SPOTLIGHT: ALEX DI MARCO

I recently got the opportunity to sit down and talk to director Alex Di Marco, a director based in LA. Di Marco has worked with huge names, including Wiz Khalifa, Disney, Vogue, Sony, and our personal favorite: Khalid. He also owns his own production company, HustleCake. You can check out their website here.

I was able to talk about the in’s and out’s of the industry, how he got to this point in his career, and everything in between. Di Marco graduated from Point Park University with a BA in Cinema & Digital Arts. His senior year, he directed his first indie micro-budget feature. The film helped land his next feature directing gig. This was inspiring, given that I’m still in college and see my dreams/goals as so far away.

Alex gave me a lot of insight, but I wanted to share 3 of my favorite answers.

Q: What do you think is the hardest part of being a director?

A: “The hardest thing is just keeping up your optimism and execution. I see a lot of people discouraged, but the reality is that everybody would be doing it if it were easy. Doing something like directing things or making videos, it doesn’t come overnight. You have to work on dozens and dozens of projects, shake dozens and dozens of hands. And stay optimistic, and patient, but also execute. Just because something’s not going your way doesn’t mean you should get down on yourself.”

Q: How do you find the time to manage it all? Do you have a set schedule for yourself?

A: “I’m super disciplined when it comes to setting my schedule. I don’t work a regular 9-5, and I haven’t in a long time. I run my own company, so I have other producers that I hire, talk with artists, managers, and labels and all, we all coordinate and work together every day. Usually, my day consists of waking up early, going to the gym, eating healthy, and then getting my work done.

Q: What has inspired you to keep working hard despite all of the obstacles you’ve faced?

A: I read a quote that has stuck with me ever since I read it, “Live today as others won’t, so you can live tomorrow as others don’t.”

It was a pleasure getting to speak with Alex. If you are interested in checking out his work, go to his website here or follow him on his social media:

Instagram: @Alex_Dimarco

Twitter: @Alex_DiMarco