Reflecting on 2025: A Year of Worldbuilding

As the year comes to a close, I always find this stretch between Christmas and New Year’s to be a natural pause, an opportunity to look back at what’s been built, what’s still in motion and what I’m carrying forward. 2025 wasn’t about big announcements or finish lines. It was about momentum, collaboration, worldbuilding and continuing to show up across multiple creative lanes. Here are a few highlights from the year.

Alex at the beach in Carlsbad, CA with his sons, Aidan (left) and Ethan (right).

Alex in MA during his New England vacation.

Alex on Christmas with his sons, Ethan (left) and Aidan (right).

Creative Work & Storytelling/Worldbuilding

One of the more surreal moments this year was seeing Fig—the short film I wrote during my USC days and directed by Ryan Coogler—find a new audience years after its release. The film became the top-watched short on Kanopy, which was a powerful reminder that stories can have a long life beyond their initial moment. You can view it now on Kanopy: https://www.kanopy.com/product/fig

Fig listed under the most popular short films on the streaming service Kanopy.

On the writing front, my longtime screenwriting partner Matthew Breault and I completed a new feature-length thriller/sci-fi screenplay this year, while also polishing several other projects. Among them is our TV pilot Concierge—a former Script Pipeline TV winner—which had an especially strong year on the festival and contest circuit, most recently landing in the Top 15 Finalists of the Outstanding Screenplay TV Pilot Competition. It has quickly become our hot spec, and we’re excited about where it’s headed next.

Outstanding Screenplays announcement for Alex, Matt and Wynna (Lea) making the finals of the TV pilot contest.

This year also marked an important creative pivot for me: adapting our award-winning screenplay Jumpman into a nonfiction pop culture book, exploring Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto and the creative philosophy behind one of the most influential figures in gaming history. Expanding the project beyond the screenplay format has been both challenging and deeply rewarding, and I’m currently shopping the manuscript while continuing to refine it.

Jumpman poster.

HEARD and the Comic Book World

Heard continued to grow steadily this year. The four-issue arc is fully mapped out, with Issue #1 locked and subsequent issues moving through production. Along the way, the project was featured on the Splash Page of The Stunt List, which was both unexpected and incredibly encouraging.

Heard on the Stunt List's Splash Page.

In September, I attended LA Comic-Con with a press pass, promoting Heard and covering the event on behalf of Sun Hero Magazine. This year also marked an important professional milestone for me: I am now officially a copy editor, continuing my copy-editing and proofreading work for Sun Hero while expanding my editorial résumé and sharpening a different side of my storytelling craft.

Alex and his wife Lindsay posing with leaflets and flyers in the lobby at LA Comic Con.

Teaching, Mentorship and Professional Work

Alongside my creative projects, I continued teaching film courses at California Baptist University. In addition to my regular classes, I’ve regularly served as a committee faculty member overseeing student capstone films, helping guide projects from development through final delivery. Watching students bring their work across the finish line remains one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

Alex and his wife Lindsay posing at the CBU CAVAD end of semester student film showcase.

One of the most meaningful moments of the year came from a former student, Holly Soriano, who recently shared her own end-of-year reflections in a blog post celebrating several major career milestones. Holly was appointed as a script consultant for the Montana Film Commission Office and is now teaching herself—both huge accomplishments. In her post, she graciously cited her experience in my short film class at the East Los Angeles Occupational Center (formerly the East Los Angeles Skills Center), sharing her gratitude for the mentorship and training she received while I was her instructor. Reading her words and seeing how her career has flourished was genuinely moving. You can read Holly’s post here: https://hollysorianocom.wordpress.com/2025/12/17/behind-my-short-film-class-next-spring/

I also continued my freelance video production and editing work, contributing commercial and promotional projects for organizations including LARAEC and Los Angeles Unified School District.

Behind the scenes of one of many of Alex's commercial shoots.

Family Highlights

Outside of work, family was at the heart of the year. My wife Lindsay continued her incredible work as a school psychologist in RUSD, where she remains one of the most dedicated and respected professionals I know. Our two boys, Ethan and Aidan, both had big years of their own. Aidan started preschool, while Ethan began third grade this fall and stayed busy with basketball, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, swimming, piano and more. Aidan enjoyed swimming and gymnastics and embraced all the new experiences that come with being a little older.

Ethan at piano lessons.

Aidan practicing his gymnastics at home.

We made several memorable trips to Disney parks here in California and also traveled back to Boston and New England to spend time with hometown family and friends—time that felt especially meaningful in a year that moved quickly.

The Pickerings at Disneyland Park.

Alex with his sons, Ethan and Aidan, at Mayflower Beach in Cape Cod, MA.

Looking Ahead

As I head into the next year, my focus remains on continuing to build sustainable creative work across film, comics, teaching and editorial projects, while staying grounded in collaboration, curiosity and family. I’m grateful for the people I get to work with, the students I get to mentor and the stories that are still taking shape. I’m also carrying several new projects into 2026, including the early development of a fiction podcast, alongside new writing collaborations and long-form storytelling, worldbuilding and ideas that are just beginning to take shape. More to come on those soon.

Here’s to carrying that momentum forward!

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