BIO

Alek Lev is a director, writer, producer, editor, podcaster, and nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter. (He has interpreted for three presidents, two Broadway shows, and one Beatle.) A few details:

FILM

In 2022, Glasshouse Distribution released WHAT?, a black-and-white silent feature-length comedy about a Deaf actor, tired of the disrespect and discrimination he faces in Hollywood, who decides to take matters into his own hands. Alek wrote, directed, and edited the film with a Deaf cast, Deaf cinematographer, Deaf crew, Deaf investors, and of course, a Deaf caterer. The film had its World Premiere in 2021 at Dances With Films in Los Angeles and played in 23 film festival across 9 countries, winning 20 awards, including: 4 for Best Picture, 4 for Best Actor, 3 for Best Director (Lev), and 3 Audience Awards. Learn more at the OFFICIAL WEBSITE and on IMDB. Watch the TRAILER.

Alek also co-starred in the film CONVENTIONEERS, which won the Independent Spirit Awards’s John Cassavettes awards for feature films under $500K (and wow, was it under $500K). He co-wrote the thriller DEVIL’S POND and wrote and directed READY OR NOT (2005), which his mother probably saw.

TELEVISION

From 2007 to 2011, Alek served as the New Media Director for the CBS hit television series, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. There, he produced dozens of behind-the-scenes features for the annual DVD releases. He also produced and edited 50 episodes of the show’s official podcast (see below) and if you don’t blink, you’ll see him as Todd Epstein on Season 1 Episode 20 “Best Prom Ever.” He kinda almost pulls Alyson Hannigan’s arm off. Alek also showed up in the cold opening of Episode 4 of Showtime’s I’M DYING UP HERE, and also on Episode 4 of CBS’ MIAMI MEDICAL. He hopes to appear on the 4th episode of many television shows to come.

MUSIC VIDEOS

Alek has edited three music videos for director Josh Radnor: LET ME BE YOUR GIRL by Rachael Yamagata (starring Allison Janney as a heartbreaking dancing clown), AFTERNOON by CINDERS, and BE LIKE THE BEING by Radnor and Lee.

ADVERTISING

CALIFORNIA CONNECT provides assistive telecommunications devices for individual with disabilities, and Alek recently directed and edited twenty story-based PSAs for the initiative. See the spots HERE.

PODCASTING

ARTS EDUCATORS SAVE THE WORLD
Producer / Co-Host
Dr. Erica Halverson, author of How the Arts Can Save Education sits down with artists and their mentors. Season 1 guests include: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Josh Radnor, Annaleigh Ashford, and more.

MEETING TOM CRUISE
Producer / Co-Host / Editor
Jeff Meacham (Black•ish) and Joel Johnstone (The Marvelous Ms. Maisel) love Tom Cruise. But they’ve never met Tom Cruise. So they are going to talk to some people who have, including Kevin Pollak, Dan Patrick, Anthony Anderson, and the one who made loving Tommy an art form, Rosie O’Donnell.

PRIVATE JOKE: THE OFFICIAL HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER PODCAST
Producer / Host
Straight from the production offices, behind-the-scenes of the classic sitcom. Guests included Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Will Forte, Nicole Scherzinger, Kyle MacLachlan, Jennifer Morrison, Bob Odenkirk, Ashley Williams, Martin Short, Chris Elliot, Abby Elliot, Cristin Milioti, Anna Camp, creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, and the great and deeply missed Bob Saget.

Also: TALKING BUSTER KEATON, THE OPEN SKY FITNESS PODCAST (Season 1), and THE SPEECHLESS PODCAST WITH ZACH ANNER, a freewheeling, behind-the-scenes look at the hit ABC sitcom Speechless, delving into the intersection of disability, entertainment, and everything in between.

THEATER

Alek graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in theater, and studied at the Professional Theatre School of The National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD). Upon graduation, he was hired by NTD to tour with their children’s theater, and has worked in Deaf/ASL theatre for the last 20 years. He acted with Deaf West Theatre in their productions of ROMEO AND JULIET and FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON, and later directed THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, performed in ASL and English with a mixed cast of Deaf and hearing actors. In 2023, he will co-direct ORPHEUS AND ERICA, an opera with a cast of Deaf and hearing actors for Victory Hall Opera in Charlottesville, Virginia.

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE / DEAF COMMUNITY

Alek is a certified NIC-MASTER, CI/CT ASL interpreter, and has been working in the Deaf community for 25 years. He trained at The Juilliard School’s Interpreting for Broadway course, and went on to interpret on Broadway for LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and TWELVE ANGRY MEN (he was six of the angry men). He has also interpreted for Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and yes, that was all very cool. Alek teaches several accredited workshops for interpreters, including Interpreting for Politics, Acting Tools for Terps, A History of the English Language and Why Interpreters Should Care, and The Language of Film. Check out more at Whole Lotta Workshops.

SILENT FILMS

The International Buster Keaton Society has been the central hub of Keaton enthusiasts for a quarter century, and Alek served for several years as a vice president, handling special projects. His proudest achievement is helping the society to fundraise for, design, and place a plaque marking the former location of The Buster Keaton Studios in Hollywood. (Check out the plaque and the dedication ceremony HERE.) Today, Alek sits on the board of Retroformat Silent Films, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles that screens silent classics and whose mission is to promote education and enthusiasm about the art of silent film.