We were lucky to catch up with Ryan Adams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ryan, 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 feel like I’ve taken risks at virtually every turn of my creative career. I think the biggest risk I had ever taken was forgoing utilizing my degrees in education knowing that there was “something more” for me, or, that I could offer this world “something more”.

In 2014, I was at a crossroads in my life/career. I was months away from graduating with 2 degrees in education, and was on the path to becoming a college professor in a few short years. I had started to really ponder my future after I started working with a group of musically inclined individuals that brought out my childhood passions once again. I knew I could do music and write songs as a hobby, but I deep down knew that no matter what, if I liked it, I would hyper fixate on the subject like I had done so many times before. Wrestling with this problem, I would use alcohol to ease the nerves of showing my talent to my friends and family.

After a few months of working at my new job, I attended a party that would change my life. I drove to a friends house and proceeded to do what college students all love to do-drink until belligerence. The night was filled with the normal beer pong and tall tales associated with college parties. But, it wasn’t until the next morning when I, still drunk enough to blow over the legal driving limit, crashed into a parked car at a 4-way stop.

After doing so, I had to make the biggest, riskiest, decision of my life. I was facing 5 years in prison and knew that I wouldn’t be able to teach if I didn’t hire the best lawyer in the whole state, and even if I did I probably wouldn’t be able to utilize my connections I had made in the graduate department of the university I attended. It was as if the universe, after my months (years, actually) of ignoring my true passions had forced me to make a decision.

I was sentenced to 100 days, in which I wrote a majority of the first songs and verses that I put out. I am still using concepts I wrote while incarcerated, to this day. Halfway into my sentence, I wrote a letter to the judge to get out early because my lawyer (who actually was the “best in the state”) had told me it was an option to get my sentence reduced, but it had no chance of working.

The judge let me out a week later, and I immediately purchased a MIDI keyboard and Protools to install on my computer. Since then, I have worked with around 100 independent artists and have released dozens of songs with thousands of plays around the world. Sometimes, the biggest risks are the most rewarding.

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

My name is Ryan Samuel Adams, but the music I make with my wife and my team is released under “T.H.E. Honoroll”. When I am performing/producing, I go by “3NAM3S”. My wife’s name is “Mila Rae”, and we are creatives who make music, throw events, help brands, and are launching a new entertainment company within the first 6 months of 2023.

Our true passion is music, in all forms and all genres. I grew up playing in band for 6 or so years in Wyoming, and sang in choir pretty much the entire time I was in school. My wife has been a dancer her whole life, and everyone on the team from our marketing manager to investors has a love for creative arts and the progression of independent art.

We love to executive produce and consult with artists and brands to help them tell their story via their art/social media. Right now, we are working with a few of really talented artists/producers from all over the United States, as well as a couple of brands. Our main goal is to help independent artists and small businesses by doing out-of-the-box marketing and unique events/festivals.

Soon, we will announce some awesome shows, events, and more put on by our newest venture, “PRD Entertainment”. out of Nashville, TN.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding thing is seeing/hearing the audience react to your art. Performing a song that people are familiar with and you can see them moving their mouths in sync with yours is inexplicable. Same goes for debuting a song to an unbeknownst audience. I’ve performed in cities where no one would know who I am, but, I can tell they vibed with my lyrics and performance by their reactions to what I’m doing on stage. Then, if you’re really lucky, people will come up and tell you that your performance was awesome, on point, etc. Thats what makes it rewarding; moving people.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Everything that I’ve done up to this point in my career was to build a platform for myself and others to stand on and present their art/ideas. After this last year I can truly say it’s starting to pay off. Some of the videos I made in late 2022 have millions of views, and we now are in the process of booking different events (in several cities) that will help showcase local business, artists, and creatives. I am so excited to further this journey and continue to create something new and unique as I go.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thehonoroll?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.adams.142892?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XRmz20iNQwU
• Other: New Business: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088407407746&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Mila Rae MUSU 3NAM3S