Graduation was upon him and he was tossing around a few different career ideas that were focused on freelancing. Unsure exactly what he wanted to do, Alec Rizzo ’17 decided to stay in his home state of Connecticut and pursue what he really wanted to do: make films, of any kind, including documentaries.
He purchased his own equipment and began to freelance, jumping at any opportunity to gain experience behind the camera. He knew this would get him closer to his ultimate career path in film. After a year of freelancing after graduation, Rizzo landed a position as a production assistant for network content at WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) in Stamford, CT. The job has provided him with opportunities and travel he could have only imagined.
Over the past year or so, Rizzo has traveled all over the country to produce content for the WWE Network’s original programming, including WWE24, a series of documentaries that chronicle a WWE superstar. One afternoon, he was heading to lunch when his boss, Dan Pucherelli ’02, approached him.
“Hey, how do feel about traveling to Africa?” Pucherelli said. Without hesitation, Rizzo said yes, not only to gain experience, but also to embrace the opportunity to capture the culture, upbringing, and career of Kofi Kingston, WWE superstar and WWE champion at the time. The trip would be highlighted in the documentary WWE24 Kofi Kingston: The Year of Return, one of the many documentaries available on the WWE Network.
Rizzo’s first step was to get his passport as he had never traveled out of the country. The trip began on May 29, 2020, with an overnight flight to Africa.
Going to Ghana was a true homecoming experience for Kingston, his first visit back to his home country in 26 years, since leaving for the United States with his family as a child. With Kingston holding his first WWE championship title, it made for an even more dramatic return.
While in Ghana, the film crew traveled to many villages and cities, witnessing a hero’s welcome for Kingston at nearly every stop over the course of the four-day trip. Rizzo and the film crew documented the entire trip, including Kingston meeting the president and king of Ghana.
“I’d do it all again,” said Rizzo of the experience and knowledge he gained not only professionally but personally in learning about the culture and history of Ghana. Following Rizzo’s trip to Ghana, his position has taken him to Des Moines, IA, Charlotte, NC, Chicago, IL, and Houston, TX, just to name a few.
Rizzo knew before graduating from Marist that he wanted to be involved in filmmaking. “If you told me at graduation I’d be doing this, I’d say perfect, it’s exactly what I want to do. It didn’t happen right after graduation. I had to go and find it.”
He credits Marist for the internship opportunities and the hands-on classes that provided him with the skills and knowledge to “get out there” and freelance after graduation. More specifically, he recalls Jeff Bass’s class in Avid Media Composer, an industry standard for film and video editing. “I always had the confidence as soon as I got the camera in my hand that I’d be fine, I could do it, because of Marist.”
His freelance work provided him the opportunity at WWE, but ultimately, it was Marist that set the foundation he needed. “I don’t think anything I’ve done is significantly special or is out of reach for anyone at Marist right now. Anyone can do what I did and am doing. There’s so much to do and learn at WWE,” he said. “You have to want it and have the passion for what you want to do.”
Alec Rizzo ’17: On the Road with WWE Champions
