Daily Inspiration: Meet Victor Adame

Today we’d like to introduce you to Victor Adame.

Hi Victor, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
I have always (and annoyingly) been a film kid. Growing up, my older siblings loved the arts. My brother liked music. My sister liked movies. Being the youngest, I was, of course, dragged into whatever they liked. This meant that when YouTube became popular – sadly this ages me – I would make short films with my siblings and cousins that we’d upload to YouTube. This is when I tried, essentially, every department of filmmaking. I even accidentally went to a couple of those child agency scam events! I also spent a lot of time at Universal Studios as a kid. It’s impossible not to fall in love with filmmaking after doing the studio tour. I was like 12 years old, obsessing over everything from “Jaws” to “Sunset Boulevard”. Even at this age, I gravitated towards writing and acting. I was fortunate enough to gain experience through school and church plays. In high school, I was in a film program, which truly exacerbated my love for movies. However, I was always a straight-A and AP student who wasn’t sure if I’d be wasting my time pursuing a film career. During my senior year of high school, again this is a period piece, I saw “La La Land”. I have no clue what it was about the movie, but I walked away from it, knowing no matter what the outcome would be, I’d have to give writing/acting a professional shot. I’ve been doing it ever since and recognize that this was the best choice I ever made. I’m so glad I didn’t go the STEM route; I would’ve been an awful therapist. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
An easy life is a boring life. Kinda kidding. Take that lightly because there are always exceptions. I can say, though, that it has not been a completely smooth road. I’m from a family that has no ties or interest in entertainment. I’m also the first male in my entire family to pursue a college degree right out of high school and not have a criminal record. I say all of this because pursuing an entertainment career is something foreign to my family and me. It didn’t help that in film school, I was one of the only Latinos around. Going from my hometown, which seemed to be over ninety percent Latino, to college, which was probably less than ten percent Latino, my perception of the world changed. When you’re not around people who understand your stories, it’s incredibly difficult to tell them. I found that in classroom settings, I constantly had to defend and explain my cultural identity rather than defend and explain my stories. I have so many stories of microaggressions to tell, but I’ll save those for another day. Regardless, I was fortunate enough to find friends and mentors who did relate to my stories. Those are the people who I love collaborating with and sharing work. I hope that down the road, I can help others who also need that validation. Finding that community is super important, and I feel lucky to have that. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I like to dabble in as many different departments of the filmmaking process as I can, but at my core, I’m a writer/actor. I feel like through those two crafts, I feel most comfortable exploring what matters most to me: family, culture, and community. I’m a huge family person. I come from a large and worryingly close-knit family in Riverside, California. I’ve made it my goal to ensure that every character I play and every story I write reflects my upbringing. I’m not sure this exactly sets me apart from others because there are other incredible artists who do the same for their communities, but I’m happy to be part of this wave of filmmakers shedding new light on their community. I feel proud of the stories I’ve written that reflect that. I’m particularly proud of a semi-autobiographical feature film I wrote, “Raza!”. It’s a Chicano family drama inspired by true events my family and I have endured over generations in Riverside, California. It has the heart of “Little Women,” yet we’re low-budget and empowered, so you can also think of “Moonlight.” After the script was optioned, my team produced a proof of concept for the film with a truly incredible crew. We have a screening on June 29th, 2024, for our community in Riverside. We hope to go into production on the feature very soon! 

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Last year was chaotic. Right as I was preparing to graduate with my MFA in Screenwriting, the writers’ strike happened. No joke, we had a pitching event at Sony literally hours before the strike started. I always say everything happens for a reason, just like the strike. Even though it was stressful to enter the business during a time like this, it was also super inspiring to see so many writers and actors fight for what they believe in. I feel like this movement of artists fighting to be heard is the future of filmmaking. After so much gatekeeping and underrepresentation, it’s great to see people of all backgrounds telling their stories and making sure there’s a place for them wherever they go. Studios like A24 are truly bulldozing us through this. Like “Everything Everywhere All At Once” – a movie like that winning Best Picture is a great indicator that we’re making progress in the right direction. After working with Sundance and being part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Gold Rising program, I’ve seen a lot of artists who are cooking up some really good stuff. I’m truly lucky to be alive during a time of progress like this. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.victoradame.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_victoradame/
• Other: https://www.imdb.me/victoradame