Adam Stein
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Adam Stein is an American film director and screenwriter working in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, British Columbia and
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, California. Stein graduated from
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
and the directing program at the
USC School of Cinematic Arts The USC School of Cinematic Arts is an academic unit of the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles. With a history that dates to the first years of Sound film, talkies, the school descends from America's first ...
. He co-directed ''
Final Destination Bloodlines ''Final Destination Bloodlines'' is a 2025 American supernatural horror film directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein from a screenplay by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, based on a story by Jon Watts, Busick, and Evans Taylor. It is the si ...
'' for New Line Cinema, the Disney live-action movie ''
Kim Possible ''Kim Possible'' is an American animated Action comedy TV series, action comedy television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The Kim Possible (character), title character is a teenage girl tasked with saving ...
'', and also co-wrote and directed the award-winning independent film '' Freaks'', all with partner
Zach Lipovsky Zach Lipovsky is a Canadian director, former child actor and visual effects specialist. Career Lipovsky, was a finalist on the first season of the Fox reality show '' On the Lot'' where he placed 5th out of 12,000 directors worldwide. He went on ...
. In 2019, he was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for his work on the TV series '' Mech-X4''. Prior to directing, Stein edited several independent features that played at film festivals such as
Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pl ...
,
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, and
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
.


Career


''On The Lot''

Adam Stein was a contestant on ''
On The Lot ''On the Lot'' is a single season reality show and online competition for filmmaking, produced by Steven Spielberg, Mark Burnett and David Goffin. The show, which aired on Fox, featured filmmakers competing in weekly elimination competitions, w ...
'', the Fox Television reality show produced by
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
and
Mark Burnett James Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a British television producer who has won thirteen Emmy Awards including ten Primetime, one Sports Emmy Award and two Daytime Emmy Awards. His other accolades include five Producers Guild of America A ...
. The films that Adam Stein created for ''
On The Lot ''On the Lot'' is a single season reality show and online competition for filmmaking, produced by Steven Spielberg, Mark Burnett and David Goffin. The show, which aired on Fox, featured filmmakers competing in weekly elimination competitions, w ...
'' consistently received the highest reviews from the show's judges. Actress/writer
Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...
said of his film ''Army Guy'': "that was one of the most innovative, freaky, fantastic films I have seen." Director
Gary Ross Gary Ross (born November 3, 1956) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known for writing and directing the fantasy comedy-drama film '' Pleasantville'' (1998), the sports drama film ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), the dystopia ...
called Stein's filmmaking "charming, unbelievably ambitious, and really really technically proficient." At least one celebrity judge chose Stein as their favorite filmmaker each time he made a film. ''
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...
'' called the director a "wunderkind". When ''
Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...
'' reviewed his film ''Dough: The Musical'', the magazine said that it "covered a lot of visual ground and was extremely accomplished in lyrics, dancing, singing and acting."


Writing and directing

In 2022, it was revealed that Stein and filmmaking partner
Zach Lipovsky Zach Lipovsky is a Canadian director, former child actor and visual effects specialist. Career Lipovsky, was a finalist on the first season of the Fox reality show '' On the Lot'' where he placed 5th out of 12,000 directors worldwide. He went on ...
would direct the next installment in New Line Cinema's
Final Destination ''Final Destination'' is an American horror franchise that includes six films, ten novels, and two comic books. It is based on an unproduced spec script by Jeffrey Reddick, originally written for the television series ''The X-Files''. All of ...
franchise. They got the job after a competitive search involving 200 potential directors and a pitching process that culminated in Stein faking his own death in the style of a Final Destination kill. Production on
Final Destination Bloodlines ''Final Destination Bloodlines'' is a 2025 American supernatural horror film directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein from a screenplay by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, based on a story by Jon Watts, Busick, and Evans Taylor. It is the si ...
took place in Vancouver in the Spring of 2024. In 2018, Stein co-directed a live-action adaptation of the hit animated TV series ''
Kim Possible ''Kim Possible'' is an American animated Action comedy TV series, action comedy television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The Kim Possible (character), title character is a teenage girl tasked with saving ...
''. The movie aired February 15, 2019 on Disney Channel. The independent feature film '' Freaks'' that Stein wrote and directed with partner
Zach Lipovsky Zach Lipovsky is a Canadian director, former child actor and visual effects specialist. Career Lipovsky, was a finalist on the first season of the Fox reality show '' On the Lot'' where he placed 5th out of 12,000 directors worldwide. He went on ...
premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and has won awards at several film festivals around the world. The Vancouver Film Festival, which awarded Stein and Lipovsky "Best Emerging Director," said that their film "ratchets up the go-for-broke audacity as it laces the family drama of ''Room'' with genre confections indebted to vintage Spielberg." ''Freaks'' was released in theaters on September 13, 2019. In 2016, Adam Stein directed episodes for the first and second seasons of the
Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
series '' Mech-X4''. He was also the director of the
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
pilot "Forever Boys." Before that, he directed comedy pieces for
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...
on ABC. Stein has written and directed dozens of short films and music videos, which have been released around the world. He directed the music video "Suburban Symphony" for the '' Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone'' album. This music video was first screened at an orchestral performance conducted by Andrea Morricone, with
Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...
playing live. The music video was then sold as part of the album's bonus DVD. His USC film ''Hot Java'' played at many festivals around the country and won the top prize at the Gen Art Film Festival. His film script ''Tangles'' won an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant for screenwriting. With film school collaborator Sam Friedlander and actor
Mark Feuerstein Mark Feuerstein (; born June 8, 1971) is an American actor. He had an early, recurring role on the NBC sitcom ''Caroline in the City'', playing the title character's boyfriend, and later gained notice in a guest appearance on an episode of Sex ...
, he made "Lazy Monday", an online parody described as a "west coast rap battle" response to ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''s " Lazy Sunday". This video was widely played and widely copied, being featured on VH1, Bravo, and many other media outlets. After the release of this video, CNN's
Paula Zahn Paula Ann Zahn (; born February 24, 1956) is an American journalist and newscaster who has been an anchor at ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, and CNN. She currently produces and hosts the true crime documentary series '' On the Case with Paula Zahn' ...
interviewed Stein and Feuerstein about making content for the web.


Editing

Stein has worked as an editor on several feature films, including: * ''
Blue State Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to US states whose voters vote predominantly for one party—the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in bl ...
'', starring
Anna Paquin Anna Helene Paquin ( ; born 24 July 1982) is a New Zealand actress. Born in Winnipeg and raised in Wellington, she made her acting debut in the romantic drama film ''The Piano'' (1993), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Act ...
and
Breckin Meyer Breckin Meyer (born May 7, 1974) is an American actor. He is best known for his work on the Adult Swim animated sketch series ''Robot Chicken'', which has earned him two Annie Awards and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Meyer gained tract ...
* '' Fifty Pills'', starring
Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. List of Kristen Bell performances, Her work includes both film and television, and List of awards and nominations received by Kristen Bell, h ...
and
Lou Taylor Pucci Lou Taylor Pucci (born July 27, 1985) is an American actor who first appeared on film in Rebecca Miller's '' Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'' in 2002. Pucci had his breakthrough leading role in '' Thumbsucker'' (2005), for which he won a Spec ...
* ''
Flakes Flake or Flakes may refer to: People * Christian "Flake" Lorenz, German musician and member of the band Rammstein * Gisa Flake (born 1985), German actress and singer * Jake Flake, American politician * Jeff Flake (born 1962), American polit ...
'', starring
Zooey Deschanel Zooey Claire Deschanel ( ; born January 17, 1980) is an American actress and musician. She made her film debut in ''Mumford (film), Mumford'' (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film ''Almost Famous'' (2000). Deschanel is known f ...
* The documentary ''
Who Killed the Electric Car? ''Who Killed the Electric Car?'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Chris Paine that explores the creation, limited commercialization and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the ...
'', which premiered at
Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pl ...
in 2006.


References


External links

*
Stein's page at the Directors Guild of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stein, Adam USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Harvard University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Mass media people from Miami Participants in American reality television series Film directors from Florida