By Henry Johnson AB '18

In the #HWire blog's "Where Are They Now?" series, we check in with Harvardwood program alums to find out what they've been up to and to showcase their accomplishments since participating with Harvardwood! 

Alexandra Zimbler AB '10 is currently the VP of Film & TV Development at Michael Shamberg's MAS Production. She's also a Director and Producer whose short documentary Gisele et Georges won Best Short Documentary at the Independent Filmmakers Showcase. While a student at Harvard College, Alexandra was a VES concentrator and attended the Harvardwood 101 Wintersession program.

Q. How did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in film and television?

A. Here is a true, roundabout explanation. I have always loved storytelling, starting as a performer. During my childhood, my family lived in Russia where I figure skated with the Russian Ballet on Ice. We traveled around Russia and Poland performing winter shows like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. This was both exhilarating and terrifying. My favorite part was playing different characters, dancing to beautiful music, and getting lost in magical moments of make-believe.  

Eventually my family moved to England where I got into competitive ice dancing, skating with a male partner. We performed to classical music, and tried to convey emotional depth with our performances while giving the audience a great show. Inspired by films and theater such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Phantom of the Opera, we used their music in our skating programs.