#BehindtheSelfie with... Robin Adams

Adams, soaking up some inspiration.

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Cape Town, born and raised.

2. What¹s your claim to fame?

Not Robin Adams.

Fame? Hmmm…

Well, there’s Robin Hood. Robin Williams. Robin Thicke. Now Robin Adams…

Also, my girlfriend (at the time) called me one day to say my (now) mother-in-law was watching TV and became really excited to hear that I was a news anchor on Al Jazeera.

It was not me.

3. Describe your career so far.

I’m just getting started!

Robin Adams joins Egg Films

Egg Films  18 Jul 2018

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.

My wife, movies and TV, cooking, three stripes and YNWA.

5. What do you love about your industry?

There’s so much to learn out there as young filmmakers. Although our feature film industry is starting to thrive, it’s still a rather niche market, with only the odd Oscar-winning art house film succeeding here and there.

Advertising, however, has a huge amount to offer. Talented creatives and storytellers, visual craftsmen, highly skilled and hardworking crew and the necessary toys and ‘funds’ to make it all happen.

Most of all, South African marketers are starting to explore and celebrate our uniqueness, so as a filmmaker, it’s an exciting place to be.

6. What are a few pain points your industry can improve on?

In years gone by, our industry had quite a bold creative voice whereas today, it’s a lot safer to rely on social media statistics and focus groups to guide that voice. Ultimately, this is leading to the softening of our raw creativity and keeping everything boxed in.

8. What are the tools of your trade?

With the internet, Keynote, Photoshop, pen and paper and a set of headphones, I’d bet you could pretty much do anything.

9. Who is getting it right in your industry?

I think few would argue that what Terence Neale has achieved in the last few years on a global scale is beyond exceptional.

Terence Neale becomes first SA director to win Cannes Lions Grand Prix

Egg Films  22 Jun 2017

Alongside him is a list of carefully curated individuals – a list too long to mention – but if you’re reading this, you’ll know who you are.

10. What are you working on right now?

I would say, but it’s highly confidential!

11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.

I’m all about a buzzword. At the moment I’m all about the “feels.” I’d say “insular” and “diversity/diversification” are two others I hear quite regularly.

12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

For me, they seem to appear in the moments I least expect them.

“@robin_ladams is not the type to sing his own praises but his reel speaks for itself,” says @colyhow . “His visual eye stands out across all his work.” < @bizcommunity

A post shared by Egg Films (@eggfilms) on Jul 19, 2018 at 3:47am PDT

13. What’s your secret talent/party trick?

My Sunday roast is quite a treat…

14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?

I’m on the border.

15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Screengrabs of random bits of inspiration – some obvious, some not so obvious.

A post shared by Robin Adams (@robin_ladams) on Jan 13, 2017 at 6:00pm PST

16. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Impossible is nothing.

Simple as that. Be sure to visit the Egg Films press office, and follow their updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more. You can also visit Adams’ Egg Films profile as well as his Instagram feed.

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.