Adam Metropolis

Adam Metropolis, one of nine children, was born to Jesus-Movement missionaries in Ajloun, Jordan. He grew up in the small, rural town of Pell Lake, Wisconsin until the age of twelve, at which point he moved to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Adam created short films and original songs throughout middle and high school. In 1999, he created his first short film, 'Lint Killers,' an hour-long detective thriller about a homicidal Teddy Bear. In high school, Adam was deeply committed to his theatre department. His director, Mike Pilgreen, allowed him to integrate original video - sometimes live - into the productions. It was in this program that Adam befriended Greg Gleason, with whom he co-created 'The Greg Show' as a local TV pilot. Throughout high school, Adam partied frequently, used alcohol and drugs (especially marijuana), and was sexually promiscuous. His trademark in the Hilton Head party scene was to get high and freestyle rap/sing at parties. Even so, throughout high school he began to take - from a distance - a deep philosophical interest in the Bible and the Christian faith. Adam was voted Most Creative in his senior yearbook, and was briefly in a band called 'Astro Tuna.' Adam went to Clemson University for Production Studies in the Peforming Arts, where he received a KCACTF nod for his role as the Marquis De Sade in Marat/Sade. An intense acid trip in the Spring of '04 helped fuel his decision to both leave Clemson and to take seriously the claims of Christianity. He left college after his freshman year to help form Stage II Productions, a community theatre in Hilton Head which included Mike Pilgreen, Max Saunders, Andrew Colella, (brother) Steve Metropolis, Scott Gruber, and Owens Warren - all individuals Adam would regularly collaborate with in his short films, and eventually write the 'Lowcountry Conspiracy' film trilogy around. Stage II produced five shows over 2.5 years, including Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Between 2000-2005, Adam helped bring three plays to the Edinburgh festival fringe, co-directing in 2005. In Fall of 2006, after a life-changing experience, Adam became a born-again Christian, quitting his job and leaving Stage II. Soon after this decision, his life-long best friend, Jim Baldys, committed suicide in the small town of Pell Lake, WI. Jim had visited only seven months before, and the footage of this visit became the documentary, 'Seven Days to Grow Apart.' In the wake of Jim's suicide, Adam moved to Hawaii for a short time, and after returning to Hilton Head produced 'The Greg Show Reunion' with Greg Gleason, Andrew Colella, and (brother) George Metropolis. At age 23, Adam abruptly left Hilton Head (without informing friends or family) on a coming-of-age quest that would last more than 10 years. Swept up in the Reformed Resurgence of the late 2000's, he spent four months in Minneapolis, enamored by the teaching of Calvinistic pastor John Piper. He then moved to Southern California to pursue filmmaking, but was quickly drawn back into ministry in Simi Valley, CA. There, he befriended pastor Francis Chan, which led Adam to move to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2011. In retrospect, Adam's 20's were committed primarily to the pursuit of vocational Christian ministry, although he did go back to college during this time. Adam received his Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from UC Berkeley in May 2017, at which point he moved back to Southern California to pursue, in earnest, a career as an actor, musician, comedian and filmmaker.