Higher education is an excellent opportunity to develop socially and academically; the experience of college can shape what the future holds. According to Junior Communication major, Alex Hagani, what you do in college is just as valuable as what you do after college. Hagani is the creator of a mockumentary television series, Boys to Men, that highlights the adventures of two roommates and their time spent here at UMass. The award-winning show has been wildly successful within the Communication Department and across campus, as its 48 minute pilot episode has over 2,500 views. Along with creating Boys to Men, Hagani is a director, producer, actor, editor and promoter of the show. The mini-series is a project that requires teamwork from other students, as the cast and crew is mostly comprised of fellow Communication majors at UMass. Hagani’s vision of Boys to Men turned into a reality, and has allowed dozens of students to get involved with the show, by utilizing and bringing out the best qualities of his peers.
Coming into college, Alex knew he wanted to pursue film. After deliberating between a film school in California and UMass, the New York City native decided that UMass was the school that would best suit his interests and goals with film. Western Massachusetts is quite the move from New York City, but upon arrival to campus, Hagani managed to make a home of his own at Cance Hall, in Southwest.
It all started with a RAP. RAP stands for Residential Academic Program; it’s a program where students who have some interest in a specific academic area or theme get to live on the same floor and take one class together. The RAP that Alex was a part of, located in Cance Hall, was for first year students interested in Communication. He believed that joining a RAP would be a great chance for him to really take ownership of his first-year experience. It was during this class time and time spent with his floormates that he knew he could make magic happen. One of the standout members of the Communication RAP in Cance Hall was Alex’s roommate, Ran Levgoren, a 23 year old student who was just starting school after serving for the Israeli military. Alex and Ran got along very well and filled their first weeks at UMass together with lots of shenanigans. It was their connection that sparked the initial idea for Boys to Men.
Hagani had the idea to make a mockumentary of their lives, but he had to be creative with the style of the show, as he didn’t necessarily have the freedom of versatility with tools or finances (after all, he was just a freshman in college). The filming approach that he took is similar to the style of Trailer Park Boys or The Office – minimalistic in terms of film technique, but very clever in content.
Along with optimizing students and tools at UMass, professors have had a large influence on the show. Alex took a 500-level course in Communication titled ‘Advanced Video Production Workshop,’ where Professor Kevin Anderson helped develop ideas and techniques for future episodes. In this class, Hagani had the opportunity to use the classroom and work alongside co-writers, Alexa Rockwell and Jill Webb, to create and edit the third episode of the show. According to Alex, “‘ Advanced Video Production Workshop’ was an unorthodox class that felt very professional.” The ability to network and collaborate in the school setting has been the general basis of the show and Hagani’s ethics.
Professor Anderson’s support lead to Hagani’s nomination for the Michael S. Roif Award in Film Studies for “Exceptional Creativity and Accomplishment presented to Undergraduate Certificate Students in the Interdepartmental Program in Film Studies.” Boys to Men came in second place.
Assistance from Amherst Media was huge for the show as well. As an intern for Amherst Media, Alex’s job is to continue making the show. He says that they wanted to help out with the show since the moment he walked in the doors.
While Alex is well known for his work with Boys to Men, he pursues Communication in other ways, too. Last year, Hagani starred in a proof of concept trailer for Running Embers. After being encouraged by Professor Kevin Anderson (the producer of the trailer and film) to audition, Hagani tried out for the role, and got it. The point of this trailer was to show what a movie would be like if the got proper funding for a feature-length film. He would film several days a week, early in the morning or late at night, for about two months. This experience helped Alex develop as an actor, as the filming was intense and emotional.
Hagani is currently working on a long term semester assignment for Professor Marty Norden’s class ‘Screenwriting.’ With the guidance from Professor Norden, Hagani has created a screenplay. He believes the class and Norden’s support has taught him new ways to write long-form stories. The original plan was for Hagani to study abroad to South Africa and make his screenplay come to life. Now, instead of South Africa, Hagani will be studying abroad in Australia next semester. He’ll be studying a full film program at the University of Technology, Sydney. Hagani is hoping to continue his screenplay somewhere in the future; perhaps Australia.
Alex is concerned about other’s pursuits. Empowerment from one student to another is the best way to show how care and compassion can promote a community. One of the strongest pieces of advice that Hagani has made is that “the puzzle piece of college is making everything work.” He can make this statement coming from the position as a team player. He wants to look back at his college career and do everything he could have possibly done, because college provides free time and opportunities to do anything. By working together with peers and professors, Hagani has managed to tailor his college experience to bringing out the best of himself, while bringing out the best of others.
Written by Emma Tavolieri