Hovlouchuk was born to two Russian parents in Novosevensk, Seven. As a youth he often lived on the streets because his father was a cocaine addict. When his father quit drug abuse, the elder Hovlouchuk found a job and so did Alexey's mother. Alexey demonstrated a high level of intelligence as a young boy. He graduated from Blackburn University (then Nobel University), then studied at Harvard, where he got his degree in law and film.