We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adam Finmann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Adam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
During Covid, I shot the documentary feature film “Commitment To Life.” It’s currently streaming on Peacock and will be airing on MSNBC on April 28th at 8:00pm. Against a rich Hollywood backdrop, “Commitment to Life” documents the true story of the fight against HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles – and how an intrepid group of people living with HIV/AIDS, doctors, movie stars, studio moguls and activists changed the course of the epidemic. The story spoke to me. The people involved spoke to me. The more I learned about the subject matter, the more I realized people needed to know this story.
Adam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I grew up watching and loving film. My parents would often take my sister and I to see movies and then go to the local diner and discuss them after. It definitely shaped me as a person and it sent both my sister and I into our careers in the film industry; her as a publicist and me as a director and DP. I studied at Emerson College in Boston and then moved to Los Angeles shortly after. I’ve been capturing images ever since. From docs to branded content to Hollywood red carpets, I like to think that by covering a wide variety of content, I have become a more well-rounded creator. Capturing live events has taught me to think quick on my feet while shooting branded content has helped me learn how to interpret what the client wants and the best way to achieve the desired result.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I am a huge fan of YouTube. There is a video or resource for everything. No matter how long I have been doing this, there’s always someone out there who has done more testing, more research and I love searching YouTube for tips and tricks I haven’t even thought of. It’s something that didn’t even exist 5-10 years ago and I don’t take it for granted.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, being on set with like-minded individuals all working towards a common goal is the most rewarding aspect of filmmaking. The best idea always wins and I don’t care if the idea came from someone above or below me on the callsheet, we’re all trying to achieve the same thing. And when everyone is together and working hard and you get in that creative groove, there’s just nothing better.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.frontfootfilms.com
- Instagram: @frontfoot
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adam.finmann