Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Burke
Hi Adam, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In December of 2015 I walked out of the post office to find two men in blue FBI windbreakers standing next to my car. One of them turns to me and says, “tonight, I’m going to go home and have a beer, but your life will never be the same.” He was right.
Two years later I’m sitting in prison staring at a white cinder block wall. One good thing about prison is you have plenty of time to think. I realized life is made of moments, most of which are forgettable. But some stand out, some change the way you see yourself.
I’d fallen into a rut. In the movie Fight Club, Tyler Durden says, “We work jobs we hate, to buy things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t like.” Maybe a little glib, but definitely some truth in that. So, I went to work. Trying new things. I started writing. I read every book I could find on writing screenplays. I tried painting, pottery, and leather work. But, I kept coming back to writing.
One day I hear some guys talking about Christmas. We had been locked down due to covid and none of us had seen our wives or families in over a year. I sat down at a typewriter and I wrote a play. With the help of a few compassionate guards I was able to get the green light to put on a full holiday play. The cast was assembled with Serenios, Gangster’s Disciples, and white collar millionaires. We had rehearsals, there were musical numbers between each of the four acts. Guys volunteered to run lights, sound, and make props. When the last line was delivered and the theater of inmates and guards were on their feet in applause I realized, I had found a moment.
After prison, while on probation, I had 100 hours of community service to fulfill and was lucky to stumble across FilmNorth, a non-profit that has been helping underprivileged communities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to gain access to the world of film. I helped with classes and eventually found myself in an acting class. Two months later I was on the set of a Lifetime Original movie playing Officer Wagner. As I sat behind the steering wheel of a real Duluth police car driving next to lake Superior I ran my lines. The actress in the back seat was crying, the two camera men inside the car where capturing everything. The trail car and drone where getting even more coverage. I say my last line and the director yells cut. I’m only a couple miles away from the prison where I spent the last four years of my life. Here I am dressed like a cop, on a real movie set, creating another unforgettable moment.
Last year things changed again when I met a person who has become a big part of my life, Jud Nichols. Jud is a Minneapolis filmmaker but also, get this, a criminal defense attorney! This guy is so talented, I was extremely lucky to have met him. Immediately we clicked and began working on a short film together. We ended up winning the Louie Anderson award for best comedy at Z-fest Film Festival. Then it was onto the next project, a feature length movie. We worked together on script development for half a year until we had a story we felt people would be excited to watch. There is so much content out now days we knew that if we were going to go for it we needed to make something special. The film will be called Wet Paper Bag, a psychological thriller made right here in MN. This film has heart, suspense, layers of emotion, and is dripping in style. This of course could not happen without, my insanely supportive wife, a lot of talented cast and crew, and financial donors who have stepped up to help bring this project to life. Jud and I are excited to release this film in the spring of 2025. Find out more about it at WetPaperBagFilm.com and follow us on IG @wetpaperbag_film
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth road is a funny way to put it. I think life is meant to be bumpy. It makes it interesting. Getting out of prison and starting over has had many challenges, no question about it. We all have challenges though and I don’t consider mine to be any more important than the next person, but that’s what makes it my story. One worth living.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Finding a way each day to be in alignment, in flow, in this moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://WetPaperBagFilm.com
- Instagram: @wetpaperbag_film
- Facebook: @adamburke333
