Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Powell.
Hi Alexis, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My passion of wanting to be in the entertainment industry started when I was a kid. I remember watching Will Smith on Fresh Prince of Belair and wanting to be just like him. I was always silly and funny like him in the show, I loved making people laugh, and most of all I loved the camera! Which only made me think about getting my own tv show. And one thing for certain is that I’ve always been a go-getter. When I have my mindset on something, I go after it. So, I started pursuing acting. I attended theatre magnet schools for both middle and high and while there, I was able to act in and work on plays. I also learned that there are all types of acting. On camera, acting was a whole different ball game than theatre and I wanted every part of it. When it was time to apply for college, My friend told me about Howard University. I had no idea about Howard but once I did my research, I learned about all the great actors and industry moguls that were alumni there and I just knew Howard was the place to be. I applied and by the grace of God, I was accepted. However, like most black households, my mom didn’t care too much about me getting a degree in acting.
So I majored in the next best subject I thought was interesting; psychology. Being a psych major unfortunately made my passion for acting decrease but I still very much wanted to be in the entertainment industry. Social media became really vital in my early college years. I started to vlog most of my college experiences on snapchat and became obsessed with lifestyle content. I loved showing people what I was doing, who I was with, what events I was going to. I wanted my followers and my friends back home to be able to keep up with me and tune in. I also liked the idea of just being my authentic self and letting people see real genuine vibes. Therefore, I was always posting. This slowly but surely led to my interest in doing Youtube. I didn’t have much knowledge of the platform, but after doing my research and following my favorite YouTube personalities, I knew this was the perfect lane for me. Youtube is basically like having your own production company and being the director, producer, writer and talent all at once. I thought this would be one of the keys to my success! This is how I’ll get discovered. I’ll create my own lane and just get really good at what I do. That of course brought me to my next goal, Moving to LA! LA was always a place where I wanted to be. Anybody that wants to be in the industry knows that LA is where the magic happens. It’s Hollywood! All the big studios are there. I needed to be there, but I had no idea how I was going to make it happen.
I’m from Baltimore, I didn’t grow up seeing too many people move across the country to chase their dreams. During my senior year of college in 2019, My film major friends told me about the program HBCU in LA that is co-founded by Stacy and Ted Milner. It is an initiative that grants HBCU students the opportunity to live in LA for the summer for free and intern at top entertainment companies. I applied and once again because God is so good, I got accepted. I couldn’t believe I was going to LA. It’s senior year, I’m graduating college, and now I have a paid internship in the city that I’ve always wanted to be in and in the industry I always wanted to work in! It was so unreal to me. I was selected to intern at The United Talent Agency for the summer. I did such a great job that my internship was extended. So me and two other girls in the program decided to get an apartment instead of going back to our hometowns. It’s now been two years of me working in entertainment and living in LA and it’s been great.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
God has continuously blessed me throughout my journey. However, I wouldn’t say that it was a smooth road. I definitely had to put in some work to get here. Like most college students when you first get to college, it’s like a huge shock. You’re finally on your own, you’re meeting new people, you’re figuring out your life, you’re having fun, you’re spending all your money, and you’re just going through a roller coaster of new experiences. That’s pretty much what happened to me my first two years of college. Although I was staying focused in my major and maintaining a high gpa, I spent my first two years joining orgs, going to parties, and overall just having fun! I wasn’t doing anything that would put me on the path of being in the entertainment industry. My colleagues were getting internships, making student films, going to speaker events, movie screenings w/ Q+As and doing a whole lot of other great opportunities.
I was pretty much sleeping on my potential. I should have been working twice as hard and participating in as much as possible considering I was a Psych major. My resume was pretty much empty by junior year and I had a lot of catching up to do. Which put some bumps in my road. I missed out on a lot of opportunities due to my lack of experience. However, when I tell you God’s timing is everything. It is literally everything. I realized I was right where I needed to be. I wouldn’t change my path or rush anything at all. I wasn’t ready my first two years of college but when I was, I got to work! I started applying to every internship that I didn’t necessarily meet all the requirements for, networking, and just putting myself out there and eventually, I landed a role at Endeavor Agency in New York after connecting with the HR representative via Linked In. I then went on to intern at Fox News, Studio Theatre in DC, and the BET Awards. Overall, it wasn’t a completely smooth road, but opportunities became more in my reach when I finally focused in on my goals.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My ultimate goal is to one day executive produce my own network of reality shows and also have a show that’s starring me. So, right now I’m currently working on tv shows as a producer for Fox Alternative Television. I’m hoping to continue to learn the ropes and gain all the professional experiences necessary to be able to accomplish that. However, most people may know of me from my YouTube channel. I have about 11,000 subscribers and I post content ranging from vlogs, pranks, challenges, public interviews, talk times, and I will be dropping short films soon. Again, I really want to be a television personality and YouTube really allows me to create content that showcases my brand, personality, and talents until I am one day in that position.
I’m proud of myself for allowing faith and hard work to guide me throughout my journey. In this day and age, so many of us millennials are in different walks of life. You have 24 years old that are rich, famous, in movies, have families, and are at different points in their life overall. Sometimes it can be normal for me to start comparing myself to others, get overwhelmed, or get discouraged and just feel like I’m not doing enough. But because I move on faith, I continue to push towards the things that I want in life. I know that I will eventually get to where I want to be. I’m proud of myself for never giving up and staying motivated. I think what sets me apart is that I remain true to myself and my goals at all times. So whenever I reach my highest level of success, I’ll know that I earned it!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I learned that if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will either. You have to show up for yourself 100 percent of the time because nothing is handed to you. You have to stay consistent in everything you do. In this industry, you won’t just wake up one day and be successful, you must be constantly creating, networking, and collaborating. However, I also learned how to take it easy on myself. Yes, we should be constantly working towards our dreams, but it’s okay to give yourself a pat on the back, take breaks, and feel proud of what you have accomplished thus far. Again, I also learned to stop comparing myself to others, you never know people’s stories and how they got to where they are now, so I focus on my own journey. I’m still currently learning this so I’m definitely a working progress. But I strive to make every day a great one.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexb4reel/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100039439624625
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexb4reel?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1v515dTO7B8-ULmj2HNzNA
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelerthanreel?
