Alek Keshishian

Alek Keshishian (Armenian: Ալեք Գևորգի Քեշիշեան, born 30 July 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon) is an Armenian-American film and commercial director, writer, producer and music video director. He is best known for his 1991 film Madonna: Truth or Dare which was, until 2002, the highest-grossing documentary of all time.[1]

Alek Keshishian
Born (1964-07-30) 30 July 1964
Beirut, Lebanon
OccupationDirector, producer, writer
Years active1988–present

Biography

Early life

Alek was raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, in the US along with his sister Aleen by their Armenian parents Kevork and Cecile Keshishian.[2] His parents were frequently seen on segments of Chelsea Lately, known as 'Keeping Up with the Keshishians'. While he was a superb student of math and sciences, and his father wished Alek would follow in his footsteps in medicine, Alek's talent and passion for music, theatre, and dance was too strong. As a youngster, both he and his sister toured with the NH Children's Theatre, American Children's Theatre, and the "I Like the U.S. of A." National Touring Company.[3] While studying at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, where he graduated summa cum laude,[4] he quickly became one of the program's lead dancers. Before graduating from Harvard University, he co-produced the then 134-year Harvard tradition of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, becoming the first junior ever to do so.[5] The Hasty Pudding Show at Harvard has included Jack Lemmon and Fred Gwynne.[6]

Career

Keshishian's professional journey began straight out of college in Hollywood. He started as a music video director where he made clips for artists like Bobby Brown, Elton John[7] and Vanessa Williams.[7]

Madonna, who had viewed a VHS home recording of Keshishian's pop opera of Wuthering Heights at Harvard, unbeknownst to Alek, had asked her agents to send her everything he directed. When he was 26, Keshishian got a call from Madonna who asked him to direct the HBO special for her Blond Ambition World Tour.[8] Four days later, Keshishian travelled to Japan to shoot some backstage footage for the HBO special. Candid backstage footage captured in Japan, led Madonna to let him direct a feature-length documentary movie instead. Truth or Dare became the biggest grossing documentary of its time[9]

The Warner Bros. feature With Honors, starring Joe Pesci, Brendan Fraser, and Patrick Dempsey came next. It was the number one movie in America for the first two weeks of its release.

At age 29, Keshishian turned his back on Hollywood, and focused on photography and commercials instead, producing work for clients including Coca-Cola,[7] Peugeot,[7] Volkswagen,[7] Brut by Fabergé, Aprilia, Baileys, and Max Factor.[7]

Keshishian left London in 2006, after writing, directing and producing an indie comedy farce called Love and Other Disasters,[10] starring Brittany Murphy, Matthew Rhys, and Catherine Tate, which was a festival favorite and even opened the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Returning to the U.S., he directed commercials and special projects like Jennifer Aniston's two Smartwater[11] campaigns. He also directed the comedic shower shorts that featured Chelsea Handler with Sandra Bullock and fellow Harvard graduate Conan O'Brien.

Recently, Keshishian has been writing and developing two projects for David Fincher: one for TV called La Luna and the other a feature called Adult Services.[12]

Films

Music videos

References
  1. (31 March 2002). "How We Met: Alek Keshishian & Darren Hayes", The Independent, p. 7–8.
  2. Ararat Magazine, Volume 36, page 8
  3. Clayton, John F. (6 May 1991). "Tea With the 'Material Girl'". New Hampshire Union Leader. Manchester, New Hampshire. p. 4.
  4. Armenian International Magazine, Volume 2, page 44.
  5. Ararat Magazine, Volume 36, page 9
  6. Belluck, Pam (7 February 2002). "2 Harvard Students Accused of Embezzling From Theater Club". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  7. "Alek Keshishian".
  8. HOW `TRUTH` WAS TOLD WITH BACKSTAGE FOOTAGE Retrieved 15 December 2019
  9. (31 March 2002). "How We Met: Alek Keshishian & Darren Hayes", The Independent, p. 7–8.
  10. "Love and Other Disasters IMBD".
  11. "Jennifer Aniston Reveals All, Including Huge Triplets-Filled Belly, in Smartwater Ad".
  12. "Aniston's Family Ties and Other Disasters".
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