Meet Alex Rubenstein

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Rubenstein.

Hi Alex, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi! My name is Alex Rubenstein. I am a freelance filmmaker, video editor, and photographer based in Boulder. My journey toward being a professional storyteller has been a strangely exciting and unexpected one. There have been plenty of joys and surprises, occasional disappointments, and lots and lots of birds — and at the end of the day, I wouldn’t change a thing.

I grew up surrounded by the endless, magical outdoors of Portland, OR; my summers were filled with nature day camp, arts and crafts, mountain biking, and basketball. After a brief foray into stand-up comedy during my freshman year of college in Washington, DC, I quickly fell in love with all things video. The next few years were full of student films, production internships, comedy sketches, a few music videos, and eventually documentary films and video editing. They weren’t all superb, of course, but dang were they fun and boy did I build some amazing friendships and connections.

After grinding my teeth for over three years as an Assistant Editor and Video Editor for an incredible production media publishing startup, Freethink Media, I went freelance and moved to Boulder, Colorado. My pivot was largely propelled by a desire to focus more intentionally on outdoor and conservation filmmaking and wildlife photography.

Since May, I’ve been working as a part-time contract videographer and photo instructor/naturalist guide for a passenger expedition cruise company called Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic. My travels this past year have taken me as a videographer and photographer aboard these expedition cruise ships to Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and the San Juan Islands, and I most recently did a contract in December down to the Antarctic Peninsula.

It’s been an extremely thrilling experience learning everything I can about the wildlife, oceanography, birds, and flora and fauna of these regions; I truly love sharing that knowledge with guests and exploring these places together. This next year I am focused on telling meaningful conservation stories with amazing storytellers around the world and exploring as many wild places as I can!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a road of unexpected turns, with certain setbacks, but also hidden surprises and wonder throughout. Overall, I’ve trusted the process and it has taken me on such a series of adventures! Financial struggle is the most obvious struggle; having the confidence and security to quit my full-time job last year was scary but it, fortunately, worked out for 2022.

I moved to Boulder last March, started freelancing full-time in a new city, and had to immediately build a network. This new year is tricky too; I’m still in between securing some projects, but I’m staying optimistic and continuing to network and meet new people. Lots of emails, lots of no replies, but my friends in this space and I know you just have to keep throwing darts at the dartboard, and eventually, things will come to fruition.

Feeling creatively fulfilled from my projects and my hobbies has also taken lots of forms. Lots of professional assignments and projects have been truly rewarding, but many aren’t as much. I’ve tried to pursue personal interests and crafts too, whether woodworking or glass flameworking, to keep growing skillsets and trying new things. But ultimately the more you care about your fulfillment and success, the more effort you will put into making things work out.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a filmmaker, photographer, and video editor with experience in documentaries and a special interest in conservation and wildlife storytelling. I have over five years of professional video editing experience, videography, directing, outdoor photography, and a variety of on-set and camera experience.

While I’ve worked on commercial shoots, narrative short films, done concert and wedding photography, made comedy sketches and shot a few student music videos, the pendulum of my work has lately pivoted towards outdoor adventure and nature/wildlife projects. I’m eager to see where this path takes me next but at the end of the day I truly just want to work with fun and talented people in any capacity and on any project.

I’m also extremely proud, and fond, of my time doing student theater and stand-up comedy during college. Getting to act in shows throughout college, directing a full-length play, and being a technical director gave me some of the most incredible skills and memories I could ever ask for. I also spent the whole summer after my freshman year doing stand-up comedy in Portland, OR, where I met some of my best friends and told some of my dumbest jokes.

Having stage experience and knowing how to work with actors and comedians has proved extremely useful in communicating with on-screen talent and understanding how to build a positive and creatively-engaging environment on a set. It’s been a wild journey to get to where I am today and I’m even more curious to see where it will take me next.

I’m still very passionate about narrative film and comedy projects (I still make comedy sketches and fan-made music videos with my friends on the side and don’t plan to stop anytime soon). But right now I want to use these skills to highlight people and groups working to help make the world a better place and have a positive impact on our changing environment.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Get outside as much as you can! Being a full-time video editor by itself can be isolating – being one during a pandemic in a big city like Washington, DC was even more challenging. Taking care of our mental health and being kind to our minds and bodies is one of the best things we can do for our well-being.

I try to walk, run, or bike almost every day, even if just for a little bit. I also learned to not be afraid to reach out to friends for support and be proactive. We only live one life, and we should spend as much of it as possible with our loved ones.

Contact Info:

• Website: alex-rubenstein.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealexrubenstein/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrubenstein/
• Other: alexrubenstein.pixieset.com

Image Credits
Mark Vogler