ALEX AALTO

“You have to be a bit mad to do this job.” Alex Aalto, the Finnish-born founder of Aalto Production, has built his career on instinct, an ability to bring people together, and energy. Not a coffee drinker, his energy levels don’t seem to need it in accordance with his “impulsiveness, dynamism, and decisiveness.” However, balanced with a noticeably warm manner, such focus and momentum pair nicely for the business of managing the egos and unpredictability of production.

Words by Christiana Boules. Portraits by Edwin S Freyer.

Established in London in 2018, Aalto Production has mined international markets away from the obvious locations. “I follow opportunities when they appear naturally,” he says. With offices in Hong Kong, Cairo, and most recently, Dubai, new branches have emerged through opportunity and encounter, rather than a grand strategy. “It was always in my heart to make a truly international production company,” he adds.

Hiring his first employee showed him how much more he could achieve with support. This year, in particular, his approach to recruitment became central to the expansion strategy: “I’m very picky,” he jokes. “It’s very much personality and the right attitude first.” Matching a team member with the setting, he seized an opportunity and opened an office in Dubai. With a team across London, Hong Kong, Cairo and Dubai, each member’s skills are deliberately varied. “There’s a difference between being a hard worker and a smart worker,” he says, explaining how he pairs people to projects according to their strengths.

Growing up partly in Finland, partly in Tenerife, his family were keen travellers. From early on, he felt certain that he would one day live abroad and in multiple places. Even now, he arrives in a new city and approaches it as a potential resident rather than a tourist. Not overly preoccupied with the names on the map, he focuses more on what the place has to offer — an important deciding factor for his business.

“Nobody grows up dreaming of becoming a producer,” he jokes. “I was supposed to be something smart, like a doctor or a lawyer.” Book-smart and academic, he was eventually drawn to the arts thanks to his teacher at school. Noticing that he was “hopeless” at painting and sketching, they handed him a camera, igniting his passion for photography.

At 16, he went to art school, and at 18, he worked as a photographer’s assistant. Two years later, he relocated to Australia, working as a studio factotum, in styling, retouching, and photography.

He first considered production as a serious career option when he came to the UK at the age of twenty-two. “I came to the UK thinking I knew a lot,” he recalls, “but I realised I knew nothing.” At Big Sky Studios, he was initially offered the role of assistant, but he wouldn’t settle for less than a manager’s position. Within a year of starting at the company, he was overseeing twenty employees despite lacking management experience. Aware of the jump in responsibility, he reflects, “authority at that age is not easy.”

Momentarily tired of London, a commission in Hong Kong pulled him further afield. Shooting an editorial for Prestige magazine, he saw the appetite for production work outside the industry’s traditional capitals. The real turning point came in Cairo. He had first visited Egypt at eighteen, but it was only after extended projects in Morocco that he returned to Egypt in 2024 and felt the city’s pull. “Once you know how to work in Cairo, you can work anywhere,” he says. Now established in the city, Alex believes that its growing fashion industry signals how rapidly the market is developing there. From Cairo, projects in the Gulf followed, and Dubai soon after.

Multiple bases require continuous recalibration and prioritisation. Hong Kong moves at a brisk, efficient pace where six meetings in a day are unremarkable. Cairo thrives on improvisation and spontaneity. The efficiency and convenience of Dubai, he says, feels like Hong Kong two decades ago— “A la la land – absurd but full of possibility,” and London remains his safe haven. Each city offers its own tempo, and Alex’s biggest challenge is knowing how to split his time.

Mainly between London and Cairo, the demand for work dictates the rhythm of his movements. Further expansion feels inevitable, with Paris and Saudi Arabia the most likely candidates, but he is wary of moving too fast: “Some production companies have grown too fast.” His broader aim is to see Aalto Production become the most recognised company in each of its bases. With a particular focus on being the front-runner in the Middle East and Europe, the company intends to serve as a cultural exchange between the two, promoting new talent and facilitating opportunity.

Editorial work, in his eyes, keeps the company “fresh and relevant”, but the business relies on commercial campaigns. Recent clients include Abu Dhabi’s tourism board, Cartier, and Flannels. What he values most, however, is the trust that has been built along the way. Recently completing six stories within a two-week time frame for Vogue Arabia, Aalto Production is now trusted with challenging briefs. “One person can say you’re good and it might mean nothing,” he reflects. “When ten people say it, there must be something.” Every client so far has returned, and now he wants to be the person to recommend others. “People always remember a favour,” he says — An apt note for an industry built on reputation and enduring relationships.

This Industry Voice piece is part of The Cinema Issue 15. Purchase your copy here.