutely no one watched it, but it was my first taste of writing, directing and starring in a project, something my ego told me I should keep doing.
I was emceeing at a comedy club until covid shut everything down, so I got a job working as a personal assistant to a prominent director. When I wasn’t picking up dog poo, I got to see how the sausage is made for big movies, which gave me the confidence to make my first short film “Poor Tax.” I was obviously nervous it would be a total disaster, but after a nice little festival run my ego once again convinced me to keep going. My next short ended up premiering at Tribeca this past June, and we’ve got our LA premiere later this month, so luckily the other shoe hasn’t dropped quite yet.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s something very reaffirming about how NOT smooth the road has been, because it’s very in line with all my other peer’s experiences and gives you a feeling of camaraderie. I think keeping a sense of perspective is really hard when it comes to the intangibles of this industry. LA makes it easy to get lost in the glamour of “chasing your dreams”, and it can be difficult facing the contrast of where you want to be versus where you currently are. On top of that existential dread comes the very concrete L’s you take along the way. Bombing at shows, bad reviews and a pretty constant stream of rejection are all things you need to grapple with and accept as part of the journey.
For instance, I once applied for a job to be a well-known comedian’s assistant. The only problem was you needed to submit a typing test proving you could type over 100 words per minute, which is really fast. I thought I was a perfect fit for the job besides that, so I had my roommate take the test for me and he got 112 words per minute. When I went in for the interview, everything was going well until this comedian asked to watch me retake the test. I could’ve just come clean but instead I opted to have him watch me blow it to the tune of 46 words per minute. The worst part about it was they said I probably would’ve gotten the job if I had just been honest. It was a valuable lesson in overcompensating, and now I try my best to present myself as truthfully and honestly as possible. For better or worse. I think it’s been a big help as a filmmaker.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a stand-up comic turned filmmaker who makes comedy movies. I think saying “what I’m known” for is somewhat presumptuous at this stage in my career, but you can find my short films, web series and stand-up online. I’m most proud of my most recent short film “Shut Up, Jack,” which is currently on its festival run. My goal was to send a positive message about social anxiety in a fun way and really encapsulate my feelings about mental health. I also channel my inner “Parent Trap” and play against myself in three roles, so hopefully I can talk about it with Lindsey Lohan one day.
I hope my combination of self-awareness and self-deprecation create an earnest but funny cocktail that sets me apart. I’d love to continue acting and directing the projects that I write and to bring back the sort of zany comedies that seem to have gone missing in the last decade or so.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Oh that’s easy, I’d be dead in a ditch somewhere in the valley if it weren’t for my parents. I never thought I’d be the kind of adult who talks to his parents every day but I am and I’m damn proud of it. I remember showing them my first short film, thinking they were going to react the same way a child who gets clothes on Christmas does. But they were so genuinely happy, and have been nothing but supportive throughout this whole journey. Any kind of success I have is completely because of them.
I also have to give a shout out to my writing partner, Taylor Hopkins, who is responsible for putting us on the independent filmmaking path. I definitely wouldn’t be the writer I am today without him and I think we really push each other to be better at whatever we do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alecbewkes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coolhandbewk/
Image Credits
Thea Traff
Linnea Bullion
Oliver Salk
Erica Carlson
Tim Dougherty
Stacey Bewkes
