Today we’d like to introduce you to Alec James.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alec. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
A lot of actors I know claim that they “always knew they were destined for acting.” That wasn’t exactly the case for me. However, I always knew that I’d never be fully content if I wasn’t creating something; if I wasn’t telling stories.
I believe wholeheartedly that, as a species, storytelling is ingrained in our DNA. It’s burned into us on a molecular level. So, like most people, I’ve always been drawn to great storytelling. But observing was never enough for me; I needed to be a part of telling stories. So at a young age, I hopped out of the bleachers and onto the field (well, the stage, technically).
My first experience with storytelling came in the form of songwriting. I’m the son of a life-long musician. So at the age of six, a guitar was placed in my hands. I was hooked. Consumed. I spent the next fifteen years learning the intricacies of music and songwriting and built a (very) modest music career for myself along the way. In that music career, I’ve been fortunate enough to release an EP (“Right Here Right Now”), and two singles (“Great White Shark” and “Heat Lightning”) that are available everywhere you stream music. I’ve also gotten the chance to open for a few well-know acts, like The Band Perry and Hoodie Allen.
Towards the end of college, I began producing music videos for my songs. Suddenly I was hooked and consumed all over again. This was a whole new form of storytelling that I never realized was accessible to me. As the months went on, my music video treatments became more and more narrative. And being in front of the camera while filming them felt like some terrifying new adventure that I wouldn’t dare resist.
After college, I got an agent and dove headfirst into acting. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to book roles in short films, feature films, and nation commercial campaigns. I’ve also written and produced several of my own short films, and have several more in pre-production. And I’m still writing/releasing music on a regular basis.
Has it been a smooth road?
It certainly hasn’t been a smooth road; it almost never is. When you choose a career in the arts, you’re making a conscious decision to potentially be financially unstable forever. But that’s the deal: you get to do what you love, but you might also have to live on a couch. You take that risk because you know you’ll never be whole if you don’t.
Some of the struggles I’ve faced personally are those that every actor faces: not booking the audition (or worse yet, not getting the audition in the first place), having to defend your career choice to friends/family members who simply don’t understand that acting IS a “real job”, etc.
When it comes to writing and producing my own material, the struggles usually come from a lack of funding. But that’s fairly common as well. It takes money to make good movies. There are a TON of incredible filmmakers in Atlanta, and all of them have scripts sitting in their computers that they don’t have the money to produce (yet!).
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As an actor and songwriter, I specialize in storytelling. I am hopelessly obsessed with becoming a better storyteller every day.
I think what sets me apart from others is a realization I had early on in my creative life that I carry into all my work to this day: In life, it’s not enough to just play defense; you have to keep throwing punches.
In the arts, what that essentially translates to is, you HAVE to keep creating things. You have to keep taking steps today to put yourself in better position than you were in yesterday. You didn’t book the audition? Cool, start prepping for the next one. You didn’t book that one either? Cool, start writing your own screenplay. And so on.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Like most great cities, Atlanta is really just a bunch of small towns in close proximity. Because of that, you can still get some of the beautiful aspects of small-town-life here. And what do I like least? Traffic. I don’t mind that being a cliche answer; it’s just true.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11063673/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alecjamesmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlecJamesMusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alecjamesmusic1
- Other: https://vimeo.com/375151188
Image Credit:
Head shot by Megan Dougherty. Coffee cup photos by Taylor Czerwinski.
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