Alex Lane Talks ‘DRAGN,’ Indie Filmmaking War Stories and the Philosophy Behind His Production Company Puma in a Tank
…We believe that we can influence people’s lives for the better that way. As creatives, we want to make projects that have a socially relevant theme that can address issues and hopefully help people in various parts of the world.
If there’s only one thing I would suggest, it’s to see how you can be of value to society. In today’s world, between the screens that distract us, the news bombarding us with negativity, and financial pressures, it’s sometimes hard. We all have moments where we think, “Wow, this is a tough world to live in,” and it is. That can put you in a very self-centered space. But when you open yourself up to being of service to other people, you not only increase your potential to actually help, but it also makes your own life more fulfilling. I’m still learning, and I know I’ll be learning until the day I die. As long as the journey goes on, there are always going to be new learning experiences. Be of service and keep learning…
I had the pleasure of talking with Alex Lane, a man whose life story reads a bit like a map of the modern world. He didn’t just wake up one day in the hills of Hollywood with a script in his hand. Instead, his path was a long, winding road that started in Russia, moved through the quiet streets of Belgium, and eventually landed in the neon glow of Los Angeles. Lane calls himself a “multicultural fellow,” and you can hear that global perspective in the way he talks about his work. He grew up in a Russian-Ukrainian family, an upbringing that he says “definitely not only has shaped my worldview, but actually fortuitously clicks into the immensely interconnected world that we live in today.”
When he first arrived in LA, Lane wasn’t looking to be the guy behind the scenes. He was chasing the dream of being in front of the camera. But as he studied the greats, he found himself drawn to the bones of the story. He realized he needed to understand the mechanics of the stage and the page. “I ended up doing theater and understood that I needed to learn how to write,” he told me, looking back on those early days when the hunger to create outweighed the need for a paycheck.
His entry into the professional world was anything but glamorous. Like many who come to the city of dreams, he had to pay his dues in the trenches of commercial work. His first big break wasn’t a starring role in a blockbuster, but a PlayStation commercial directed by a man who would eventually go on to win an Oscar. Lane remembers those early days with a grounded sense of humor. “Haha, man, I was so green,” he admitted. After the commercials came the “long haul” of B-movies and C-movies. While some might look back on those projects with embarrassment, Lane sees them as his true education. He believes you learn just as much from the projects that fail as the ones that fly. By apprenticing under people who had achieved more than he could “ever dream of,” he began to see the full spectrum of what makes a film good or bad.
This grit and determination eventually led him to form his own production company with a name that catches people off guard: Puma in a Tank. When I asked about the origin of the name, he explained that pumas are “very emotion-fueled and very energetic,” while tanks are “not known for surrendering.” It’s a metaphor for how he views his mission in the industry. He wants to be a vessel for “strong emotional journeys to pierce through the blockages of a world that is often not receptive to emotion.” It’s a bold stance in an industry that often feels like it’s run by spreadsheets and algorithms.
Lane has no shortage of stories from the front lines of indie filmmaking, some of which sound like urban legends. He told me about a time they were shooting an ultra-low-budget film in Malibu and the legendary Anthony Hopkins, who lived nearby, wandered onto the set. Hopkins ended up shooting a full day of improvised scenes just for the fun of it. But in a classic Hollywood twist, the legal teams stepped in and blocked the footage from being used. It was a hard lesson in the “blockages” of the business. Even more bizarre was a time Lane showed up to a set where the director was literally hiding behind pillars, too afraid to look the actors in the eye. “He was communicating via walkie-talkie with the DP, but he was afraid to actually see the actors himself,” Lane recalled. These moments taught him that you have to be careful who you build a team with, a philosophy he now carries into his own company.
His latest big swing is a film called DRAGN, a sci-fi project that doubles as a cautionary tale about the very real world of autonomous AI warfare. Lane wasn’t just an actor in this one; he was a producer and a rewriter who had to step up when the original writers were pulled away by other contracts. It was a massive undertaking, filmed in Serbia on a tight 17-day schedule. Lane is clearly proud of the film’s message, noting that “if you’re invested in the survival of the world we live in today, but you don’t want to be lectured, then DRAGN is a perfect film for you.” He wants the audience to feel the tension of an AI drone that views a battlefield as a game rather than a place of human suffering.
Despite the high-stakes world of international film financing and AI thrillers, Lane tries to keep his feet on the ground. He’s a fan of boxing and tennis. He finds peace in nature, recommending the Grand Canyon for anyone who needs to remember what it’s like to be without a cell signal. It’s this balance of intensity and reflection that seems to drive him. He’s already looking toward the future with a project called Speak Up, a thriller about the silencing of women as a core issue. For Lane, the ultimate goal isn’t just to be successful, but to be of service. “When you open yourself up to being of service to other people,” he said, “you not only increase your potential to actually help, but it also makes your own life more fulfilling.” In a town known for its ego, Lane is trying to keep his focus on the work and the people around him.
Yitzi: Alex Lane, it’s so nice to meet you. Before we dive in deep, our readers would love to learn about Alex Lane’s personal origin story. Can you share the story of your childhood, how you grew up, and specifically the seeds for all the amazing work that has come since then?
Alex: It’s been a journey, that’s for sure. I actually am a multicultural fellow, and I think this reflects in the work. I was born in Russia to a Russian-Ukrainian family, and then we moved to Belgium where I grew up. Then I moved to LA to pursue the lovely craft that I’m doing right now, except that I was pursuing primarily in-front-of-the-camera work. Because of the people I studied with, I was exposed to some really wonderful literature and plays. I ended up doing theater and understood that I needed to learn how to write. That’s been, in short, my journey. I’m very grateful for having had those experiences growing up in different cultures and countries. I think it definitely not only has shaped my worldview, but actually fortuitously clicks into the immensely interconnected world that we live in today.
Yitzi: Could you tell us a bit about how you first entered the entertainment industry? Tell us about your first breaks and your first projects.
Alex: Haha, man, I was so green. Theater aside, my first big gig was a commercial for PlayStation, of all projects. It was directed by a really wonderful director who has since won an Oscar for one of his works. My first experiences were primarily commercials, to be honest. Then there was a long haul of me just trying to get any work that I could, which meant a lot of B films or C films, however you prefer to label them. Honestly, it was all a great learning experience. Going through that simultaneously as I was apprenticing as a writer was actually a really great combo, because you learn just as much from films that are not working as you do from films that are working. If you have the chance to also apprentice under other people that have done so much better than you can ever dream of, you kind of just see the whole spectrum of what something good is and what something less good is, and how you can strive for something you can be proud of.
Yitzi: What’s the story behind the name of your company Puma in a Tank?
Alex: Haha. Pumas are wild cats — very emotion-fueled and very energetic — and tanks are not known for surrendering. That’s basically who we are. We are a vessel for strong emotional journeys to pierce through the blockages of a world that is often not receptive to emotion and strong messages. That’s how Puma in a Tank came about. We love the name, and it’s been fun hearing people’s reactions to it. What was your reaction to the name?
Yitzi: I knew what a Puma was, but I assumed a tank was like a fish tank. In the sense that a television is almost like seeing this powerful creature inside of a fish tank. That was my thought.
Alex: That’s a super cool visual. That’s the cool thing about the name of the company: it gives people different visuals. For a transmedia company, having a name that gives people different visuals is awesome. What else can we ask for?
Yitzi: You probably have some great stories from all the different projects you’ve been on and different places you’ve been, and I’m sure this is hard to single out. Can you share with our readers one or two stories that stand out in your mind about your career?
Alex: That’s a good question. The first one that actually taught me something about the industry was when we were doing a very ultra-low-budget film. We were shooting it in Malibu, and Anthony Hopkins, who happened to live in the neighborhood, found out about this production. He actually popped in and shot a day of improvised scenes. However, his team would not allow for those scenes to be used. At the end of the day, that footage was not included. But that was a first foray into realizing that even if the actor wants to participate, there are other potential blockages that can come up. We’re not even talking about negotiating for something — he actually showed up, shot it, and we still couldn’t use it. That was a long time ago. That’s story one.
Story two, I cannot tell you which project it’s on because I don’t want to put anyone under the gun. I booked a job because one of my shorts played at festivals and caught the attention of a director, who then gave me a small but really fun role in a comedy he was doing. I came in mid-shoot, and there were some very recognizable names in the cast. It’s the day of shooting, we get to the location, and I can’t see the director anywhere. I just see the camera and the DP. I asked the guys what was going on, and they said he was scared. I noticed that the director was hiding behind pillars, communicating via walkie-talkie with the DP, but he was afraid to actually look the actors in the eye himself. That was a very interesting experience, which I’ll never forget. We actually ended up directing ourselves and improvising, and it became one of the funniest scenes in the movie. It was a real privilege just to be able to improvise, but it also taught me that you have to be really careful who the director is. Obviously, as you’re working your way up, it’s not always a choice — you’re lucky to land any job, truly, because you get discarded so much. But that was a very interesting lesson. There have been another instance or two like this which have clearly shaped how I approach team building for anything that we do at our company, Puma In A Tank.
Yitzi: There’s a saying that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story where you made a silly mistake and then learned a lesson from it?
Alex: I’ve made so many mistakes on this journey. I think the main mistake I made early on was when I was very fortuitous to start booking work, I thought it was just going to continue. And it didn’t. That’s the biggest thing that I’ve learned on this journey: you don’t take anything for granted. You do your best, try to have a positive effect on people, and be a team worker. Filmmaking is a team effort. Because of various shows or interviews, people often assume that there’s this one person who just does it all. It’s just not the case. Even on our film that we shot on a tiny budget in 17 days, we had over 100 people on the set. You have to get blessed with the weather, you have to get blessed with finding the financing, and then you have to have all these people that are bringing it day in day out. So the biggest mistake I made is taking certain things for granted. But to be honest, I was just learning my way and trying to understand the industry. If there’s only one piece of advice I can ever give — even though there are much more competent people to give advice than me — I would always suggest to anyone, whether they are an actor, writer, or director entering the industry, to learn the business side as well. You have to understand how the business operates and your place in it, so that you’re always clear on how you’re contributing to the team.
Yitzi: There’s another saying that a “no” is not a rejection, but a redirection. Do you have a story like that where you got a “no” to an opportunity, but it led to an unexpected success or blessing?
Alex: I’ve gotten so many no’s. Let’s see. We have a series that we’re very actively developing, called Thieves in Law. It’s been a really long journey… It’s something I co-created with my writing partner, Josh Berman, and something that our company is going to be producing. Early on through the development phase, I didn’t know much about the process. I ended up having an opportunity to sit down with a very well-known showrunner who had a multitude of shows on the air at the time. He had read our series and very kindly made time to meet me because he really liked the material. He told me he couldn’t take it on for a variety of reasons, but that “no” came with some amazing advice. He said, “Look, even I, who have five shows on the air, if I go pitch something, I don’t only have a script. I have a director attached, I have a star attached, I have other creatives attached. So that when I walk in the room, I’m bringing a ton of value to what I’m pitching.” “No” is the favorite word of most executives because it takes away the responsibility of having to make it. To me, that was the most valuable “no” that I ever got. It ended up leading to years of development and building out a team that can be pitched to executives. We’re in the final stages now, just one element away from actually being able to take it out to that level. That was a very valuable no.
Yitzi: What’s been the most challenging project or role you’ve taken on so far, and why?
Alex: I think DRAGN, in a way. I was very fortunate to be one of the key producers on it. As we progressed through development, I became a rewriter. Our key writers, who are geniuses and super well-known novelists, were contractually obligated to go back to the novels they were due to deliver, or they would get in trouble. So I became a rewriter. Then there was the whole journey of building that out in a country I’ve never been to. We were blessed with Peter Weber, our director, who was a great source of guidance and a great creative partner to work with constantly. There were a lot of challenges. The interesting thing I learned about making a sci-fi film is that what’s on the page doesn’t always translate the same way onto the screen. There are a lot of things you need to anticipate. For instance, we underestimated the amount of VFX shots we would need. When we had our first finished film, we realized we could actually add a certain layer that would make it more interesting, which required more VFX. That meant we had to go back and fundraise for those shots. Luckily, Kojo Studios, who did the VFX, were very gracious with the way they charged us, and their commitment to the project was extreme. Having to be the producer, writer, and an actor for the first time on a feature film, working with people like Peter Weber and a really great cast — James Paxton, Lilly Krug, Carlos Bardem, Alice Pagani, Franz Drameh and Jadran Malkovich — you realize you have a very big responsibility to deliver. These are all people who are very respected in their countries. Obviously, I also had a responsibility towards my producing partners, Oleg Shardin and Georgia Witkin. They are both highly respected in their fields; Georgia is a legend in the world of psychology, and Oleg in the tech industry. That was a great test.
Yitzi: Now that we’ve spoken about DRAGN, let’s get into it. Please tell our readers why they really have to watch DRAGN.
Alex: If you’re invested in the survival of the world we live in today, but you don’t want to be lectured, then DRAGN is a perfect film for you. It’s a sci-fi flick that pays homage to the movies of the ’80s, except we didn’t have the budget of those movies. At the same time, it addresses something very timely that is in the news every day right now: the issue of AI regulation by the US government and its highly questionable use in warfare. When we made the movie in Serbia, we consulted with people making these drones. One of the things that kept things optimistic for us is that they said the governments have to approve what they’re building and how it’s being used. As long as the governments are wise about that usage, we’re all fine. However, watching the news right now, there is a chance that might change. If that changes, it becomes a dangerous thing. That being said, DRAGN is just a fun ride. It’s a cautionary tale of where things go if a drone is fully AI-autonomous and is activated incorrectly, as is the case in our film. I think it’s a very timely cautionary tale. Hopefully, people who like video games can also enjoy it, because we wanted to give it that gaming experience. For an AI drone, the battlefield is a game; it’s not a soldier with feelings.
Yitzi: I think it’s very timely. I think that’s the main dispute between Anthropic and the defense department. One of the issues was that Anthropic didn’t want their AI to be involved with autonomous projects.
Alex: Yeah, exactly. Let’s see if our cautionary tale comes across and people take notice of that. If our film serves in any way to be helpful to that cause, that would be amazing.
Yitzi: This is the centerpiece of our interview. Alex, you’ve been blessed with a lot of success, and you must have learned a lot from your experiences. Looking back to when you first started acting, writing and being involved in the industry, can you share five things that you’ve learned over the years that would have been nice to know when you first started?
Alex: Always stay open. Always work on serving the story. A “no” can lead to a great “yes.” Your creative path is in your hands; you have to create your way because no one is going to do it for you. And the fifth one: enjoy it. Time goes fast, life is fleeting, and if you’re not enjoying it and learning in the process, there’s really no point in doing it and you might as well go do something else.
Yitzi: Great. Beautiful. Can you share some of the self-care routines that you do to help your body, mind, and heart to thrive?
Alex: Well, I don’t want to be like a preachy LA guy, but honestly, I love sports. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed. I play tennis. I’ve been playing it since I was little. It doesn’t mean I’m a great tennis player, but I can manage and I just enjoy the challenge of it, because tennis is one of those things you never fully master. I also box. Especially when you’re doing production work, a lot of stress builds up, and for me, boxing is a really great release. I also enjoy stretching, running, and nature walks. I love hiking. For me, one of the best things to do is to go on a road trip where I can go hiking. I highly recommend anyone go and hike the Grand Canyon if you can. That’s the best self-care routine, because there’s no cell phone reception there. It’s just you and nature. I highly recommend it.
Yitzi: Amazing. Unbelievable. Okay, this is our final aspirational question. Alex, because of your amazing work and the platform that you’ve built, it’s not an exaggeration to say that you’re a person of enormous influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? Because you never know what your idea can spread.
Alex: I can share with you what we’re doing at our company, because we believe that we can influence people’s lives for the better that way. On our end, as creatives, we want to make projects that have a socially relevant theme that can address issues and hopefully help people in various parts of the world. If there’s only one thing I would suggest, it’s to see how you can be of value to society. In today’s world, between the screens that distract us, the news bombarding us with negativity, and financial pressures, it’s sometimes hard. We all have moments where we think, “Wow, this is a tough world to live in,” and it is. That can put you in a very self-centered space. But when you open yourself up to being of service to other people, you not only increase your potential to actually help, but it also makes your own life more fulfilling. At least, that’s what I find to be the case, despite the fact that I work in an entertainment industry which is not generally known for selflessness. I’m still learning, and I know I’ll be learning until the day I die. As long as the journey goes on, there are always going to be new learning experiences. Be of service and keep learning. If we want to boil it down, that would be it.
Yitzi: Amazing. Unbelievable. How can our readers watch the film? How can our readers continue to follow your work, and how could they support you in any possible way?
Alex: I’m very grateful that they would even consider it. Our film, DRAGN, is coming out tomorrow, March 6th, in LA and New York in select theaters. Then it’s coming out March 17th on ScreamboxTV via Cineverse. My Instagram handle is @filminglane, and our company website is pumainatank.com. If they go to pumainatank.com, they can see the upcoming projects we have. We’re shooting a very socially relevant film this summer — a commercial thriller called Speak Up that deals with the serious theme of women being silenced. We’re working with Picture Motion on that, and they are engaging with a lot of NGOs on the topic. We’re very much looking forward to it because we feel a strong responsibility to deliver on a serious issue that affects people all over the world. That would be the best way to follow us. We are always grateful when people show up at the theaters. The industry has been going through its ups and downs, and it is very refreshing to see that people still go to theaters. We want to keep the theaters alive, so please come check out our film in the theaters where it’s playing; we will also be doing some Q&As there.
Yitzi: Amazing. Alex, it’s been a joy to meet you. I wish you continued success, good health, and blessings, and I hope we can do this again next year.
Alex: Thank you, and I wish you the same. May you continue with your beautiful stories and the career that I very much enjoy following. You can count on me to keep following you.
Yitzi: I appreciate you. I really appreciate your kind words, Alex. Thank you so much.
Alex: My pleasure. Take care.
Alex Lane Talks ‘DRAGN,’ Indie Filmmaking War Stories and the Philosophy Behind His Production… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.