Short lessons and real-world experience from working professionals.

(Edited for brevity and clarity)

What was the most influential job of your career?

The biggest thing, I guess, was when I got hired on Live Free or Die Hard. I had only been doing mostly live stunt shows - which I think live stunt shows are quite possibly the best training you can get because you're getting paid to train at work, you can't get any better. Live stunt shows also really, really help you to think on your feet, to keep calm under pressure, because you have a live audience watching you try to do the show. So, I hold live show performers in very, very high regard because they also know how to work with a group and with a team because you're all there on stage performing together. And you're not only performing, but you're also looking out for each other and whatnot. So, yeah, I think they are hands down one of the best in the game.

But, yeah, I only had my SAG card for a short amount of time. And then I got asked if I had a demo reel and if I knew anybody that could give me a reference because I was very new. I did have a demo reel, but it had maybe one or two things from a TV show, the same TV show, but it was all live show stuff. So, I was nervous. I was like, "Well, there's no way I'm going to get this because I'm new."

"It's a major motion picture and it's to double a guy fighting Bruce Willis - never going to happen. But it doesn't mean I can't show it..." So, I gave the coordinator my demo reel and headshot and gave him a reference. Luckily, the reference was very, very good, and then I got hired and did the job. And it was, you know, a big, big deal for me at the time.

That particular stunt was nominated for a World Stunt Award, which kind of, I don't know, I say helped propel me forward but I don't know, I'm still trying to figure it all out. Twenty years later, and I'm still trying to figure it all out.

But one thing about that coordinator, what was great was he used my demo that I had given him to show other people when they came.

And if they were like, "I don't have anything, I only have this." He goes, "Here, watch Adam's demo." He's like, "I know exactly what I could get from him from watching this."

Because it doesn't have to be fancy, anything like you know, giant big movies, it just needs to show what you can do.

And it's not the same thing over and over and over again, because it's easy. But show that you have these skills and that you're trainable, that's basically it. So yeah, I was very lucky. And also, that particular coordinator, I mean, he did kind of take a chance, but he saw what I could do.

We're given opportunities. And you either rise when you're given that opportunity, or you just let it pass you by.