We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adam Rioux a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Adam thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In college, I realized I wasn’t enjoying the business world I was learning about in classes. I had a pretty good handle on it all, but it didn’t excite me. That same year in college, I was getting back to my creative roots.

As a kid and throughout high school, I would write then create short film ideas and skits. I would get lost doing them. Once I got to college, I buckled down and focused on academics and a more proven career path. However, I started filming with some friends just for fun. It was a nice release and good way to remember all the fun stuff we were getting into at the time.

I remembered how much fun it was to be behind the camera, then stitch all together on the computer. I started to see how I might be able to make money doing this, so I took a step towards catapulting it into a career. The first client I went after was way out out of my league at the time. I went into the meeting with none of the necessary equipment, nor the exact know-how…just a general idea and belief that I could do it. They had a big ask. They had a budget of $5,000 for a 12 minute video. There were tons of filming days and a mixed bag of stories that needed to be compiled into something succinct and fun to watch. I had never done something of this scale and I didn’t even own the equipment needed to do it. But I had never thought I could make that much money doing something I loved so I had to go for it.

I left that meeting full of uncertainties. I was uncertain if I could pull it off. The client was uncertain if I was the right person for the job. They asked me to come film as a trial that weekend. They would make the decision on who would get the project in the coming weeks. This trial run was the only thing keeping me from winning the project. If I declined, I would have lost to another competing offer. If I looked like an amateur (which I was), then I would most definitely get that rejection email soon enough. To make matters worse, I didn’t have the professional grade equipment to film.

After some research and an acceptance of not being able to pay off the credit card debt, I bought 4 and a half thousand dollars worth of filming gear. If I won the contract, I could pay it all off. If not, I was going to be in the hole. As soon as I got the gear, I started learning everything I could. I practiced and googled/youtube’d every video I could find to get myself comfortable with the equipment. I was still an amateur, but I had an idea of what to do, I just had to try.

The next two weeks were nerve racking as I waited for the answer. The test footage I sent over must have looked good enough, because I got the email with the greenlight and a signed contract. The stress didn’t stop, as I was still in over my head. Through long days of shooting and sleepless nights of editing, I finally closed out the project. Every day, I ran into a new set of problems. From my lack of technical knowledge to actual client management, I was overwhelmed. I felt like I had failed, but I hadn’t. I had done what I set out to do, and did it well enough to get the call back from that client the next year. That first project spurred tons more as word of mouth spread, and soon, I was doing so many projects that I had eased off my university classes and instead took jobs that had me traveling across the US. I propelled myself into a full fledge business without a plan. I took my next risk and shifted all of my focus to finding clients for filming and building a small team underneath me to help me expand.

I think of that risk a lot. It was a big leap of faith to accept debt and failure, but if I hadn’t, I’m not sure I would have ended up where I am today.

Adam, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a writer/director in the film industry. I have written a variety of series and feature scripts. I have directed narratives, commercials, music videos, and branded documentary films for various clients throughout different industries. Additionally, I work as a Russian Arm operator for filming stunts on large budget productions. Some notable productions I’ve worked under include Marvel, Disney, Netflix and HBOMax.

I’m a character focused filmmaker–I want to give viewers a chance to connect with the characters I create. Life has become a bit overwhelming and disconnecting. When a person sits down to watch something, I want to give them a chance to see the world differently and hopefully feel a bit more connected to humanity.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are millions of resources that creatives can take advantage of and grow exponentially. I’m going to focus on two that are slightly less utilized or considered.

First, the program Masterclass. It seems like an obvious answer, but I have yet to meet another creative who has actually sat down and watched multiple programs from their library. In a world of information overload, this may be one of the greatest tools designed for creatives without deep industry connections. I’m not sure if its the pay wall or the intimidation of the scope of courses, but not enough take advantage of this relatively inexpensive program.

Here are the two biggest benefits.
1. You’ll get to learn the process behind some of the biggest professionals in your field. You’ll hear their story, actionable advice, and examples of how to improve your craft.
2. You can learn from experts outside your industry. Experts are experts for a reason and nobody can rely on talent alone. Just listening can help adopt positive behaviors or alternative mindsets that help you achieve your goals or unlock creative potential. Creativity is not singular, especially not in filmmaking. Learning from interior design experts can teach balanced framing and composition. Fashion designers can teach color science and costuming. Dancers can teach choreography and movement for both camera and talent. There are so many things to absorb, and Masterclass is a never-ending source for inspiration.

The second untapped resource is talking with others. It’s important to ask for help and communicate your goals. But most importantly, take time to sit and listen to others. It can be as simple as sitting with a friend who loves your creative field. Listen to their perspectives, see it from a different lens. No thought is wrong…just different. Learn to take different points of view in and slowly transform your own. If possible, reach out to professionals at the next level of your growth. A coffee or lunch meeting can answer tons of questions you never even knew to ask. Pay for the meal and be appreciative of their time and you will learn more for it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After some success in the film industry, I felt a call back to my more traditional business background. I started a company with two partners in an untapped market. We were hitting the cold brew coffee world before it became the norm that it is today. After two years of dividing my time between film work and the coffee company, I turned in the towel. I realized that I was fighting to grow the business and my own business acumen. I had lost interest in that world and it was showing. I could barely spend a day working on the company before turning my head to my film projects.

Sometimes a great opportunity is just that. I learned a lot from running that company and ultimately failing. The most important thing I learned was that your passion will always win out. If you love the face in front of the hard work, then it won’t feel like hard work. When your excitement starts to dwindle, it becomes the true test for if this was the right ecosystem for you. I found where I wanted to be and I’m glad I had to learn it the hard way because I have no desire to turn back now.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.adamriouxfilm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reeeuuuu/
• Other: My IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13425119/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1