Finding Her Calling Behind the Camera

There have been so many students who have attended one of our classes, read The Roaring Lambs book, served as a student intern, or perhaps attended one of our workshops. Alexa Campbell is one of those students who attended a class, read the book, and participated in our 2019 workshop. We recently had a chance to catch up with Alexa, who is very involved in her film career.

You grew up about as far from the entertainment industry as you can get. What first pointed you toward this path?

My dad farmed, my mom homeschooled me, and Carmi, Illinois had one stoplight. I always loved art, film, and music, but Los Angeles and New York felt impossibly far away. Nashville was only four hours from home, and I'd grown up loving country and Christian music, so it felt like a place I could actually belong.

Did you ever wrestle with choosing between Christian music and the mainstream world?

I did, but a sermon I heard as a teenager changed everything. My pastor talked about “circles of influence” — that Christians are called into business, politics, education, and yes, entertainment and media, not just the church. That sermon stands out in my memory more than almost any other. I didn't feel called to work inside a church, but I thought, maybe there's more impact I can have by working in a world I already know — a world full of people who don't yet know Jesus.

How did your career actually begin?

As a tour photographer, first with a smaller artist, riding in a van, sleeping in cheap hotels, doing it all again the next day. Later, with bigger artists, it was the tour bus. I was often the only woman on the road, but everyone was kind, and it taught me how an artist's world really works — how they want to be seen, and what it takes to help them get there.

And that dream to direct became real when you pitched Carly Pearce a music video idea.

I'd directed one short film in college and knew immediately I wanted to do this for life. While on the road with Carly, I learned why she'd written a particular song and was there when she recorded it. Almost for fun, I wrote a full treatment for a video. When her assistant asked about my biggest goal that year, I said I wanted to direct a video for Carly — and that I already had the idea written out. Carly asked to hear it, loved it, and said yes on the spot. The label had understandable doubts, since I'd never directed anything close to that scale. I just believed in the idea and rode that confidence all the way through. That video launched my directing career.

A few years later you won a CMT Award for a video with Carly. Tell us about that night.

I wasn't even sure I'd be invited — with the CMT Awards, only the artist decides who comes along. Carly's manager called a couple of days before and said she wanted to fly me out, “just in case,” so we could all have a fun dinner. I expected nothing more than that. About an hour before the show, Carly told me that if we won, she wanted me on stage with her. I almost said no — that moment felt like it should be hers alone. But Carly has always honored the songwriters, directors, and creatives who help her tell her story. When they announced we'd won, everything slowed down and then sped up all at once. That she'd use her moment on national television to talk about my career instead of just her own — I still can't thank her enough for that.

You've worked on both country and Christian projects, like Anne Wilson's music. How do you choose what to do?

If a project aligns with my values, I'll pursue it, whether it's country or Christian music — and there are things in both worlds I'll say no to. I try to pray about everything and only move forward if I feel peace and a sense that it's a “yes” from God, no matter what it is.

What would you tell someone still searching for their place in the world?

Know who you are before you listen to everyone else's opinion of who you should be. I've heard every reason I supposedly shouldn't succeed as a director — because I'm a woman, because of how I look, because my voice is too quiet. I take it all to God in prayer and try to focus on what I believe He's asking of me, and honestly, what I want too — I think those can go hand in hand. You will never feel fully ready or fully prepared. Don't be afraid to try and fail. That's usually how you find out what you're actually good at.

What's next for you?

I'd love to make a documentary about women in country music — the resilience it takes to get a record deal after years of being told no, and the vulnerability of putting your real life into a song and hoping it gets played. I've also wrestled with a question I want to explore on camera: what does it look like for a woman of faith to pursue a demanding career like this one? Artists like Dolly Parton, Anne Wilson, and Carly have been examples to me, and I'd love to sit down with women like them and figure it out together.

If we could encourage people to pray for you, how should they pray?

I would ask for prayers for clarity from God about what I'm supposed to make, a clear filter for my work so I never send the wrong message, and the courage to pursue exactly what He has for me — even if it looks different than what I've planned.

Barry@BrinerInstitute.org

James@BrinerInstitute.org

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