Today we’d like to introduce you to Ericka de Alexander.
Ericka, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in a small, colorful city called Cuernavaca (Mexico), where I found a passion for the arts at a very young age. I come from a family of airplane lovers- flight attendants and pilots- and grew up with the idea that exploring our world and understanding humanity is one of the paths that lead to happiness.
I grew up watching Nickelodeon shows, and I loved the worlds and characters they created, and I felt like I wanted to be part of that. So I began drawing and creating my own world, until one day I realize that the part that I liked about this was not the drawing, but the creative process of writing a story and turning it into a reality. And I began searching for the definitions of ‘director’, ‘screenwriter’, ‘producer’.
I got my first video camera (JVC Mini DV camcorder) on Christmas, 2008. And it became (in an interesting way) my new best friend. I made so many homemade movies in (really bad) English and Spanish with my little cousins and any friends who would be down to be part of these (some of these mini-films are still on YouTube, in my old channel!). And by the time I was 15, I had done some research on universities that had good film programs and learned about the University of Southern California. And that’s when I knew I wanted to go there and become a film director.
But being a young, middle-class girl living in Mexico made this seem at first a bit complicated. My grandfather was born and raised in Texas, and after WWII he became a pilot and met my grandmother- a British flight attendant- in Bermuda. They fell in love and moved to Mexico, where his parents lived. And because my grandfather had been born and grew up in the United States, that meant I could get a residency there.
Many of my friends and classmates would tell me that maybe I was daydreaming a bit too much, and my family was concerned that I wanted to explore an ‘unconventional’ path and not pursue a degree that could help me get a faster, more secure job. But I think that, even if they were hesitant about it, deep inside they were still supportive and believed in me.
During high school, I began posting videos on YouTube (my old channel is ‘heyerieri3’, the newer one is ‘erickadealexander’) and as I moved to the United States after graduation, I continued posting videos on my new channel. Moving here was difficult. No one ever tells you that there is an adaptation process when you move to a different country- and that the language and cultural barriers are difficult. And oh man, they are. I moved to Glendale and went to Glendale Community College with the intention of transferring to USC; and for three years, my one focus was having a great application.
When I was ready to transfer and applied to film schools, I went through a very tough time because I got rejected from all my top choices- but USC gave me an opportunity. I had gotten accepted into my dream school, to study my dream career. I remember my brother sent me a WhatsApp text around midnight with a picture of my acceptance letter. And that’s how the journey began!
I started classes at USC and met amazing people from all ages who daydreamed as much (or maybe even more!) than I did, and who were giving, caring, and passionate. But up to this point, I had never taken a film production class, so understanding this world and how to do things (like writing a script) were a new process for me. I’ll admit I have felt ignorant plenty of times, but I never let that stop me. I have produced different short films (both in and out of school) and collaborated with amazing people that I have met through classes or people from my neighborhood.
I became this human who jumps in and passionately commits to a project- or as I see it, to a new adventure. This past year, one of my best friends, Chris Mardiroussian, (an English major at Long Beach CSU) and I participated in a short film contest organized by Cinema Italian Style (biggest Italian cinema fest in LA) and made a 5min short film called ‘il Breakup’, for which we won 1st place and flew to Rome and met the kind people from Cinecittà studios (in Rome). All because we saw an opportunity and, honestly, we did not even think twice, we just said ‘let’s do it!’, and off to a new adventure.
Currently, I have been developing a short film with my partner, Hannah Kelley, about ALS called ‘The First Color’. We have partnered with an ALS expert, Kim Staats, and after months of development and pre-production, we are finally going into production in the beginning of August! The funny thing about this project is that it actually started as a small project- a non-union, indie 5-7min short film were both Hannah and I would act, just for fun.
But it has grown to become a SAG 15min short film with an incredibly amazing cast and crew, and I could not be more excited about it! This will be the 4th short film I’ve directed and written (or co-written), and I can’t wait to do more!
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a director, writer, producer- and poetess. I live for storytelling, and for sharing who we are, how we feel, and how we think through our art. What I hope people can take away from the stories I share is to appreciate the little things in life- because those are the ones that mean the most. And to shine on the extraordinary moments of our ordinary lives.
My art is inspired in humanity, paying attention to humanity- and the nature of it. Our different cultural backgrounds and traditions, our beliefs, and our romantic preferences are things that matter to me, and I want the world to care for these too. I focus on our connections with other human beings and nature- Japanese Shinto culture and Mexican culture are a big influence for me. And since I like and appreciate multi-layered beings, the stories I tell are meant to show how people are not just people. How we are all unique, different, and in our own way- extraordinary.
Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
The good thing about the art world right now is that producing art and having the tools to market it to an audience is easier, more direct, and accessible nowadays. For artists of any level of experience. Yet, the challenge that comes with this, is that, since the pool of choices is bigger now, also the competition- and in some cases, the quality of what we may produce.
I think that something cities, like ours, could do is having more mixings and events (other than showcases/ screenings) that are open for us to find new collaborators we can work with. Most of us have a group of people that we regularity work with, but I am sure there are awesome people out there that we would be very lucky to work with, we just don’t know them/ how to connect with them. Maybe if major social media apps or accounts/ groups organized events like these, we could all grow and connect more as a community.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.erickadealexander.com
- Phone: 9515321665
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/erickadealexander
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ErickadeAlexanderOfficial/
- Twitter: @Heyerieri
- Other: www.vimeo.com/erickadealexander
Image Credit:
Brian Charbonnel, Emerson Lee
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