Breaking Into Audio Description: Advocacy, Access & Authentic Storytelling // Alex Howard #2251

In this episode of Breaking the Biz, we sit down with Alex Howard — a young entertainment professional with over five years of administrative experience across film and TV development. An advocate for audio description and a champion for disability inclusion, Alex brings a unique perspective as a low vision professional navigating Hollywood. A 2020 alum of RespectAbility’s Entertainment Lab for professionals with disabilities, Alex shares how their lived experience informs their advocacy for more accessible and authentic storytelling. Tune in for an insightful conversation about challenging industry norms, checking privilege, and making entertainment truly inclusive for all.

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Transcript

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Hi, I'm Alex Howard. I am the co-host of the Dark Room Podcast, which focuses on movies from a blind perspective and we just put out our second annual Oscars Audio Description Roundtable and I'm also an accessibility consultant in the entertainment industry. I'm here speaking on Breaking the Biz Podcast. Stay tuned for today's episode of Breaking the Biz, an informative podcast where we dive into the world of entertainment by interviewing seasoned professionals who have made their mark in the industry. Gain invaluable insights as they share their personal journeys, offering advice on navigating the dynamic landscape of the entertainment industry. Whether you're an aspiring actor, musician, filmmaker, author, animator, or any creative soul, tune in for expert career guidance, insider tips and firsthand accounts on breaking into the entertainment industry. Get ready to unlock the secrets behind successful careers and fuel your own passion for the limelight. Please remember to like this video and to subscribe to our channels for more great conversations. Greetings from Breaking the Biz brought to you by Yes I Can Unity through Music and Education. I'm William Felber, your navigator through the intriguing universe of the entertainment industry as revealed by the visionaries and creators who bring it to life. Stay tuned as we delve into diverse insights from the forefront of entertainment. Hearing from from pioneers, creators and agents of change. Prepare for a journey filled with tales of innovation, resilience and the undying quest for artistic brilliance. Welcome to Breaking the Biz Podcast. With the Yes I Can crew, we have got a great guest. We have Alex Howard, who is the host of the Dark Room Podcast and most importantly, an accessibility consultant. Very important, he's an entertainment professional with over five years of administrative experience. He's passionate about good storytelling and film TV development. He's an into the Audio Description advocate and proponent of disability inclusion in the entertainment industry. He has low vision and has a unique perspective and life experience as a result. Was part of RespectAbility's 2020 lab for entertainment professionals with disabilities. In learned a lot about equity and inclusion and the potential for unique stories to be told in both film and tv. His goal is to be part of the telling new interesting stories in film and television space while making sure that all content is accessible to everyone who wishes to enjoy it. And I think that is the most important part. Entertainment should be enjoyed by all and celebrated by all and I definitely commend you for your work work on making sure that there's equity in this space. So I want to thank you again Alex for joining us tonight. Oh, thank you. Thanks for having me. So I Want to. I want to talk about what influenced you initially. Obviously, you're going to share a little bit and go into the low vision, but when did you really fall in love with movies? Um. Oh, man, I used to go to the movies a lot when I was younger. I think when it really hit me was when the Dark Knight came out. I think I saw that and I was like, what is this? Like this, I want to do this. So, yeah, I think, yeah, I saw that. And then the next summer, I think Inception came out and I just started going all the time to the movies. Okay. Yeah, those are two. Two definitely good staples to. To really appreciate. Talk me through. You mentioned in your bio having in suffering with low vision. If you don't mind sharing just a little bit about that. Yeah. So it's funny, like, I couldn't tell you when I became legally blind because my eyesight's been very, extremely gradual in vision loss as I've gotten older. I mean, I was on the news and I was a baby because, I mean, my parents worked in news, but I got contact lenses as a baby, and my mom taught me to, like, point at my eye in preschool when my contact lens fell out. So I've always had vision issues. But I think I started identifying as legally blind in 2020 and started using audio description pretty much full time at that point. And I started using my cane in about 2021, 2022. I probably should have started earlier than that, but it's strange going from a. It was an invisible disability to now visible disability where when I walk out my door now I'm like, broadcasting it to the world that I'm legally blind. I do like it more, though, because I don't, you know, there are certain things, you know, run into wet floor signs or open the wrong car door or, you know, little mannerisms that you have being legally blind that if you don't have your cane, you kind of look. People look at you like you're drunk or something. So it's much better to have your cane with you. And actually just got approved for a guide dog, so I'm excited for that. Okay. Amen. Yeah, you definitely don't want people just assuming a little tipsy. So that makes total sense to me. Talk me through education. You mentioned, you know, your mom with contact lenses would, you know, show you, hey, you know, my contact is. Is falling out. Share your struggles with school. So growing up, I, yeah, I had an IEP and all of that, an individualized education plan starting in elementary school. I have a really Rare mitochondrial condition called MEPAN. I'm actually one in like 30 in the world. And so we. I was undiagnosed till I was 25. So pretty much my whole school life, it was pretty much, I have an undiagnosed neurological condition. I had, you know, a lot of things with fine motor skills and everything else going on. And I think my eyesight, I always needed to sit in the front of the class, but it. My eyesight didn't become like my priority disability until, I think after college. Because I remember reading books in college, I needed large print, but I could read large print in college. I can barely read large print now. So that kind of doesn't help me unless I have like one of like be my eyes or something to read to me. But yeah, growing up, I think it progressively started, you know, sitting in front of the class. And then by the time I got to college, I had a laptop with. I don't even think I was using a screen reader, but I had to go to a different room to take my tests with large print and all that kind of stuff. Okay. So for those who don't know, IEP is very important to make sure that you're getting the accommodations, the modifications that you need. Need in high school. It does. It's supposed to kind of set a precedent for accommodations or modifications that you might need in college. Talk me through how easy it was to get those accommodations when you went to college. So I got into Chapman and I. Chapman was my dream school for a really long time. And then I actually ended up going to CSUN because I found that Chapman, since it's a private school, it didn't have the disability branch that CSUN did as a state school. So I ended up going to CSUN for that reason. And I'm so glad I did because, I mean, I made a lot of friends there. But also they were on top of it with the disability program there. I mean, they had it so that they could cut the, the binding off of the book and scan in the book and then they could, you know, send me a PDF file so I could blow it up and all of that. And yeah, a whole place to take tests. And so, yeah, CSUN was really great in terms of disability and iep. And I really felt like in high school I was always really self conscious because I had a laptop. No one else had a laptop that I was doing all my schoolwork on. I felt like everyone was kind of looking at me and, you know, like, rolling backpacks aren't the coolest thing in high school and then I went to college and everyone had a laptop. And so I really felt like I fit in more in college because it wasn't as apparent that I needed all of these things. No. And that makes 100% that self conscious. Hey, I'm standing out. And you definitely don't want that. But it's great to be amongst people that are exploring their education. And like you mentioned, everyone does have a laptop. Also, I do believe CSUN has an amazing radio, television and film department. Is that what you majored in when you went to college? Yeah, I did cinema and television art. Yeah. So I did the TV side of the season track. Yeah. Okay, talk me through. Did you do any internships? Were your professors helpful with helping you find work after or in the, in the process leading up to graduation? So it's funny, my first internship was at Fox 11 News in LA because my, my dad worked for Fox 11. So I interviewed there and they took me on, but I didn't want people to know me as his son. So I kind of, I didn't tell anyone until late in the internship to try and kind of make my own way there. And I was very. Since I, I mean, I had going to the, I'd been going to that office since I was little, but people didn't really know me, but I kind of knew where things were. And so I think I was very outspoken as an intern and I was like, oh, I want to do this, I want to do that. And so I was sitting in the, in the switch room with. And then I would go over to the assignment. I was kind of all over the place. So when people found out I was this kid, they were like, oh, no way. So that was really, really fun for a summer. I got to meet a lot of celebrities too, that they have on the, on the morning show, like Alfred Molina and people like that. And then I went to Phoenix Pictures where I really fell in love with development, which is what I wanted to go into for a really long time because I was reading scripts and writing coverage. And I met with Mike Medevoy, the producer of Rocky and Carrie and Black Swan and all of these iconic movies. So we would have weekly meetings in his office and tell him whether we liked scripts that people had sent in. And so that was really crazy that this guy is taking the word of these early 20 somethings and, you know, meeting with writers based on what we say. So that was really, really cool. And then I went over to Atmosphere Entertainment and had another internship there, did more script coverage there. And I had some, not too much like, direct help from CSUN as far as finding work. But I did one of my friends from csun, she was working at a temp agency. And so I went through that agency and got work with Warner Brothers. I worked at the. Oh my gosh, the. Where they do clothing and, you know, all that kind of stuff. All the toys and all that. The prop house. Yes. Yeah, I did that at Warner Brothers. I was in the gift shop. And then I got a year and a half assignment at DC Comics. So that was really, really cool. I was in the mail, roommate DC Comics for. For a while. And then when the pandemic hit, they were like, obviously we don't need a mail in person anymore. But that was so rewarding to have that. And that was when my eyesight was starting to go get worse a little bit. So we figured out a system where he would put post its on the packages and I would know where to take them that way. And then I think that's when I started realizing everyone wants to go into development, which is fine. But I was like, I feel like my calling is more accessibility because I have this lived experience and this is something that not that many people can attest to. So I decided to go more the accessibility route. You know, it's. It's fantastic. First of all, as you mentioned, you know, having it, having something that affects like one in 30. Right. You have a unique perspective that others don't. One of the things that I do love is how accommodating all of these companies were for you. And, and to you, a lot of times people don't know when is the right time to disclose if they have a disability, if they need accommodations or modifications, say, well, you do it after you get hired. Or, you know, and as you mentioned, having almost like an invisible disability versus obviously when people can see someone with a disability, what's your take on when is the right time to disclose that you will need accommodations in the workforce? That's really hard. And I think I'm still kind of figuring out. I think now it's more up front because that's how I'm selling myself. But yeah, back then, I mean, there were so many interviews where I would go in and they wouldn't know. And then I used to not bring it up until they'd ask a question where it would like affect me doing the job or even towards the end of the interview, I would just be like, hey, you know, especially I went on so many interviews for assistant jobs that's what I was mostly trying to get. Because in Hollywood you go, you know, intern assistant or mailroom assistant, and then work your way up from there. But the problem is a lot of assistants have to go run and get lunch or go run errands and things like that. And so I wanted to make sure they knew that I'm not going to be able to drive and go get lunch. I can uber eats or whatever, but I can't necessarily drive and go do that. And that was a problem for a lot of companies. I mean, I got rejected on the spot a lot of times because I couldn't drive, drive. And so that was getting to be really tough out of. You know, you mentioned Warner Brothers, DC Comics, Fox, which was your favorite internship. I mean, DC Comics was more of a temp job, but my favorite internship. The people at Fox were so nice. I kind of figured out I didn't want to do news when I was at Fox because I figured out, you know, you can work all day in a story, and then if there's a pursuit, it's just all of that, it's gone. And so I, I didn't want to, you know, be in my mind wasting my time for a day. So I think probably Atmosphere Phoenix Pictures was my favorite because that's when I really fell in love with development and storytelling and scripts. And I think the core to any good movie is a good story. I mean, you can have all the special effects, all the actors and all the great things you want, but if it doesn't have a good story, it's not going to be a good movie. No. And, you know, when you, when you mentioned certain ones, like Inception, for example, like, that was a very unique script. You know, it had great visuals to go along with it. But it all, like you mentioned, I agree with you. It comes down to the story and you could have all of the explosions and all of the visual effects, but if you don't have a good story, it really doesn't hold any weight. We've. We've seen enough things explode and, and so forth. That's part of why I think. I mean, I'll always have a soft spot for DC because I worked there and I obviously, I love Marvel too. I mean, I have the Wolverine popcorn bucket that back there. But I think DC has such interesting stories to tell having. Because where I was, where I was male in person, it was a lot of the comic side of stuff. And I love that now at D.C. studios, James Gunn has initiative where we're not letting you start shoot anything until we see the script. And so I feel like that's really going to pay off down the line because they're making sure they have a good story and I'm so excited to see where they go with that. Let me ask you, because you did mention Batman being one of your favorites. Did you get an opportunity to watch the Penguin with, with, with Carlo and Farrell? Oh, yeah, I. Absolutely. I think I like the Penguin actually more than the Batman with Robert Pattinson. I thought the Penguin was stellar and I really thought that. What is her name? Who Played the Mom and How I Met yout Mother, Cristin Miliotti. She really, I mean, she stole a show from Colin Farrell, who was, you know, in all of these layers of makeup. And I thought she was one of my favorite, I mean, comic book villains I've ever seen on screen. Yeah, no, I, I totally agree. I'm. I heard he's conflicted if he's going to do Part two, but I'm sure there's enough money that will get him to do Penguin 2 and then obviously incorporating that into the DC Batman movies. Talk me through. You mentioned having a friend and, and I do. I'm a very big advocate for college. You meet great people. If it's done correctly, you're not just meeting people to party, you're meeting people to have lifelong connections that you can work with for the rest of your life. How important has networking been to your success in this industry thus far? Oh, it's been, it's been invaluable, for sure. I feel like everything I've, you know, obviously with my dad, I got into Fox 11 and then, you know, I've had my bosses at other internships that I had after that, got me interviews with different places. And yeah, it's, it's really, really invaluable. And even now with trying to break more into the accessibility space, I feel like it's such a small community, which is sad, but at the same time, it's really easy to network with people. And I was just at a film festival this past weekend and I met the woman who runs Forward Doc and she, we realized, like, she knows Laura from Sundance or, you know, this person from Just Fully Belongs. We have so many Matt Lauterbach who does our transcripts on the podcast. She knows him. And I'm like, how have we never met? Like, it's such a small, tight knit community in terms of the accessibility space. So, yeah, networking is really, really important. Yeah, no, I do agree with you. I feel like even though There are certain individuals advocating for different things. Ultimately it's all coming back down to equity and inclusion. I'm a big component. I think DEI is very important. I think diversity is what makes what the industry was really born off of as well. But you know, I love that you mentioned it is a small community that is fighting the good fight and obviously we are stronger as a team than trying to make waves in a positive way on our own. So I do love that. And Forward Doc does amazing stuff. You mentioned being part of was it a conference in 2020? Oh yeah. I was in the Respectability Summer Lab program. Yeah. Talk about respectability, because that's another very important organization doing good work. Yes, Respectability. They recently changed their name to Disability Belongs, but they do a lot of work in a lot of different spaces with diversity, equity and inclusion. I think right now, I mean, obvious tough because they're focused a lot on the federal and legal side of things, but there's always going to be the entertainment branch of responsibility, which is awesome. They do a summer lab program every, every summer, I think, since 2019. And basically you apply and show that you're a creative person with a disability and they really try and help out people whose disabilities have prevented them from making headway in the industry and try and lift them up. You do networking with different studios and with your within your class and there's a showcase at the end where you get to show off what you've done. It's. It's a really, really great program and I think the people you meet there are really, really amazing as well. Okay, let's talk about enhancing, you know, your skills and continuously developing other than, you know, eating and sleeping and seeing as many movies as possible and reading as many scripts, is there anything that you do to enhance your skills, to make you more valuable, more of an asset in the development space? So yeah, I think, I mean doing the podcast is definitely a big one because I get to meet other people who work in audio description which is what I want to do now. I kind of want to work behind the scenes of AD and try and there are plenty of people fighting for, you know, proper representation in front of and behind the camera. But I think I'm more focused on the post production side of things, trying to make sure everything is accessible, even the, the older stuff as well. So having people on the podcast, doing interviews, meeting people that way and you know, networking like that. But also, I mean, I just got back from Sundance Film Festival where I volunteered in the accessibility department there, and I kind of looked at that as an education in terms of I know how or I know what blind people need when it comes to media and going to the movies and all the things I enjoy, but I don't necessarily know. Like, I have an idea what other people need, but I didn't have any experience with that. And so volunteering in the accessibility department really gave me an education in terms of, okay, what are the nuts and bolts of what accommodations everyone needs when it comes to events like this? So that was really, really cool. No, and I think that's a fantastic example, you know, participating in something so massive. I mean, we have a good friend at 1050 Entertainment, Austin Whitney, who is in a wheelchair and really fine tunes the accommodations that are needed that way, and obviously sees event space quite different than others. So, just like you mentioned, being able to share what you need, but also be quite aware of what others need in order to enjoy and have accessibility, I think is extremely important. Talk me through the creation of your podcast and your team. I want to hear the whole story. Okay, so I. I used to do another podcast with my old roommate Jamie called Not Quite Hollywood. And it was just a. I mean, it was so much fun. It was a general movie podcast. Every week, we'd. We'd each bring a movie to the table, the three of us, me, Jamie, and Tim. And then we would do a topic the next week. And once Jamie started getting too much work, which is great, we stopped doing it. And I was always like, I. I miss doing it. I didn't realize how much I loved, you know, podcasting before that. And so as time went on, I think we ended that in, like, 2018, I was like, I want to do something else, but I wanted to make it stand out from what everyone else is doing. And in 2020, once I started using audio Description full time, I was thinking, you know, I'm watching these other people, like John Campia and Dan Merle and these other movie shows that I watch all the time, and no one is really talking about audio Description, and they're talking about movies I like, but not. Not in the way that I experienced them. And so I thought that we should do a podcast literally from the blind perspective. And, you know, we can talk about movies like everyone else does, but also touch on AD and, you know, if there's a movie that they're talking about, like, Hundreds of Beavers that came out last year, everyone talked about Hundreds of Beavers, but I didn't because I couldn't watch it. So we didn't talk about it on the podcast. But like, you know, little things like that, and maybe we can start making change that way. And then I asked my blind friend who I met in college, and he's not really into being outspoken like that that much. And so he, he told me no. And then I was in the Facebook group online about audio description, and this guy Lee was posting about a movie, and I was like, I just messaged him and he said he was in Glendale, which is the next city over. And so I kind of pitched him the idea and he really liked it because he's an actor, so he likes to be social and outspoken and all that too. And so, yeah, we just started doing it. We did started it in 2022, I think. Yeah, 2023, I think we started it. And it's been, it's been a lot of fun. And I couldn't ask for a better podcast partner. I mean, Lee is awesome. He took the charge when I was at Sundance and now I'm taking the charge while he's doing his slam dance thing. So we really balance each other out. And plus he, he's the musical guy and I'm the horror guy, so we really bring, like, different perspectives. I love it. And so you, you attended Sundance? He's attending slam dance for those who don't know what slam dance is. Can you share that? Yeah. So slam dance used to take place at the same time and in the same city as Sundance. It was kind of like the underground festival. And now for the first time this year, it's in la. And so Lee's short film called Audio Description, he won the Easter Seals competition with that and it got accepted into Slamdance. So he's in two of the shorts blocks there, and they have, they show a lot of different films at Slamdance, but one of the cool things about it is they have an Unstoppable category, which is a category focused on films about or by people with disabilities. And so Ashley Eakin, who we found on the podcast, she's a judge at the Unstoppable category this year. And I've actually, I went down there for a couple days over the weekend to see a couple movies, and I think I'm going to closing night tomorrow night as well. But it's a really great place to meet people and network with, like minded, you know, disabled creators. When you go see a movie in the theater, how does it work with having the audio description. Can you go to any movie theater and access that, or is it only when you're watching a movie at home? So I definitely prefer to go to the movie theater, especially because I'm low vision. The bigger screen really helps me see the details better. So, yes, you can get it at the movies. Usually you have to ask for the device at the movie theater. And each theater chain is different. Some of them give you like over the ear headphones, and it's built into the headphones themselves. And you can switch from either description to audio enhancement. You can do either in one year or the other year if you want. And then at amc, where I normally go, because I have AMC A list, they have. Most of them, I think now have the touchscreen Dolby devices, which obviously touch screen isn't ideal for blind people. But if you go with someone or I go all the time by myself too, the staff can help you program it for the correct movie theater and auditorium. And then you plug in, they give you earphones. I usually bring my own especially for Dolby and imax because you want the in ear earbuds so it blocks out the. The Dolby sound. Because if you use there, over there, your headphones, you're not gonna be able to hear anything. So, yeah, I usually bring my own and then experience it that way. And I mean, I've trained Burbank pretty well indirectly to have the devices work well. Leah's pretty much trained Glendale to have the devices work properly. We'll go to other theaters as well sometimes. We went to the Grove, drove together to see the Fabelmans, and funny enough, only one of our devices worked between the two of us. So we kind of just shared an earphone thing for that one. But I mean, that's something I'm definitely. I had one of my advisors, Rhys Lloyd from Descriptive Video Works, he told me to pick something very specific that I'd want to like, specialize in. So I've kind of chosen theatrical exhibition and accessibility. So I'm really trying to change the landscape nationwide because I know, like, I'm very spoiled here in Burbank. I mean, I have three Burbank theaters here. There's citywalk, there's. I mean, any movie that comes out in the theaters, I have the opportunity to see. But I know people in Idaho don't have the same opportunity as I do, and their theater might not be as good at accessibility as the one here. So I'm really trying to change the landscape in terms of the nationwide accessibility when it comes to movie theaters. And I think we always talk about having an entrepreneurial mindset and solving problems. And I think you're kind of really on to something, for sure. Like, you mentioned being spoiled, being able to see any movie you want to see, but there are definitely areas where people do not have. Have that accessibility. So I love that. I want to ask you, is there someone that comes to mind when I talk about being a mentor? You know, you're obviously mentoring us and educating us tonight, but is there someone that has impacted you in a positive way and contributed to your success as you venture into this space? Yeah, I mean, I think Michelle Spitz, who is an audio describer, she was my first real foray into Audio description. She introduced me to a bunch of people. I've been on panels with her before, so she was really, really great. And then Reese Lloyd from Descriptive Video Works also, I've been doing freelance work with him for a while, and he's introduced me to a lot of great people, and he was the one that gave me the advice on picking something to specialize in. So the two of them have made big impacts in terms of me succeeding in the accessibility landscape. And I think Reece, when I got back from Tiff, he messaged me on LinkedIn and was like, hey, I'd like to meet with you and try and brainstorm on how we can try and improve things. So that was really huge, huge. Love it. Being a pioneer is always important. You know what I mean? You're making great, great change. How do you balance work and life? So, I mean, right now, I think for everyone, work is pretty slow in Hollywood right now. But I, you know, I'm always trying to send out emails and I'm trying to work with a horror film festival right now that's in June. It's called Access Horror. So they pretty much only accept short films and features that have a disability theme in the horror genre. So, yeah, I have a bunch of things that I'm trying to get going and all of that, but I think it's funny. I justify my, you could say work and then play. I justify my play with going to the movies and stuff, as this is kind of work as well with keeping up with the podcast and all of that. So especially, I mean, I have to pay for Ubers over there and sometimes I get popcorn and stuff. But I'm like, you know, it's fine. I'm like, it's continuing my education and continuing. I want to be able to talk about what's relevant right now in terms of movies and all of that. So, you know, if I do talk to someone and ask me what I've seen lately, I can tell them Oh, I saw the movie that came out this past weekend and actually have a conversation. So I mean that's what I really like to do is go to the movies. And right now I'm trying to somehow I didn't finish the third season of Daredevil, so I'm trying to finish that before Daredevil Born Again comes out next week. So yeah, I feel like there's always something on the docket to watch or keep up with. And I mean that's, that's what I really like to do. And I mean, obviously Friends is a huge part of all that too. I mean, I'm going to an Oscars party this weekend and a couple weddings this year and all that. So yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot to manage, but I definitely enjoy it. I love it. And you know, you shared like going to, to the movies, knowing exactly what you're talking about. What a great write off to be able to write off movies and in that experience. But it's absolutely needed. What was your take? Did you see the new Captain America movie? I know that's. But a lot of individuals are talking about that one. Yeah, I mean I, I saw it. I think it was opening night we went. I thought it was good. It wasn't great. I think it's very like mid tier mcu, but it's not like bottom tier like Quantumania or the Marvels or. I mean I even like the Marvels a little more than other people did. But it's not like Thor, the Dark World or Quantum Mania or something. But it's also not like Iron man or, or Spider man or any of that stuff. So it's very like middle, middle tier mcu. But I think another funny story, if I can tell you real quick, friend, a group now that I go to the movies with all the time. And I used to go, I mean, I still go by myself sometimes, but I used to go a lot more by myself. And I went to see in Nora and I had, I had my cane with me, me as I do all the time now. And this guy came up to me and he was like, hey, I'd like to apologize. When you walked by, I was yelling blind, blind. Because my friend was showing me a trailer that I didn't want to see. So I was telling him, I want to go in blind. And then you walked by and I want to make sure you weren't offended. And I, you know, that you didn't hear me. And I was like, I didn't even hear you. Do that at all. And then I was thinking, this guy's probably really nice for coming up and apologizing to me. So I asked him, you know, do you guys come a lot? And he was like, oh, yeah, we go every week. So now I go to the movies with him and his friends every week. Every Friday, we go see whatever the new movie is. So it's pretty funny that I have this group and we met that way. Dude, I absolutely. I got. I got the chills because I feel like people really need to be more human and, you know, empathetic. I talk about. Empathy is not something that you're born with. You got to learn it and practice it. And I think that is by far such a great example. And it just shows you, you know, networking even can happen anywhere. Friendships can spawn from anything. And that is absolutely a perfect example. I want to ask. You're doing a lot. What's that? Nikane helps a lot with that, too, actually. No, yeah, yeah. At least he didn't think you were drunk, right? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I want to ask you, you have lots of career ambitions, and I have no doubt you're going to conquer any goal. You're very personable, you're very smart, you're very driven. What do you foresee? Like, you're doing a podcast. You're working on fine tuning that special something. What is it? What's next for you? You. Oh, thank you so much for saying that. Wow. I really. I. I don't know what's next. I. I really hope I can take more of a. I guess you could say leadership role in Audio Description. Really? Like, plan my flag at a company or an organization or something, whether that be, you know, a studio or IDC Deluxe or even the acb, something like that, and really start making a difference with a company name behind me, I think that would go a long way. I mean, Alex Howard, Consulting, like, you know, I got to explain who I am and all that, but if I just say I'm with this organization that everyone knows, I think it would be a lot more impactful. Okay. I love it. I have one last question, and then I'm going to open it up to some questions from our crew. What is the biggest piece of advice, advice you would give to a younger Alex? A younger Alex? Oh, man. I think, honestly, I would tell him to not be shy when it comes to your eyesight. Like, I think especially in, you know, 2017-2020 era, I was like, oh, I don't like Audio Description. I don't want to stand out any more than I already do. And I think it's. Honestly, using my cane more and standing out has only been beneficial to me. I mean, you don't want to use it, obviously, if you don't need it, But I think I definitely needed it back then, and I wasn't using it. And you meet so many people, like, even going to some event and asking someone for help with directions. And then when I was at tiff, I was walking to a theater, and I asked someone if I could where that was, and they were like, oh, I'm going there too. Why don't you come with me? And they ended up working at Universal, and then they invited me to a NBC Universal party at Tiff, and it was just like, you know, you just meet crazy people when you. When you ask for help. It's. It's. It's weird. So I. I would tell my younger self, don't shy away from that. Embrace it. And I think you'll. You'll get pretty far. I think that's fantastic advice. I feel like just embracing who you are is. I feel like that's a major attraction is people who can just be real. The world is filled with so many people trying to be who they're not, and it's so refreshing to have someone just be like, this is who I am. Take it or leave it. And I feel like more people want to take that type of person versus is the fake person. So especially in Hollywood, there's enough fake out there. So you just being you is amazing. I'm. The day when I go. I live for the day when I go to the movies and someone stops me and asks me how I watch movies, because I know people think that when they see someone walking around with a white cane at the movies, and no one has done that yet, but I would love for that to happen. And, you know, it's wrong or not wrong, but people are probably like, ooh, I want to ask him, but afraid to, like, versus that individual who came up to you and was just so honest with the, like, hey, I just want you to know, wasn't talking about you. I wanted to see this preview blind. Like, you know, just allow me to enjoy a movie without see. I mean, because pre previews, you. You see all the good parts. Like, that's. That's the truth with the preview. So I had to. I had to avoid that second companion trailer for a long time. Yeah, see. Exactly. So I love it. All right, I'm gonna go to a question. I see Presley. Presley, go for it. First off, Alex, the way you describe your love for movies and becoming a movie buff, it kind of reminds me of Quentin Tarantino, how much he is a movie buff and he loves movies before he started making his own movies, which is kind of funny. But just one, just quick question for you. What is, what is the biggest piece of advice for some for a new time filmmaker to pitch a film to a studio? Love it. I would say just make your. Make it authentic. Make it, you know what you want. And honestly, it's weird. As I've gotten older, I like the weird stuff. Like, make it. Make it however you want it to be, but, like, go there. Like, don't hold back from, like, like, like the substance. It. It goes there and a lot of people don't like where, where it ends up. I, I mean, I love when they really push the envelope like that. So make it your own. Make it unique, you know, I mean, yeah, there's the Save the cat and all that kind of stuff. And, you know, you got to go through the hero's journey and that's pretty basic, but if you can go off script with that and kind of take it in a new direction, I think that's what people are looking for. And I mean, just be yourself with it. Like, you know, if they don't like it, I'm sure someone else will. Great, Great point. And substance was such a great film, by the way. So, yeah, I love it. Great. I just rewatched it and they. There. You learn that 180 rule in college where, like, if two people are talking, you keep the camera right there. They literally break it. They have it here and then they flip it over and I'm just like, that's literally what this movie does, is they break all the rules. And I love it when movies do that because I feel like cinema has been around for 100 years. We've seen everything. Like, give us something new. Yeah, no, and, and I. It's a good point because I went to CSUN and I was in one of those classes. And it's true, like, when you, when you're watching it with a different lens, so to speak, you see things differently. But, yes, they absolutely broke a lot of rul, which I agree with you, makes it fantastic. Bianca, go ahead and ask your question. Alex, how are you? Hey. Good, thank you. So I love movies as well, and I just want to know. I have two questions, actually. What are your three favorite movies and what keeps you going? Great question ones. Okay, the second one, first three favorite films and what keeps you Going, Alex. My three favorite films. My favorite film all time is Terminator 2. I just think I watched that as a kid and that it's got, like I said, like, it has the action, but the story is so good. And we actually read the. That Terminator 1 is looked at as, like, one of the best. What do you call it? Oh, my gosh. It's like the two pages of the full plot summary. It's the best version of that that Hollywood's ever had. And you can see the story of T2 in there when you read it. And he just didn't have the resources to make it. So T2 is my favorite all time. I'd say Eternal Sunshine, the Spotless Mind is up there and. And probably the original Halloween is up there too, for me. What was the second question? What keeps you going? What keeps me going? Honestly? Good movies really keep me going. Like, sometimes you get in those months where you're like, man, nothing I really love has come out. Like, the first half of last year, I feel like there wasn't really anything I really, really loved. And then even Sundance this year, for the first eight movies I saw, I was like, nothing is. I. I like these, but nothing that really clicks. And then I watched something like Twinless at Sundance. I'm like, this is why I do this. Like, I love stuff like that where a movie just clicks with you and you're like, I could, you know, talk about this movie for hours. So, yeah, I feel. Love it. Thank you, Alex. Yeah. Yeah. And now I've jotted that one down. Twin list. Is that out in theaters right now? Not now. I don't know if it got distribution yet. It was my favorite movie at Sundance for sure. And then it won the audience award at Sundance too. So it's something that will be coming out in the future. So when I see it, make sure to see it. Got it. Love it. Dylan o' Brien from. He's like one of the. He used to be a child actor, I think. Think. Okay, I'm jotted it down. I'm ready. Alex, I want to thank you. I think the work that you're doing is absolutely amazing. Is important. I'm very excited just to see your podcast grow to see you in this space and making positive change. I do believe the arts, music, film, tv, all them of it is di. Is so important, and I do believe that the entertainment industry is not going to follow any pressure, so to speak. I think diversity is what makes all of these films important. Obviously, we can't keep seeing the same stories. Even though that's what Hollywood would like to do when indeed you do something different, unique. That's really what being a pioneer is all about. So I just want to commend you on the work you're doing. Keep it up, stay resilient, and like I said, I just wish you continued success, good health, and I look forward to collaborating and working with you in the future. Awesome. Thank you so much. Awesome. On that note, everyone, thank you for joining us on Breaking the Biz tonight. We will see you all very soon! [Host] As we conclude another enriching episode, we hope you found inspiration in the stories shared today. Let's take a moment to honor Yes I Can's role in bringing Breaking the Biz to life. Yes I Can's commitment to empowering young people with disabilities through education, advocacy, and mentorship shines brightly, paving paths of opportunity and dialogue. This podcast celebrates the organization's dedication to nurturing talent and facilitating impactful discussions. Breaking the Biz is more than a podcast. It's a part of Yes I Can's broader mission to amplify voices, dismantle barriers, and craft a world that's more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Each episode is a chapter in our shared narrative of progress, education, and empowerment, driven by the spirit of Yes I Can. Thank you for spending your time with us on Breaking the Biz. Continue to challenge the status quo and share stories that resonate until our paths cross again. Let's keep transforming aspirations into achievements. Achievements. And infuse every endeavor with optimism. Here's to advancing the landscape of the entertainment industry one episode at a time. I'm your host, William Felber. See you next time.