Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
ALEX Z. MARTINEZ, Director
Bio
Alex Martinez is a Los Angeles-based writer-director known for his emotionally raw, character-driven films that channel the grit and honesty of American independent cinema. As the founder of Myzomi Productions, Alex crafts stories with a sharp eye for the struggles of overlooked communities and complex family dynamics. His latest feature, Solitaire, which he wrote and directed, explores themes of addiction, legacy, and redemption in a crumbling post-pandemic America. A former actor with deep roots in storytelling, Alex brings a fierce commitment to authenticity in every frame.
INFLUENCES
Alex draws deep inspiration from the raw emotional intensity of John Cassavetes, whose unflinching portrayals of human vulnerability helped define American independent film. He also credits the poetic minimalism of Abbas Kiarostami—the patience to sit with silence, to live fully inside a moment, and allow simplicity to become profound. From Wong Kar-wai, he draws a deep appreciation for mood: the color, tone, and emotional atmosphere that lingers long after the scene ends.
Alex is particularly drawn to stories that live in the gray—where loyalty, survival, and love collide in ways that defy easy answers. His work reflects a reverence for street-level storytelling, favoring lived-in dialogue, bruised characters, and vérité aesthetics that place the audience right in the room, breath to breath.
EXPERIENCE
Alex’s directing journey began in his early teens, shooting horror films with neighborhood kids on his family’s VHS camera. He later studied at ArtCenter College of Design, sharpening his storytelling through photography, illustration, production design, and painting.
He went on to build a successful producing career on top-rated unscripted shows like Deal or No Deal, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and Judge Judy, earning three Emmy Awards.
Alex deepened his directing instincts through a two-year Meisner program at the Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio and by acting in film, TV, and national commercials for brands like Supercuts, Vanguard, and 4imprint.
Drawing from this broad foundation, Alex brings a performance-driven, actor-focused approach to directing—grounded in authenticity and a keen visual sensibility.
RECENT FILM WORK
Solitaire, his most personal and ambitious work to date, follows a haunted ex-con confronting his family’s broken legacy in a dying town. Written and directed by Alex Z. Martinez, the film is a stripped-down, emotionally charged drama that deepens his exploration of generational trauma, survival, and love in hard places. Together, these works cement his commitment to uncompromising, independently made cinema.
RECENT SERIES WORK
Spanky, a gritty, award-winning festival favorite, dives into the rough-edged humor and quiet tragedy of fringe characters scraping for meaning on the margins. With its vérité style and lived-in performances, the series established Alex as a fearless chronicler of the human condition.