Embracing Trial By Fire with Alexander Henry

Alexander Henry is a former Canadian national Taekwondo champion turned award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of Alfredo Films. After an injury ended his Olympic aspirations, he pivoted to film, building a company known for bold, inclusive storytelling.

Alfredo earned top-five global recognition in The One Club’s Creative Rankings during its rise, and has since won major awards including Cannes Lions, Webbys, and Campaign US BIG Awards’ Campaign of the Year.

His discipline from martial arts fuels his sharp creative instincts and collaborative edge in advertising today.

Alexander sat down with LBB to advise to the next generation of producers to start building now, the confinements of micromanagement, and why he believes time worked in a kitchen restaurants refines a producer’s skills

LBB> What advice would you give to any aspiring producers or content creators hoping to make the jump into production?

Alexander> My advice to aspiring producers and content creators is simple. Start now. We live in a time where you do not need a ton of resources to get going. Grab your friends. Reach out to other up and coming directors, DPs, ADs and PDs. Connect with anyone who is hungry to make things. Pool whatever you have and start creating.

The best work comes from people coming together early, trying things, and making stuff without overthinking it. Start now and build from there.

LBB> What skills or emerging areas would you advise aspiring producers to learn about and educate themselves about?

Alexander> Most people will tell you to learn Excel and budgeting, and that is important, but the most valuable skill is communication.

If you want to really understand timing, teamwork, precision and how to bring chaos into harmony, go work in a kitchen or a restaurant. That environment teaches you how to communicate clearly, move with intention, support the people around you and keep things flowing when it gets intense.

Those are the exact skills that make a strong producer.

LBB> What was the biggest lesson you learned when you were starting out in production - and why has that stayed with you?

Alexander> The biggest lesson I learned early in my career was to stop micromanaging people. Everyone brings a skillset they specialise in and it is important to let them shine in what they do best. It is still your job to check in, keep people on track and hold them accountable for their roles and responsibilities. Clear communication on expectations is key.

But a producer also has to know when to let go and let people bring their artistry to the job. That balance has stayed with me ever since.

LBB> When it comes to broadening access to production and improving diversity and inclusion, what are your team doing to address this?

Alexander> We work closely with different colleges and high schools to show students that film, and especially the commercial world, is a real and viable career with many paths. It starts young. A lot of people do not know what roles exist, what is accessible, or what tools they need to break in. By being involved with various youth programmes, we are able to have real conversations about the industry, share guidance and help them understand how to pursue job opportunities.

Broadening access starts with education and visibility, and that is where we put our focus.

LBB> And why is it an important issue for the production community to address?

Alexander> If we do not have diverse crews and diverse storytelling, how can we claim to be storytellers or truly creative people?

Representation and access matter both economically and creatively. I know firsthand what it feels like to see little to no representation at the executive producer level or among production company owners. You feel like you are on an island trying to navigate the industry while dealing with constant imposter syndrome.

Having diverse people in important roles is necessary for the industry to grow, evolve and avoid becoming stagnant in the stories we put out into the world.

LBB> There are young people getting into production who maybe don’t see the line between professional production and the creator economy, and that may well also be the shape of things to come. What are your thoughts about that? Is there a tension between more formalised production and the ‘creator economy’ or do the two feed into each other?

Alexander> I think this is something we see more prominently in the United States than in Canada right now. The traditional production world and the creator economy are far more integrated in the States, based on the directors and production companies I have spoken with. But even here, with every shoot we do at Alfredo, socials are becoming just as important as the main campaign. The social deliverables get the same level of focus.

Brands are not just asking for a traditional director or photographer anymore. They want someone with a social presence, someone who already has an audience and can bring that influence to the project. If that person also happens to be a strong director, photographer and content creator, that has become an added bonus.

The two worlds are feeding into each other more every year, and we are already seeing that shift on our sets.

LBB> If you compare your role to the role of the heads of TV/heads of production/ EPs when you first joined the industry, what do you think are the most striking or interesting changes (and what surprising things have stayed the same?)

Alexander> The biggest difference is the pace and duration of the work. In TV and film you are on a project for a long stretch, sometimes months or years. In commercials everything moves fast. The turnaround is quick and the budgets shape a completely different rhythm for how teams communicate and execute.

Those timelines create totally different dynamics. But what has stayed exactly the same, and what Seth Rogen showed perfectly in his show ‘The Studio’, is the chaos. No matter the scale or format, production always finds a way to be beautifully chaotic.

LBB> When it comes to educating producers, how does your agency like to approach this?

Alexander> Trial by fire is the best educator. Getting producers as hands-on as possible in real decision making is what actually develops them. Producing instincts only come from doing the work.

LBB> It seems that there’s an emphasis on speed and volume when it comes to content - but where is the space for up and coming producers to learn about (and learn to appreciate) craft?

Alexander> Always making things on the side is the best way to deepen and sharpen your craft. Those passion projects are often the ones that put someone on the map. They let you experiment, push your voice and do things outside the usual norms. That is where a lot of real learning happens.

LBB> On the other side of the equation, what’s the key to retaining expertise and helping people who have been working in production for decades to develop new skills?

Alexander> Create and foster an environment that sits outside the usual norms. Learning new things breaks complacency. Invite people who are deep into their careers into smaller, more craft focused projects. It reopens their curiosity and keeps their skills evolving.

LBB> Clearly there is so much change, but what are the personality traits and skills that will always be in demand from producers?

Alexander> Being open minded, flexible, organised and approachable, while still being firm and keeping your team accountable. These traits will always matter, no matter how much the industry changes.