Daily Inspiration: Meet Alek Kristopher

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alek Kristopher

Hi Alek, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After graduating college, much to no surprise, I was feeling that ungodly “what am I going to do?” pressure. Especially as a writer, as an actor, in this period of time, you really feel that pressure because without the ability to create your own work, it can feel essentially impossible to “break in”.

Everything to do with the entertainment world is in constant death-grip by the gatekeepers. The self-awareness to realize I’d probably never get a real chance, considering I have no famous links to the arts or family members to trail-blaze the way was a disheartening come to, but boy did it make me hungry.

With a move to Atlanta on the calendar for a month’s time, I was approached by a colleague of mine. He brought to me the idea to work with a now former professor, an entertainer himself with plenty of Los Angeles in him, on a project of sorts.

To be frank, regardless of age, we were all in that coming out of Covid confusion and needed just anything to sink our teeth in and keep us sane. The delusion was setting in quick. But sometimes we can channel that energy into creative machines.

They had the outline, two brothers, road trip, dead mom, find dad.

Cool.

We had the two brothers (Chris Heeder, my colleague any myself), we had the dad, (Ryan Welsh (former professor)), we had the love interest (Jamie Lein, a fellow colleague), and by some sweet fortune, the rest of the principle crew pieces were made up of some incredibly talented Michigan filmmakers.

Alright. We has story, cast, crew, and needed equipment.

Rented the equipment from a local shop near Grand Rapids.

Now, all we had to do was shoot a full story arc for 11 days straight of 18 hour days.

Oh, I forgot to mention we didn’t have any of the lines for any scenes written beforehand.

You ask, “How is that possible?”

Well, there’s a style of filmmaking called Mumblecore, brought to our attention by Professor Welsh, and made famous by the likes of Mark Duplass, in which the actors simply improvise the scenes as they go.

This whole process was essentially the definition of using all available resources as any capable filmmaker knows how to do.

You’d work through it maybe once or twice with a general idea of what notes needed to be hit, and after a couple goes, and fine-tuning, you finally get a full take of the scene.

As an actor, this was an incredibly satisfying challenge.

Ask anyone, building a character from the ground up and constantly placing them in improvised situations is truly a gift to any actor who loves the craft.

So yeah, us three of the main cast, essentially wrote an entire feature-length film fresh out of college, and managed to do it in real time.

At the time, it was a moment of gratitude. I was just thankful to have a collective of people so willing to do anything and everything to bring a world to life with nothing in it for them except the absolute love, devotion, ad passion to the world of filmmaking.

When I experienced that feeling, I truly knew deep in my heart that this is all I ever wanted to do.

But what started in little East Lansing, MI with an idea and a lot of passion, became so much more, more than any of us ever expected.

Fast forward, our assembled film of what we shot those 11 days was enough to convince local Burbank production house TurboPanda/WhiskeyPanda to not only purchase the rights, but also provide the resources to film with three bigger named actors for the parental/mentor roles that were missing from our original story.

After a couple of rewrites and flights, we had the privilege of flying out to Los Angeles to film with Alfred Molina, Mindy Sterling, and William Katt.

Names are names. And yes, they do generate better exposure rates, makes the film easier to psychologically sell, etc but we were lucky that these fine people were true craftsmen, and matched that same passion and energy that this little film started with.

I’m so dearly thankful for all those involved. The film hasn’t been released yet, but it certainly has created some buzz for some small town filmmakers.

One can only hope it leads to the next opportunity. Check out When We Get There when it’s released!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14630308/

https://deadline.com/2023/03/alfred-molina-when-we-get-there-movie-mindy-sterling-william-katt-1235299438/

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Struggles in the entertainment world are a constant.

We struggled to get the film up and on its feet, whether that be financial matters, logistics, or even creative.

Struggles are part of the journey. It helps you filter through who really is inspired by the work.

As far as personally, the struggles have been there since the moment I left drama school.

Without a link, it can be difficult to break through this industry.

Even after the work I’ve done, I still struggle and fight for my place in the creative world.

I hope that by staying true to myself, while being open to growth, connection, and vulnerability, I will meet the right people at the right time, with the right preparation (whatever that means), to continue to create stories of humanity.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At this point in my life, I feel confident in my ability to create, write, and actualize the stories I feel compelled to tell.

Whether that be time with the script, creating and building the world of the story and characters, bringing them to life, and managing all the mediums that come together in collaboration.

I am an actor first and foremost. It was my first love and entry into storytelling.

Since school I’ve been a part of numerous shorts, three feature films, a music video, and even a holiday cannabis commercial.

Website: https://www.alekristopher.com/

My career hasn’t looked the way I thought it would be, but each step has brought me closer to vulnerable artists and collaborators, and the ways I’ve learned through the experience have made a profound impact on my being.

I’m most proud of myself for taking care of my soul so that I have the ability to step into those next opportunities, whatever they may be.
When you take care of yourself in this world that can be rough on those chasing dreams, you are better able to lend yourself to others and serve their inspirations in collaboration.
Of course, I am proud to have sold a film at 24, but those kind of achievements will run you dry if you place all your worth and weight on them.
I’m proud I seek peace in all areas of myself so that the external achievements can come and go as they please.

I don’t feel I’m so different from anybody. We’re all creative, we all have drive under the right circumstances, and we all can find inspiration if we are privileged enough to have time to pay attention to the world.

What I do know is that I believe in my work ethic, I believe in my preparation, and I trust myself to navigate this career in a way that feels true to my being. I believe in my ability to step into any opportunity and push myself to the furthest extent to bring it to life.

I don’t know if everyone can say the same and truly mean it.
But hopefully the way I operate can create the space for others to be comfortable in their self-belief as well.

What makes you happy?
I’m a simple human.

To be surrounded by love, my people, friends and family alike, artists who inspire me, that is the greatest gift.

I am nothing without connectivity. I’m thankful I’ve had enough experiences to bring me to this revelation.

Everything we do stems from others in a way, so I appreciate the love, support, and connection to those I respect.

I appreciate the inspiration everyday life brings to me, because it is a privilege to feel inspired.

Collaboration, connectivity, and love. It all fuels me and supports me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alekristopher.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alekristopher/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INu8fTrYfoM&t=1s
• Other: https://deadline.com/2023/03/alfred-molina-when-we-get-there-movie-mindy-sterling-william-katt-1235299438/