5 Minutes with… Will Alexander

Will> Anyone who knows me, will know I’m lying if I say this is the career path I thought I was destined for. I probably saw myself sitting across from Notorious B.I.G. at a recording studio than Jamie Watson at a VFX studio. However, after a failed attempt at a hip-hop career (the world will never know what they missed), I decided if I couldn’t be a hip-hop artist, I’d make music videos for them – and so my career in production began.

 

I loved the filmmaking world and after landing a gig as a studio assistant at a VFX house in 2000, I was on the path to what would end up being the launch of Heckler, 10 years later. Cut to 2019 and we launched our second studio, Heckler Singapore, shortly followed by Heckler Sound in 2022 – just sadly a few years too late for it to double as my hip-hop recording studio.

 

In short, it’s probably less so, what gravitated me towards this world, and more like what kept me in it and that’s definitely the work and the people. Maybe Jamie Watson was a better partner than Biggie after all! 

Will> Building out a network of independent companies within the Heckler Group. In 2019, we launched Heckler Singapore and then in 2021 we opened the doors to Heckler Sound. This year we launched Supergiant, an immersive experience and entertainment agency blowing up the Arcadia Spectacular stage at Glastonbury music festival.

Some work highlights include working with director Cate Shortland on the recent ‘Yes23’ campaign. Teaming up with Cate and her husband Tony Krawitz was a wonderful experience, collaborating with like-minded people on a topic I’m passionate about. I can definetly say it was an inspired meeting of the minds! 

The film industry is amazing in how it rallies people to come together, and you can very quickly connect the dots to make important work. For Yes23, I believe we did 50 ads in two weeks, facilitating the post and sound, and even though the movement was very sadly shut down, being involved in something I believed in, and working with people that inspired me, was a hugely rewarding experience. 

Partnering with Droga5 on UNICEF’s brand relaunch with David OHana (who was then chief of brand building) and award-winning creative David Nobay was a standout. Our friend Simon Lister directed an amazing film, ‘Through The Eyes of a Child’, and heading to the United Nations to launch the campaign was up there with the best!

Launching our first feature film, Lunacy, with filmmaker Daniel Askill was a recent win. The film included a big visual effects component and Heckler was a co-production partner alongside Collider and See Pictures. We completed most of the work during the global pandemic, which was a weird time, but creating an arthouse experimental film during a hugely strange time in the world was inspiring and completely different to anything we’ve worked on before.  

Working again with director Tony Krawitz on feature film TOUCH was another recent highlight. Working with the blind and low vision impaired community was a privilege that saw us partner and learn from the wonderful people at Bus Stop Films. 

Another proud moment was working with actor Cate Blanchett on the film ‘A Cautionary Tale’, which won an ACCTA Award in 2013. This was a very special moment for the whole team. 

Finally, being a co-production partner on Skategoat. Heckler handled all of the VFX on this gritty film that documents the rise of a young pro skateboarder in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. Skategoat recently won the Audience Choice Award for Best Aussie Doco at the Sydney Film Festival. Heckler also has two sporting documentaries currently in production and this marks a new direction for our company.  

Will> One that sticks with me is Menulog ‘Dolla Dolla Deals’, a campaign that featured the Wu-Tang Clan and their iconic 90s hip hop track C.R.E.A.M (Cash Rules Everything Around Me). It’s probably one of those projects that will always stay with me. Who would have thought we’d come together with an agency and a client and the Wu-Tang Clan to launch a campaign!

Firstly, getting sign off to use such an iconic track was a challenge. Rap music is notoriously tricky when it comes to licensing because there are so many different publishers and writers involved in the one track. It was also interesting dealing with some rather colourful artist managers!

The Wu-Tang Clan were only in town for one night so even organising the shoot was hard. The morning of, we had sign off on licensing and a car waiting outside the Intercontinental for Wu-Tang’s Inspector Deck. We whisked him off to Marrickville to film a rapping scene in a limo and on green screen. He was performing that night then flying interstate the next morning. We had such a tight window and seeing all those pieces come together meant there had to be a truckload of trust between everyone involved. 

Getting to meet the Wu-Tang Clan – one of my icons and heroes growing up in the rap era, meant I was pinching myself. I’ll probably never forget that one!

Will> Firstly, never assume anything and secondly, no one is going to come and save you in this industry; you must make it work for you. Lastly, don’t back yourself into a corner. 

Will> I think if you try to peg creativity into a system it doesn’t always work. Creativity is organic and not formulaic. There are processes we use to get there, and certainly in visual effects we rely heavily on technology. However, to get art out of a computer (that is not an AI generated prompt) you need lots of different processes at play. When artists come together to play and experiment and test new ideas, we all get the chance to look at a brief through different eyes and it’s here that we gain new perspectives – it’s where the magic happens. I always try to find and surround myself with people that push me and help me to grow. 

Will> Obviously, we have budgets and deadlines and there are commercial realities, but it’s about finding those projects that let people experiment. A good example is Black Wing, our Unreal Engine short film project led by artist Maud Chapuis. It’s a great example of how to use a new piece of tech and to bring it into the studio to create something beautiful. You never know what kind of talent is going to emerge from your team so all you can do is create a safe space for them to grow and develop. We are very lucky that we have some amazing artists here!

Will> Having to restructure the business and getting the leadership teams right. Where the head goes the body follows so it’s important to find people who will stick with you and turn up to do the work. You need to trust your partners implicitly. Like any good band, there are often a few break-ups and reincarnations, and playing that long game is important. If you want to succeed, you’ve got to keep showing up and staying positive, particularly in a tough economic environment.