Alexandria Hunter-Whalen

The achievement that I'm most proud of is my ability to continue to learn and adapt. Early on in my career, somebody told me I had to pick one swim lane and stay focused, either do commercials or independent film, but I was interested in other things and learning from doing different things. I trusted my gut and stuck with that, and I remember running into this gentleman again about 10 years later, and because he didn't adapt and pivot, his company had not succeeded. He was trying to figure out how to reinvent himself, and I just thought that was a lesson for me early on to trust my instincts, always be open, always be willing to learn, and continue to adapt. I don't have to be the master of everything, and no one's going to know everything, especially with things changing so much. But do I know a good amount about a lot of different things? Am I willing to listen to people on my team that are decades younger than me and learn from them, in addition to people that are decades older than me? Absolutely. The learning curve goes both ways.

The best advice I ever received was from a friend of mine in New York who told me: sometimes it's good to just be a human being, not a human doing. We tend to do, do, do all the time, thinking we have to be moving, making lists, checking things off and busy, busy, busy. Sometimes you just have to be quiet. Especially when there's things that maybe you don't know how to handle, then maybe you should just do nothing, and be for a second, a day, or an hour, and let things unfold that might make it clearer. That's definitely always stuck with me - human beings versus just human doings.

Build your network, nurture it and always ask for opportunities. I am always willing to schedule time with people to hear about what they want to do and where they are in their life. I try to bring people in with paid internships, and get them connected with other people in the industry. I'd share some of the things that can be challenging in my line of work and that they should be prepared for. I never want to give somebody the idea that everything is going to be rainbows and unicorns - there's going to be obstacles depending on where you want to go. I think a lot of times we can become our own worst enemy. Life is not a linear path, especially with our careers. It's not like you go A, B, C, and you continue on this steady incline. There's a lot of times where it's up, it's down, it's backwards, all over the place. But keep yourself open and learning, and recognize that all of the skills and things that you're gathering along the way will still serve you, even if it's not directly tied to the position that you were doing 2 years ago, or what you went to college for.

Continuous learning and adaptation are core to how I approach my work and life. I believe in being willing to listen to people on my team that are decades younger than me and learn from them, in addition to people that are decades older than me - the learning curve goes both ways. I'm always curious and want to keep growing, which is why I've continued on this journey across different aspects of my career over the decades. I also believe strongly in paying it forward and mentoring others. I try to share knowledge with people in my immediate circle, my work circle, and through volunteering in other areas. I teach The Power of Presentation Skills twice a year at Boston University to their grad students portfolio class, because you can be great with your craft, but if you don't know how to talk about it when you walk into a room, that can keep you from getting your first job. I feel like I have to pay it forward, always.