We recently connected with Adam Gaines and have shared our conversation below.

Adam, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I’m a writer/producer in town. Written on a few TV shows and had a couple movies produced. So when the first friend I made when I moved here seventeen years ago told me over drinks that he was interested in taking his comedy game show from a web series to a live show and I found myself offering to help, it was (and to this day continues to be) a risk.

I knew Tom Zawacki was funny. I knew he worked his ass off on a bunch of sets and had relationships with incredible talent. And I knew the responsibilities that would fall to me would resemble experiences I had and mastered even though this was not what I’ve been devoting my professional life to,

And now we have Would You Rather with Tom Zawacki one Sunday a month at the historic, convenient, and thirst-quenching Bar Lubitsch in West Hollywood. First Tom gets up and does a few minutes of a stand up and then he brings up a far more successful and funnier guest, has them spin a wheel at least three times, it lands on a category that leads to an uncomfortable question, which inevitably leads to even more uncomfortable conversation. And I stand in the back, behind the sold out crowds, try not to screw up my two music cues, and watch as my dear friend and I build a small business from scratch, that hopefully eventually gets Tom exactly where he wants to be in showbiz.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

On the last day of elementary school, I rented SCREAM with my grandma. As the VHS was going from the VCR to the Rewinder (a separate gadget so you don’t burn out the VCR) I said I wanted to do that. My grandma asked if I meant “Kill people in a mask with a knife?” and I paused, hadn’t considered that, and was now staring at two paths, but stuck with my original thought that had occurred as the credits rolled on the meta horror movie “No. Write movies.”

And so it begins. Weekly pilgrimages to Barnes & Noble for how-to screenwriting books. Applying to the fanciest college for it. Attending it. Then moving to Los Angeles mere weeks after graduating, leaving behind your entire support system. And then jumping from day job to day job until they get more relevant and collide with your passion and craft. And before you know it another decade goes by on the roller coaster and the lows outweigh the highs. And the highs never even reached the heights you prepared for.

I’ve developed projects at A-list production companies. I have TV credits across cable, network, and streaming. I’ve made movies inside and outside of the studio system. I’ve dabbled in theater, podcasts, comics, and copywriting. And I’m going to keep going until the paycheck reflects the skillset, because I love storytelling, juggling multiple projects, and hustling. And even though this business has blunted my ambition, I still find it from time to time and you never know when inspiration is going to strike.

Like when your friend tells you about a wheel he wants famous folks to spin and ask them the kind of questions you can’t help but smile at. And before you know it past guests include: Paul Scheer, Jim O’Heir, Jenny Zigrino, Joe Mande, Paul W. Downs, Madison Sinclair, Moshe Kasher, J.P. Manoux, Natalie Plaza, Ketra Long

Have you ever had to pivot?

After a few years being an assistant at a major production company, I joined one of their TV shows as a writers assistant in the room. There’s plenty of other articles and podcasts I’ve done detailing this role. Use your Googles. But suffice it to say. The room where it happens. Breaking story, pitching beats, talking characters, crafting scenes. I continued to do this for a few years, participating more and more each time, my responsibilities increasing, my pay and title not so much. What gives? Sometimes it was the show and it’s cancellation preventing me from getting a script or staffing, sometimes it may have been the cow. And how they didn’t want to buy it when they were getting the milk for free.

Either way, I found myself needing to switch things up. I had my day job – Writers Assistant on TV Shows. I had my mornings, nights, and weekend job: writing my own film and TV projects and passing them around. But I found myself in an eclectic room with writers from other mediums and disciplines and felt I was being penalized for coming up through the TV system, and needed to get hot in another lane. In need of a rebrand. I went undercover and pretended to be a playwright. I self published a collection of one-act plays (designed to be read in the time it would take you to read a TV drama pilot sample) and put it out for free (modeled after the way rappers put out mixtapes) and then signed with an agent and got staffed.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My whole story illustrates my resilience. I’ve had agents, managers, lawyers. And I’ve shed agents, managers, and lawyers. I’ve made big career plans with peers and then lost those peers. No one is ever going to advocate for you as much as you are going to advocate for yourself. Work hard and don’t give up.

Any job in entertainment is TWO jobs, there’s whatever craft you are good at that you are pursuing. And then there’s the management of that career. Both present their own challenges and both need time to be nurtured.

For me there’s been times when the writing is cooking, but the networking is slacking. And there’s been times when the business strategy is actually coming together, but you wish you had spent more time on the project.

Oh and there’s a third part. Making money. And how to navigate staying afloat and balancing supporting yourself with the artistic pursuit.

And that’s really difficult. All I know is that the next show for Would You Rather with Tom Zawacki is January 28th. Tickets are always in Tom’s bio. And you can follow him on Instagram: @tomzwhat

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @nothingtogain

Image Credits
Kat Hanegraaf