Alex Hakobian was an American educator and filmmaker. He taught

video production Video production is the process of producing video content. It is the equivalent of filmmaking, but with video recorded either as analog signals on videotape, digitally in video tape or as computer files stored on optical discs, hard drives, SSDs, ...

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, California. The short films he produced with his students cumulatively won over 300 local, state, national, and international awards over the course of his career, including multiple CINE Golden Eagles and Student Emmys.Siegel, Sandy
“Teaching Movie-Making to Teens.”
''UCLA Magazine''. 15 Apr. 2009.Kriegel, Doug. ''KNBC News''. The Channel 4 News. NBC, Los Angeles. 2004.

Biography

Hakobian was born in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and immigrated to the United States to Fresno, California. He attended Roosevelt High School in Fresno where he played for the Roosevelt Rough Riders football team and starred in the school's 1964 theater production of '' The Curious Savage'' under the direction of Alice Merrill.“Character Actor to Make Bow in New MGM Flicker.”
''The Armenian Weekly'' oston, Massachusetts 15 Jan. 1970, p. 5. He enrolled at

Fresno City College Fresno City College (FCC or "Fresno City") is a public community college in Fresno, California. It is part of the State Center Community College District within the California Community Colleges system. Fresno City College operates on a semeste ...

, continuing his passion for acting through community theater and college productions. Hakobian began his career in the television industry at KJEO-TV, an

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, where he appeared in commercials for Anderson Ford, a local car dealership. His film debut came in 1970 with the MGM production '' Tick…Tick…Tick...'', directed by

Ralph Nelson Ralph Nelson (August 12, 1916 – December 21, 1987) was an American film and television director, producer, writer, and actor. He was best known for directing '' Lilies of the Field'' (1963), '' Father Goose'' (1964), and '' Charly'' (1968 ...

. Following his graduation from

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...

in 1972, Hakobian began collaborating with producer

Ivan Tors Ivan Tors (born Iván Törzs; June 12, 1916 – June 4, 1983) was a Hungary, Hungarian playwright, film director, screenwriter, and Film producer, film and television producer with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwat ...

. Hakobian continued to contribute to the industry as a gaffer for low-budget films and as a screenwriter for projects such as ''

The Forty Days of Musa Dagh ''The Forty Days of Musa Dagh'' () is a 1933 novel by Austrians, Austrian-Bohemian writer Franz Werfel based on events that took place in 1915, during the second year of the First World War and at the beginning of the Armenian genocide. The nove ...

'' in 1982. Hakobian began his teaching career in 1986 at Belvedere Middle School in

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

, where he taught film classes. In 1993, Hakobian joined the Grant High School Communications Technology

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as a full-time film teacher. During his time at Grant, the school's annual Film Night showcased the best student projects.Coca, Rick. “Students Learn Filmmaking at Grant Magnet: alley Edition” ''Daily News'' 12 Apr. 2006: VN3. ProQuest Hakobian collaborated with the

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to develop a framework for teaching through the arts. Hakobian's dedication earned him a Bravo Award nomination, presented by the

Los Angeles Music Center The Los Angeles Music Center (officially the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Located in downtown Los Angeles, The Music Center is composed of the Dorothy Chandler Pa ...

in 2006, for excellence in arts education.Sodders, Lisa M
“Valley Teachers in Running for Bravo Awards.”
''Los Angeles Daily News''. 27 Feb. 2006.

Video production program

The video production program that Hakobian developed at Grant was a rigorous and thoughtfully structured curriculum designed to nurture creativity and technical expertise while instilling a strong ethical foundation in filmmaking. Hakobian emphasized that storytelling was the heart of the process, requiring students to develop narratives with strong, positive themes before delving into the technical aspects of filmmaking. “First comes the story,” he explained, guiding each student to craft their own ideas and refine them collectively in a deliberate, collaborative process. The program itself was comprehensive, spanning three levels—beginning, intermediate, and advanced—and included five separate classes that allowed students to progress over their four years of high school. Beginning students focused on the technical foundations of filmmaking, including camera work, editing, and other essentials. As they advanced, students moved into story development, scriptwriting, and eventually production processes that mirrored professional filmmaking, albeit on a smaller scale. Hakobian's students were not only taught the mechanics of film production, but also the responsibility of being ethical storytellers, ensuring that their projects aimed to make a difference. This structured yet creative environment gave students a professional framework while fostering a sense of purpose and accountability in their work.''In Focus''. hosted by Alexandra Olivas and Brian Blakely, directed by Brian Heffron and produced by Tracey McGlover. KLCS-TV Channel 58 and Los Angeles Unified School District, 2001.

Teaching philosophy

Hakobian emphasized that filmmaking, like all art, should contribute meaningfully to society, even when exploring challenging or dark subjects. Hakobian encouraged students to create films with depth and meaning that could inspire, teach, or provoke thought. Hakobian would not allow his students to create films that glorified negativity, evil, or immorality. His teaching was deeply influenced by his collaboration with

. He often credited Tors’ work, specifically ''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges ...

'', alongside his mother's guidance, as formative in shaping his own values. The value of

persistence Persistence or Persist may refer to: Math and computers * Image persistence, in LCD monitors * Persistence (computer science), the characteristic of data that outlives the execution of the program that created it * Persistence of a number, a ma ...

was among the core ideas Hakobian wished to impart upon his students. "I want to teach completion; that if you don't complete something, you can't have success in anything," he explained. A sign in his classroom read, "If you don't have a goal, you won't reach it." His students’ work earned numerous awards and instilled in them a deep sense of accomplishment. At the 2009 Video in the Classroom Awards, he told students, “Winners finish what they start, and all of you here today have finished what you started. Your hard work and creativity have made you winners.”The 22nd Annual Video in the Classroom Awards. hosted by Chelsea Tavares, directed by Scott Weber, and produced by Richard Cochran and Robert Sharp, KLCS-TV and Los Angeles Unified School District, 2009. Hakobian also believed

the arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of m ...

were as vital to education as core subjects like math and science. He noted that many great scientists cultivated artistic talents, such as playing musical instruments. This holistic view underscored his philosophy that true education goes beyond rote academics to cultivate the emotional depth and critical thinking skills that come from artistic exploration.

References

External links

Dragonslayer Productions YouTube channel
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hakobian, Alex Schoolteachers from California Educators from Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles alumni People from Fresno, California Male actors from Fresno, California American male screenwriters 20th-century American educators 21st-century American educators