Alex Simon

Alex has been a lifelong cinemaniac since seeing Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" at the age of five. Following graduation from The University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, Alex went to work for the legendary “King of the B’s” Roger Corman, writing three Showtime Original Movies for the “Roger Corman Presents” series: “Unknown Origin,” “Piranha,” and “Suspect Device.” Alex wrote the film "My Brother's War," which won the Best Feature prize at the first annual Hollywood Film Festival, in 1998.

Alex also served as Editor-In-Chief of Venice Magazine, Los Angeles' premiere arts and entertainment publication, from 2000-2007. Since joining Venice in 1996, Alex has interviewed, and written profiles of, more than 600 filmmakers, actors, musicians, and artists, including Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, John Frankenheimer, Morgan Freeman, Francis Ford Coppola., Lou Reed, Brian Wilson, Annette Benning and Quincy Jones, to name but a few. Alex is Co-Editor of The Hollywood , which contains new interviews as well as a database of Alex’s conversations with Hollywood’s finest from his Venice Magazine days. Alex has also had articles published in Esquire, DGA Magazine, Art & Living, and Latin Style. Alex also contributes to The Huffington Post.

Alex received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Producing from the American Film Institute. His thesis film “Auteur,” which he wrote and produced, competed in more than twenty film festivals, and won three major awards. He is currently working on a new screenplay, as well as producing a feature and a documentary. Alex’s screenplay “Baron of Havana” recently won the First Place Maverick Award at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, CA. along with seven other awards, was table-read at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT., and was a three-time top 30 semi-finalist in the prestigious Nicholl Fellowships. Alex recently taught in Pepperdine University’s MFA screenwriting program and lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Awards and Accomplishments

• Three-time top 30 semi-finalist, The Nicholl Fellowship
• Winner, 1st Place Maverick Award, Cinequest Screenwriting Competition
• Grand Prize Winner, Fade In Awards
• Winner, Accolade Awards, Best of Show, Short Film
• Winner, Bare Bones International Film Festival, Best Student Film
• Winner, Crested Butte Reel Fest, Best Live Action Film
• First Place (Historical Category), The Page Awards
• Top Ten Finalist, American Zoetrope Screenwriting Competition
• Grand Prize Winner, Table Read My Screenplay
• Finalist, Slamdance Screenwriting Competition
• Top Ten Finalist, Final Draft Big Break Competition
• Finalist, Blue Cat Screenplay Competition
• Finalist, Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
• Top 1% Finalist, Screamfest
• Top 1% Finalist, Creative Screenwriting Expo Competition
• Top 1% Finalist: Slamdance TV Writing Competition
• Semi-Finalist, Scriptapalooza TV
• Top 1% Finalist: Creative Screenwriting Expo TV Writing Competition
• Quarterfinalist: Final Draft TV Writing Competition