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INTERVIEW WITH ADAM AND JAMIE
How did you break into the special effects business?
Jamie: Persistence and creativity. Not being afraid of cleaning – if you clean something you learn what it is, how it works and where it belongs. That knowledge is power.
Adam: I was making props for theatre companies and Jamie called me out of the blue to come work on a Nike Commercial. In the interview with him, I told him all about these cool animatronics that I saw for the movie Arachnaphobia. He let me finish my elaborate description of what I thought was cool about the rig before he revealed that he had in fact built what had impressed me.
What's your dream special effects project?
Jamie: Last year I did three dream projects. I designed and built a number of robots for GE plastics – they were waldo-controlled – where the remote controlled unit was custom-made to fit the body of the puppeteer – human-sized robots that are as strong and fast as a human. We were playing baseball with them. I built some robots for 7-UP that were vending machines with tank treads on them. They went 20 mph and had a full autocannon that shot soda out the slot at 300mph. It held a 12 pack. I also built a complicated puppet for Nike and shot several commercials with Tiger Woods.
Adam: The most fun I've ever had on a film was working on the rotting buildings in New York City for the film A.I.
What's project are you most proud of?
Jamie: The rocket car for Mythbusters. Otherwise, the robots I built for GE plastics. I like making robots.
Adam: Mythbusters, of course.
Is there a personal goal you haven't yet achieved?
Jamie: I've accomplished more than my fair share. I don't know anyone that enjoys his work as much as I do, and has been so successful at it. I'm a poster boy for having fun at work. I have a wife who I'm proud of – she teaches science at a local high school. I have my own business, and while I can't afford a lot of things, I'm doing okay. If I didn't have to work, I'd be doing more or less the same thing I do now. I’m looking forward to the possibilites and opportunities Mythbusters offers. I actually got started in film because I wanted to use the medium to teach, so I'd like to see Mythbusters achieve a high level of both entertainment and information.
Adam: I am not yet the All-Being of time space and dimension. Besides that I'd like to go to Hawaii.
How did you meet each other?
Jamie: Adam was one of many young people that I've gotten into the business – he had some experience in theatre and with his own art when I met him, and I saw great intelligence and energy in him. He has turned into one of my best guys. Now he's getting kind of cocky though and he's becoming more of an irritant. He doesn't clean up after himself and he's always on his cell phone. But he's still really bright and a fast worker. I just have to follow him around with cleaning and repair equipment.
Adam: Jamie had this charming chateau in the south of France – oh wait, that's my ex-wife.
Do either of you fear anything?
Jamie: I am afraid of people who are boring, but require too much attention to ignore.
Adam: Wasps, tapeworms and any job that requires me to wear a name-tag. Who are your idols/greatest influences/mentors?
Jamie: I’ve had some good bosses that have been very supportive. I would say that there are a lot of engineers out there that I hold in high regard because I have taken things they have designed apart and can see right into their brains. There is so much wonderful and creative stuff that exists that most people aren't aware of. An engineer’s or designer’s creativity is inside things that you use every day and you don't even know it’s there.
Adam: Marcel Duchamp, Artist; Richard Feynman, Physicist; Dean Kaman, Inventor; Rene Magritte, Painter.
Since you’re both involved with toy-prototyping, what's the coolest toy you've created?
Jamie: The coolest toys I've created are too dangerous to actually sell. Adam: I was a manager of research and design for a discontinued toy called ZOOB. It was a building toy based on ball and socket joints. I hope to help resuscitate it again someday.
Is there anything either of you CAN'T do?
Jamie: I can't catch things very well or jump very high. But I'm unusually strong.
Adam: I cannot see through walls and I've never woven a basket.
What happens to everything you create for the show?
Jamie: I throw it all out. I already have too much stuff and don't want more. We do strip the creations and reuse parts for other projects.
Adam: We have most everything we've built for the show here at the MYTHBUSTERS studio in San Francisco. Much of it is re-useable from show to show.
Who inspired you as a kid?
Adam: As a kid, the first two things that I thought I really wanted to do were to design for Lego, and to work on Star Wars. As an adult, the people that inspire me are people like the physicist Richard Feinmann, and artists like Marcel Duchamp. I find it humbling and amazing getting email from people who say they're inspired by what Jamie and I do on the show. I'm glad that having fun and learning while doing our job have had such a positive effect on our fans.
Jamie: I was an ordinary child. I don't think I had any particular idols or role models. I seem to have acquired those as I've got older. They’re scientists and engineers but I don't think there are any in particular I would point out. In this job we become familiar with these people and the kinds of insights they have in their jobs. I'm in awe. What did you major in at college?
Jamie: I started out as an art major but quickly discarded it and decided to get a degree in Russian language and literature. I found it intricate and kind of like playing chess to speak the language. Having got a degree in it, I haven't had much opportunity to use it.
