Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Malcolm.
Hi Alex, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in NE, Ohio and attended Ohio University for Media Studies. Originally I was looking at art schools, but when I visited Ohio University, the campus just felt like home. My tour was led by one of the most important educators in my life, Roger Cooper, which is where he told me about the launch of his “Ohio-In-LA” semester study program. From that point, I knew my goal for the coming years was to participate in the program in order to launch a career in the media industry. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a music junkie. Never played instruments, but all of my artwork, conversations, and relationships centered around music. I took every class I could that related to the inner-workings of the music industry: including our capstone project, where we spent a whole year running a label operation that concluded with an artist showcase at a local venue on campus. By the end of that year, I knew I wanted to be in the music industry for the rest of my life.
In the summer of 2017, I was selected to attend “Ohio-In-LA”, and I held two internships within the music industry. Spending the summer in Los Angeles solidified my intentions to move there after graduation. My senior year was dedicated to finding my next gig, so I was applying to every music company I could find – and ultimately landed a paid summer internship with Warner Music Group in LA. I graduated the first weekend of May and moved out within three weeks. Jumping forward, I was hired right out of the internship as a full-time employee for Warner Music Group – where I currently am employed after two years of living in Los Angeles. I work within the world of “music synchronization” – which is the process of putting music into TV, Film, Commercials, Video Games, etc. In my spare time – I run a cooking IG page, manage a rock-artist in Nashville, and stay creative through graphic design + photography.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, I always feel bad when students from my alma mater ask me about my journey… because I 100% did not have the stereotypical “job hunt” and “couch surfing” that I was warned about! But, that just further proves the point: no path in life is linear. This year has been very hard on me though. I went through one of the toughest times of my life (at the start of the year) dealing with a feeling of rejection and inadequacy from the sudden end of a long-term relationship. I took this as an opportunity to enhance myself, focus on mental health, and really prove anyone in my life who has doubted me or disrespected me that they were wrong. At my core, I am very calm and collected, which helps me manage stress rather easily.
However, I always ignored mental health because of my low maintenance attitude. Biking was the first tool I used. I started biking nearly 100 miles a week, just to help clear my mind and explore the city of LA. It also got me in the best physical shape of my life. Eventually, I got to a point where I was sneaking away from work in the evenings to make sure I had “bike time”, or else my day was just a complete let down. The second (most important and successful) decision this year was my devotion to cooking… which I will expand on in the next section!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I always knew how to cook, but towards the end of July I decided to go all-in, launch an Instagram page and start a brand to promote: home cooking, positivity, and a sense of community. Thus, “Eats By Alex” was born! I’ve been running the page for about four months now and have accumulated over 4,000 followers – keeps growing every day. It’s more than food posts, it has become a second family to me. The enjoyment I’ve gotten from creating online connections with strangers all around the globe, who share the same passion, has been the highlight of the year. It’s sparked conversations with old friends I haven’t talked to in years saying, “Hey, just wanted to let you know, I’ve been following you recently and it’s great to see man!” To me, posting food + getting Instagram likes are not the priority. My goal everyday is to promote positivity, self-love, and a just a general sense of happiness to anyone who has chosen to follow my journey. There is already so much negativity in this world, why add to it.
How do you think about happiness?
I believe it is important for everyone to have a strong passion or hobby in their life. For me, this is the one thing I can utilize when life or my job becomes stressful. That little piece of escapism will help you channel creativity and happiness that no one else can establish for you. This year was the first time I’ve really focused on myself, and I realized how out of touch I got with my creative outlets. I fell into a routine and unbalanced lifestyle. As I sit now, at the end of 2020, I am the happiest I have been in years. I’ve cut out any semblance of negativity in my orbit, stayed active, and introduced new hobbies into my schedule. I’m beyond ready to carry this energy into 2021.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.docmalcolmdesigns.com
- Instagram: Personal: @doc_malcolm_designs Food: @eats.by.alex
