Daily Inspiration: Meet Alexander Pardo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Pardo.

Hi Alexander, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in Paris, France. My parents, an American mother & Colombian/American father, had fallen in love with Paris and had been there for about twenty-five years. I attended a bilingual school, Ecole Active Bilingue in Paris, learning both English and French growing up. After getting my baccalaureate in Economic & Social Studies in 2012, I moved to North Carolina to attend film school. I was introduced at an early age by my father to classic movies & directors which sparked an interest in filmmaking and a passion for storytelling. That interest grew even more when I started making short films at 13 years old, with my friends and my father’s VHS Camera.

In 2016, I graduated with a BFA in Filmmaking from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. I spent another year in North Carolina working before moving out to Los Angeles in 2017. Since graduating college, I’ve had the opportunity to work on many short films, commercials, music videos, and feature films in different capacities while always maintaining a focus on directing. After a year of working in production, other different types of jobs and continuing to direct projects, I made the decision to dedicate my time primarily to directing. Since October 2018, I’ve been working as a Freelance Director/Producer, mostly working on music videos and smaller commercial projects.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say my childhood was a relatively smooth road but towards the end of high school and ever since the road has definitely gotten rougher. A lot of sacrifices were made for me to get to where I am today. Definitely have to thank my parents for always emotionally supporting me and (most of) my life choices. Even though it was a conscious and willing decision, the first major challenge I had to overcome was leaving my entire life in France behind when moving to North Carolina for film school. Due to the fact I had been acquainted with American culture and lifestyle growing up, I thought the culture shock wouldn’t be as drastic but I was wrong. Took me a couple of years to fully understand the way of thinking and how to navigate the American lifestyle. However, like many other obstacles and challenges in life, I used this experience to grow as a person but also as a filmmaker, helping me expand my horizons and understand different cultures of people even more.

Another major obstacle that I’ve encountered was making the move to Los Angeles. Like so many other people in this city trying to start a career in the entertainment industry, I’ve experienced highs and lows in the process. When first starting down the path of working as a Freelancer, the struggle was real, and LA rent prices even realer. Nonetheless, even with a couple of close calls, I can’t complain because I’m living out my dream of directing for a living in a city where everything revolves around visual productions. Furthermore, the growth that has come from these struggles has made it worthwhile and really helped me become grounded into who I am today.

Can you give our readers some background on your work?
I’m a freelance director/producer, working mostly on music videos and commercials. I also direct short films and have been working towards getting my first feature film off the ground. I have a passion for music & fashion which is why naturally have been focusing on music videos and fashion films. I also have a deep appreciation for hiphop/rap so most of the music videos I’ve had the opportunity of directing have been in that genre. However, as of late I have been getting more pop artist music videos which have been a great experience. Overall I primarily work with up and coming artists, independent music artists and smaller fashion brands. I’d say the project I’m most proud of is a music video called “Blow”, releasing December 25th, 2020, for the artist “Dough The FreshKid”. The music video takes place in the 1940’s and we spent over a month prepping for this project. We were going for an old school/old Hollywood style movie look and narrative, which I think we did a solid job trying to achieve that feel!

What sets me apart is my professional approach to everything I do as well as my ability to easily understand what the artist is looking for and properly communicate with them to give them the means to bring their vision to fruition. One of my favorite parts of the process is working with the artist or company on the concepts of the projects. However, I definitely want to highlight the fact that none of these projects I’ve directed would have been possible without the help of an amazing team of creatives. I always work with a group of freelancers (cinematographers, gaffers, editors, etc.) that I have a previous working relationship with. I’ve been lucky to come across some very talented artists early on which have been able to make these projects possible. Big thank you & shout out to Graham Kennedy, Paul Marino, Devin Brochu, Courtney Garboski, Sabrina Ortiz and many others.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters to me most to me is staying true to oneself and growing through the discovery of new ideas and experiences. I believe it’s important to learn about other cultures, to better help expand your horizons. Learning about different ways of thinking and people helped with my knowledge of self as well as with skills to apply in my everyday interactions and work. When I say staying true to oneself, I mean staying true to your dreams and aspirations; as well as having a sense of direction, integrity, knowing your worth and believing in yourself. These things matter because I think it’s important to be able to understand how people think and interact. It really helps with navigating everyday life and having a strong sense of who you are gives you a solid foundation for you to be able to grow. I guess what it really boils down to is enjoying life and living to the fullest. It may seem cliché, but what matters the most is being able to look back on life and feel a sense of personal accomplishment for having made your own path, with no regrets.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.alexandercpardo.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/alexander__pardo

Image Credits
Photos by Graham Kennedy, Paul Marino, Osain Vichi. Logo created by Sabrina Ortiz.