Alex Lo

Last updated
Alex Lo
UNCONDITIONAL Media Kit Alex Lo.png
Lo at the White House screening of UNCONDITIONAL
NationalityAmerican
Education Boston University (B.A.)
OccupationFilmmaker & Broadcast Journalist
Notable work Sky Blossom
UNCONDITIONAL
Website https://alexlotv.com/

Alex Lo is an American film and television producer. Lo rose to prominence with his Christopher Award winning producing debut, Sky Blossom (2021), released theatrically nationwide through a community partnership of Universal Pictures and AMC Theatres. [1] Lo's other producing credits includes the documentary feature UNCONDITIONAL (2023), which was screened at the White House by First Lady Jill Biden, and for Members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol. [2]

Contents

Lo is also a journalist, currently with NBC News, covering breaking stories and contributing to NBC's TODAY, NBC Nightly News , MSNBC, and NBCNews.com. [3]

Along with his film and journalism careers, he has promoted humanitarian causes including workplace inclusion, bystander intervention, and caregiver advocacy. [4]

Early life and education

Lo was first exposed to television production at a summer camp for middle-school youth held at public-access station KMVT 15 in Silicon Valley. There, he learned the behind-the-scenes basics of producing, directing, and operating control room equipment. [5] Lo went on to volunteer on many of KMVT 15's programs as a middle and high schooler, including interviews with Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak and LinkedIn Co-founder Konstantin Guericke. [6] [7] In 2013, he was named the station's Volunteer of the Year. [8]

Lo attended Cupertino High School where he was president of the school's FIRST Robotics Competition club, creating opportunities for youth in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). [9]

Lo attended Boston University, one of twenty in his class to earn a full-tuition Trustee Scholarship and majoring in International Relations and Economics. [10] [11]

Career

Sky Blossom (2021)

Lo's debut film was the $3.1M documentary with director Richard Lui, Sky Blossom . The film profiled five children across the United States who are caregivers for their disabled military veteran parents or grandparents. [12] Lo was inspired to produce the film after caregiving for grandparents on both sides of his family with Alzheimer's. [1]

The film became the most-widely distributed documentary of 2021, with Lo leading negotiations with major distributors. [13] The film was released theatrically in all 50 states through a community partnership of AMC Theatres and Universal Pictures. The film premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with a drive-in theater event on Veterans Day 2020. [14] The film was later broadcast on MSNBC and PBS World Channel, and released onto the streaming service Peacock. [15] Variety magazine named the film as a shortlist contender for the 2021 Academy Awards, and with the film qualifying for Oscar and Grammy awards. [16]

UNCONDITIONAL (2023)

UNCONDITIONAL, the second film produced by Lo,  profiles three families over seven years as they explore how mental health can be a source of hidden wounds and hidden strengths. [17]

Lo and Director Richard Lui, along with the film's subjects, were invited by First Lady Jill Biden to screen the film at the White House Family Theater. [2] Lo told reporters that he remembered learning about the White House's movie theater as a child, and that it was "unbelievable" for a film of his own to be screened there. [1]

The film held its World Premiere at Universal Studios Hollywood on May 2, 2023. It is the most widely distributed documentary of its year to be produced by Lo. It was released in major markets by a community partnership of AMC Theatres, Universal Pictures and Deluxe, and broadcast on MSNBC as the top-rated program in its time slot. [18]

The film was also screened at the United States Capitol for Members of Congress, with Lo delivering closing remarks alongside Lui and Executive Producer Jamie Nguyen following comments from fellow journalists including Juju Chang, Lisa Ling, and Vicky Nguyen. [19]

Humanitarian work

In 2023, Lo contributed to the Advisory Panel of Inclusion@Work, launching a series of workplace DEI reports at Davos during the World Economic Forum. [20]

Lo also collaborated with Wells Fargo, AARP, and civil rights groups Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Right to Be to produce a series of animated videos on bystander intervention. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Alum-Produced Documentary Screens at the White House". Boston University. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  2. 1 2 House, The White (2023-05-10). "Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Film Screening at the White House of Unconditional: When Minds Hurt, Love Heals". The White House. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  3. ↑ "Maine woman punches bear that chased her dog; bear bites back". NBC News. 2023-07-02. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  4. 1 2 "New Bystander Intervention Animated Videos Show Methods Everyday People Can Do to Fight Rise in Hate Incidents | Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC". www.advancingjustice-aajc.org. 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  5. ↑ Intern, Adrienne Mitchel/Town Crier Editorial (2022-01-26). "Media education has evolved, but the studio experience endures". Los Altos Town Crier. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  6. ↑ "Interview with Mr. Steve Wozniak Co-Founder Of Apple Computer". Give It a Name with Jennylyn. September 2011. KMVT.
  7. ↑ "The Importance of Networking". The Silicon Valley Entrpreneur. March 2011. KMVT.
  8. ↑ Report, Los Altos Town Crier Staff-Town Crier (2014-01-15). "MV Chamber of Commerce honors community leaders". Los Altos Town Crier. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  9. ↑ "Robotics Team Mentor Helps South Bay Students Engineer Success - CBS San Francisco". www.cbsnews.com. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  10. ↑ "Trustee Scholarship | Admissions". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  11. ↑ "Econ major Alex Lo produces documentary on caregiving that is screened at the White House | Economics". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  12. ↑ "New documentary highlights young veteran caregivers of color". NBC News. 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  13. ↑ Lui, Richard (2021). Enough About Me. HarperCollins/Zondervan. pp. 64–65. ISBN   978-0310362395.
  14. ↑ Kurtz, Judy (2020-11-10). "New doc from MSNBC's Richard Lui examines young Americans who care for disabled family members". The Hill. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  15. ↑ Roku. "Roku". Roku. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  16. ↑ "2021 Oscars Best Documentary Feature Predictions - Variety". 2020-10-08. Archived from the original on 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2023-09-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ↑ "Docs: "Unconditional" Spotlights the Heartrending Difficulties of Caregiving". Golden Globes. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  18. ↑ "Saturday, May 27 Scoreboard: Fox News, CNN Average Same Number of Adults 25-54 in Primetime". www.adweek.com. 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  19. ↑ "AAJA Picks Texas for 2024 Convention – journal-isms.com". 2023-07-24. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  20. ↑ "Inclusion@Work: Black Americans 2023" (PDF). Inclusion@Work.
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