Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Block.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alexis. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I still remember the very start. My 5th Grade teacher, Mr. Alvarez, after catching me doodling for the hundredth time, gave me the “job” of cartoonist for our class newspaper. Miffed, I asked why anyone would “pay” to look at my drawings and thus he also gave me my first lesson in artistic worth. Oh, and he let me know all those Disney films I loved doodling were made by humans and not some magical cartoon making machine thus blowing my tiny 10-year-old mind.
Fast forward twelve years! Career goals in full swing. I was attending UCLA as a grad student in the Animation program when a good friend clued me into the internship program over at Nickelodeon. She was able to get my resume in front of her boss and next thing I knew I was an excited intern sitting at a desk pouring over artwork on “Dora the Explorer”. Season 8 y’all; muy epic!
Nearly every job I’ve had since then has sprung from a similar tip from a friend. They always tell you the importance of networking and getting yourself OUT THERE, but hardly anyone ever tells you about the passive side to it too. As an introvert, I tend to like doing my work well whilst going unnoticed. (Side note: really enjoyed Susan Cain’s book on the subject!) It also lends well to Post Production; long hours in dark rooms with hardly more than a few of us around at a time. So those who work closely with us notice and when it comes time for us all to move on to another project we look out for one another.
Now I find myself at Netflix where, for the second time ever, I applied for the position sans recommendation. I’ve traded in dark rooms and a handful of conversations a day for a slew with a vast team of incredible coworkers and so much daylight I think I need to retire my vitamin D pills. It’s challenging me in ways I would have been terrified of a few years ago, but what’s growth without a bit of schooling?
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’m very lucky that it has been smooth for me. When I started out this industry was inherently very male, very “boys club.” It wasn’t unusual to be the only female in a room full of colleagues. You learned to deal with the off-hand remarks and go with the flow as best you could. I am so, so grateful for the women who have stood up and spoken out and shared their stories. They’ve changed things and while there’s still work to be done they’ve set the foundation. Thank you!
Please tell us about Netflix.
Apparently we’re known for binging and chilling. I contribute to the binging portion of that equation. On a given day I’m shepherding about 15 to 20 different animated series through delivery here at Netflix. This can range from your usual “OH GOD I DELIVERED THE WRONG THING HEEELLPP!!!” emails to “So we’re going to be mixing in a few months, any good facility recommendations in Toronto?” Never boring, that’s for sure. We’re in the business of making awesome content and part of that means being great partners to those producers. I hope it shows on screen!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I dream of finding a time turner just so I can go back and slap the pen out of my hand before I signed the paperwork on my student loans. Granted it was likely done online so a mouse, but whatever, slapping would for sure have occurred.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: ablockhead
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisblock/
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
