Meet Alex Saks

Major: History
Minor: Film Studies
Hometown: Kinnelon, New Jersey

Alex Saks founded the Reynolda Film Festival, held for the first time in 2008, to bring leading filmmakers and film screenings to campus.

Tell us about yourself.

Few things in life make me happier than an episode of 30 Rock or Mad Men, a copy of Harper's Bazaar, or a glimpse of the New York City skyline at night.

What are your plans after graduation?

Well, I got the bug just like a good friend of mine, my very own "Dean," and come mid-June I'll be changing my name to Jack temporarily and doing an "On the Road Tour '09." My final destination is set for Los Angeles, more specifically Hollywood, but other than that your guess is as good as mine.

Have your plans changed over the last four years?

I came to Wake Forest an undecided major, like so many others, but my career goal of working in film and television production never changed. I went from Communications to Business (then took Econ 150 and reconsidered) and finally settled on History — my favorite subject since Mrs. Tyson's 4th grade American History class.

How have you grown during the last four years?

I feel like an easier question would be: how haven't you changed? I'm still a 5'3'' brown-eyed, brunette, Italian Catholic Republican hailing from the Garden State but my humor is slightly more sarcastic, my temperament not so easily ruffled, and my constitution much more self-reliant and assured. Most importantly, however, my outlook on life in general keeps me awe-inspired because really, what's not to love?

Who has influenced you most?

Professor Steve Jarrett: Professor, WAKE TV and Reynolda Film Festival Advisor, film buff, editor extraordinaire, mentor and friend.

Who was your favorite professor?

It's really a six way tie among four professors I've had in classes: Professor Steve Jarrett, Professor Michael Bennett, Dr. Mary Dalton and Dr. David Lubin; and two that I regretfully have not had in classes: Professor Max Negin and Professor Peter Brunette.

Did you study abroad?

I studied abroad at Casa Artom in Venice during the spring semester of my sophomore year. It's true what they say; put any 19 young individuals in a house together and you have "The Real World" insert name of city. All joking aside, that semester was one of my best, most memorable and most cherished. The entire four months fostered in me a deeper appreciation of perspective and a stronger sense of independence. Side-note: swimming in canal water does not turn your skin fluorescent nor does it require a hospital visit. So I've been told ...

What was your most meaningful extra-curricular experience?

My most meaningful experience spanned the course of two years with WAKE TV and the Reynolda Film Festival. No one meeting or film screening can take the front running position. Those two years of work, however, reached something of a personal pinnacle when a little boy in the audience at the animation and visual effects panel asked the speaker from Pixar when he was making the next Chronicles of Narnia film. He was literally beaming with a smile painted on his face from ear to ear. I would say his excitement and enthusiasm was infectious, as I'm sure it was for most of the audience, but exactly what he was displaying on the outside I was already feeling on the inside. I realized that the week's success was exactly what I had envisioned. It had nothing to do with attendance numbers or the clout of our speakers but everything to do with the festival's ability to touch its audience directly and indirectly through cinema.

What is your favorite memory of the last four years?

Perhaps this answer is presumptuous and premature on my part, but I have to say the Reynolda Film Festival, which I hope will become a long-standing Wake Forest tradition. Wake Forest has always loved film, and now it's back.

What will you miss most about Wake Forest?

This place, all of it, where it's acceptable to yell "Wake" and "Forest" in the middle of the library during finals week.

Words of advice for incoming freshmen ...

Patience is a virtue but, despite popular opinion, I do not believe that all good things come to those who wait. In fact, I think Abraham Lincoln said: "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." You hold the key to the next four years and, by extension, your life. So fear less and live more. Just open the door and breathe.

— Office of Creative Services
May 14, 2009