Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Marino.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Adam. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have to start off by saying that I come from a very creative family. My uncle Steve Brodner is an incredibly gifted political cartoonist. Growing up, he has always motivated me to be creative. Whether it was a pencil sketch, painting or making a home movie, I always had the fire to create. At the age of 9 or 10, I found myself producing and directing circus shows in the basement for my family with the help of my sister and cousins. Shortly after that, I got my hands on my parent’s home camera. I recall trying different tricks like stop-go animation with my toys and making people disappear. From that point on, I was extremely fascinated with the art and magic of filmmaking. My first year of college in 2007 at Lynn University I studied business but ultimately realized my heart was in the arts. Shortly after, I went to Florida Atlantic University to receive my Bachelors in Studio Art. It was during one of my photography classes at FAU where I was re-bitten by the film bug. I was using a Canon Mark 2 to take pictures but realized it also had a very cinematic video recorder.
From that point on, I made a few short films but with my personal favorite “Homeless”, I was surprised to learn that I had actually won an award at a small film festival in Jakarta. From there, I knew I was born to do this. With enough love and support from my family and friends, I was then motivated to move to Hollywood in 2013 to attend the New York Film Academy. Once I received my Masters, I used what I learned from film school to create a feature length script. At first, I wanted to make a horror film but it later developed into a thriller. I wanted to make something much more clever than what some would call a” brainless slasher”. At the time, I was watching a lot of “True Detective” and “Prisoners” which I’m sure was my inspiration for the first feature film I directed; “Beneath the Leaves”. Once I had the script finished, I got very lucky and just happened to meet producers whom had interest in making my script come to life. That was when my production company Reel Fire Entertainment was born. Last year we released two feature films in which I directed, as well as edited. Both of the films were theatrically released and are now available on all streaming platforms. At the moment, I have a few new projects and scripts in the works in which I am really excited about. Be sure to catch “Beneath the Leaves” (Starring Oscar-winning Mira Sorvino, Paul Sorvino and Doug Jones) on Netflix, as well as “Ring Ring” (Starring Tommy Kijas, Kirby Bliss Blanton and Malcolm Goodwin) on Amazon Prime.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I was fortunate enough to not have such a smooth road. For the most part, directing my first feature film “Beneath the Leaves” was cursed from the start. Casting was a nightmare due to some unfortunate situations we had to begin shooting without two lead characters cast. That caused us to stop production for six months during the middle of our shoot. This really hurt the project causing us to have many issues; going over budget was one of them. After finishing “Beneath the Leaves” I have learned so much from all the mistakes that were made, which in the end made me a much stronger filmmaker. This gave me the knowledge and skills to prepare for any issues that came my way during the production of my second film “Ring Ring”. Besides a slight bumpy road, it really was the best training a filmmaker could’ve asked for.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Reel Fire Entertainment – what should we know?
My father Lawrence Marino and I registered our own LLC under “Reel Fire Entertainment”. We are the two sole owners and operators of the company. Reel Fire Entertainment is an American film and television production company developed in 2015. We initially created the company to produce our first feature film “Beneath the Leaves”. A year later we produced our second film “Ring Ring”. Currently Reel Fire Entertainment is working on several projects including a new script in which we are planning on developing by the end of the summer.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I definitely have to give credit to my parents Robin and Lawrence Marino for not only believing in my crazy dreams but also supporting it. I want to give credit to all of my art professors at FAU and film professors at NYFA. They gave me the tools I needed to get where I am today. I also have to thank my girlfriend Shantiel Alexis for helping with all the marketing and all of your help during the post-production of Ring Ring. I would also like to thank Producers Beau Turpin, Ivett Havasi and Tommy Kijas for making Beneath the Leaves even possible. Also, I’d like to thank my writing partner Naman Barsoom. Naman helped in the development of both Beneath the Leaves and Ring Ring, Daniel Wallner our second writer also deserves credit for helping with the development of both films. Lastly all of the cast and crews that have worked with us on all Reel Fire projects, Thank you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/Ring-Malcolm-Goodwin/dp/B07T953513/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=ring+ring&qid=1584574000&sr=8-2
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: amarino200
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