Conversations with Alejandro Pagán

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alejandro Pagán.

Hi Alejandro, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I initially grew up in Salisbury, MD with the desire to be an actor at very young age back in second grade. Loved playing make believe and had even played a game called the “Imagination Game” with some of the kids in my care while I was a teenager working at the YMCA. I was also introduced to the idea of attending SCAD in Savannah by a local actress “Lisa Robbins” whom I’d gotten to know at my time at the Y. Once at SCAD I studied Performing Arts with a minor in Acting for the Camera and Casting and even signed with my first agent within my first year. As I studied, I loved collaborating with my peers to create short films and do self tape auditions. I didn’t have much money but I knew that I was going to make the most of my experience there. So, I had many jobs on and off campus like working at a rolled ice cream place and being a visual media model, Student Ambassador, Summer Program Assistant, and I even had my own radio show called “DJ Ali P’s Shady Mix”. Once I graduated in 2020, I moved to Atlanta with all of my Pandemic funds and even got a new car. I had initially joined an improv group here and worked at Rolecall Theatre at Ponce City Market. Met some amazing creatives who I eventually would go on to make a film with five years later called “Reptilia”. I joined a new improv group at the end of 2022 who was focused on improv that involved deeper emotions. From that group, ‘The Media Company: An Improvised Show’ was born. We ended up deciding to make an improvised series because that’s what we’d been training for with our improv instructor David Webster, improv for television. Now, we are wrapping up on the first season of the series and I’ve been working on writing a horror/thriller film with my friend/fellow actor Blade Pfeifer.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been easy at all but I’d like to think that I make the journey look easy. When I first moved to Atlanta, it was during COVID. I was living off of pandemic money and had to work as a canvasser, and at a theatre in Ponce City Market to try and have a version of enough money to pay rent. All of this while I had to kick out a roommate who had tried to pull a fast one on me and have me pay for everything myself. My representation in college ended up leaving the industry so I also was in need of new representation when I got to Atlanta. It was like starting all over without any connections here since I had come from Savannah. The next struggle was trying to break out more and stand out in this market. I booked a role on a show called “The Other Black Girl” in 2023 but when it was supposed to air it was during the actors and writers strike. So I couldn’t promote it and my scene also got cut so I couldn’t even use it for my reel. I had a film on prime video from college called “Daylight Savings”. Since that was the only film I had on Prime Video for years without adding anything else to the platform, my creator account was taken down and thus so was my film in 2025. Which has caused a setback for me while creating “The Media Company: An Improvised Show” because I was planning on putting the show on that platform. I chose to get a full time manager position at Chipotle so I could have insurance and a steady stream of income and there have been times where I’ve missed opportunities because of working there. Overall though, Chipotle has truly worked with my crazy schedule over the years.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actor who performs on television and the stage. I also am a content creator on TikTok, Youtube, instagram, and Facebook. Most people know me for my chipotle related skits as well as my TikTok Livestreams of me eating Chipotle or they know me as the guy who says “My mom has that” on FX’s “English Teacher”. I’m most proud of the same thing that sets me apart from other people. I have over 4 jobs and still manage to keep up with everything I have going on creatively. I am a Service Leader at Chipotle, I work at a bar, I’m a brand ambassador, an actor, I offer a self taping service, and my own auditions while I am writing a film and creating an improvised show in my free time.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Start with acting classes, student projects, making content with your phone, and finding your creative group of friends. I wish I knew that I could burnout from doing something that I loved. I recommend not getting sucked into the desire for online validation. It’s so easy to want to expand on a compliment or criticism you get online which can ultimately help boost your social media by engaging with it. However, that burnout will happen quick if you try to keep up with the “demand” of your response.

Pricing:

• For Self Tapes: $20/hr $30/hr with coaching

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alejandropagan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliwuzhere/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alejandropagan

Image Credits
Steve Maddern – the media company logo
Quantrell Colbert/CBS – Beyond The Gates Still
Josh Stringer – Headshot
Signal23TV