Office Hours 008: Alfred Spellman

Co-Founder Rakontur/ Film + TV Producer / Recovering Nightclub owner /Dad of 1

In our 20s, my best friend and I had a system: book 47F aisle and window, manifest that no one took the middle, and voilà — economy turned into our personal first-class pod. We’d gab non-stop until the dinner trays came clattering down, drink too much red wine, pop a Zanzi, and wake up in Paris like nothing happened. We called it office hours — our favorite time to catch up, spill, scheme, and dream, midair.

So, in the spirit of those airborne therapy sessions, I’m kicking off this new series: a space to sit down with people I admire, people I love, and people I’m just wildly curious about. Same energy — more space and better wine.

In today’s edition of Cool friends doing COOL things -

All grown up & profesh

Meet Alfred Spellman — one-half of the homegrown duo behind Rakontur, the studio responsible for the cult documentaries that helped define Miami as everyone’s favorite sunny place for shady people. Think Cocaine Cowboys, The U, Dawg Fight — if it’s wild, weird, or deeply305, chances are Alfred and his team have put it on screen.

But long before the critical acclaim, red carpets, and Netflix is calling moments, Alfred and I go way way back — back to my first-ever job when I was low on the totem pole as Dave Grutman’s intern; whom he shared office space at good old Michigan Ave.

A time when the unmistakable BlackBerry PING!!! ruled my life, and my calendar was a dizzying mix of Mokai Tuesdays, Mansion Wednesdays, Wall Fridays, and the routine 4 a.m. detour to Bella Rose — Alfred’s very own nightclub that felt more like a clubhouse for Miami’s most entertaining cast of characters where this starry eyed intern ran on sugar-free Red Bull and pure fan girl energy.