Meet Alex Litvak | Screenwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Litvak and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’m a screenwriter. My business is selling me – my ideas, my imagination, my ability to put words on the page to tell a compelling story.

My thought process behind becoming a writer (I used to have another career, working in Hollywood as a development/production exec) was running out of excuses not to do this because I’ll fail.

I suspect that is true of everyone regardless of the specifics of their business. There’s a comfort to the safety net of working for someone else. Starting your own business is a matter of faith, courage, and discipline – believing in yourself, acting on that belief, then seeing it through the ups and downs of a start-up.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

What sets you apart from others?

Nothing. There are lots of good writers in Hollywood, some far more talented than I. I don’t believe I’m special.

What are you most proud of or excited about?

I’m proud of having made a career doing what I love. I’m most excited about a script I have not written… yet.

How did you get to where you are today professionally? Was it easy?

I did it by telling the best stories I had the best way I could and not giving up. And no, it wasn’t easy.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way?

The only thing you can control is your ability to deliver good content and write good scripts. Do the best job you can but know what happens to the project once it leaves your hands is not up to you. Learn to let go and move on. Above all, don’t let success get to your head or failure crush your heart. Both are phases, and they pass.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

I’m a dreamer of impossible dreams. Sometimes they become reality.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Back in the day when I was single, and COVID wasn’t a thing, I would be your man about town. Nowadays, the most the place I hang out at the most is home with my wife and daughter. So I’m afraid I’m the wrong person to ask about trendiest and hottest spots.

That said, I would recommend La Scala (best chopped salad in LA); a little hidden gem of a wine bar called Heritage Wine in Beverly Hills and its better known counterpart in the valley Augustine; old reliable sushi staples Sugar Fish and Kazu Nori; a delicious Wagyu steak restaurant called Matu; a terrific gastro pub in Studio City called Tuning Fork;
my favorite mixologist Matt Biancaniello who is a true artists with spirits; The Last Bookstore; Lost Spirits; Grand Central Market; Tomoko and Tikkun spas (if that’s your thing); a VR arcade called Two Bit Circus; a hike in Franklin Canyon and Fryman Canyon over far more touristy Runyon and a tea ceremony with tea master Jesus Chaidez.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents who brought me and my brother to this country.

My teachers at USC who guided my baby steps in learning the craft of cinema, particularly Rick Jewell and David Shepard.

Shane Black and William Goldman whose scripts taught me so much about storytelling and helped shaped my voice. Without them, I would not have a career as a writer.

My mentors and bosses throughout various stages of my first career in Hollywood – Amanda Stern, Lionel Wigram, Jeff Robinov, Lou Pitt, Kristin Jones, Sanford Panitch, Peter Rice, Hutch Parker, Scott Strauss, Bobby Newmyer, Basil Iwanyk. They gave me a chance to enter and progress in the film business, an opportunity to grow and learn.

My first agents – Ari Greenburg, Adam Levine, Bill Weinstein, Zach Druker, Karyn Smith-Forge – who believed in my potential and helped me make the switch to screenwriting.

Everyone who ever gave me a job.

My friends who stuck by me through all the above.

And my wife and my daughter who always inspire me to be better.

Website: https://www.impossibledreamproductions.com/

Instagram: @sashavlit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alex.litvak.73

Image Credits
Christine Marie Photography