- Birth nameAdam Richard Steigert
- Nickname
- Indie- Adam
- Height5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
- Adam R. Steigert is an American filmmaker who has been featured in books, newspapers, magazines, podcasts, and numerous interviews for his distinctive voice in independent cinema. He's best known for several films, including Ombis: Alien Invasion and Prisoners of the Dead, and is widely regarded as a creative force within the Western New York film community.
Adam co-founded the Buffalo-based production company DefTone Pictures Studios (now defunct), the networking and resource hub Buffalo Film Extras, and the creative collective 388 Studios. As an administrator and group expert for Buffalo Film Extras, he helps connect local actors, background talent, and filmmakers by providing casting opportunities, educational resources, and professional guidance empowering artists to grow within the Buffalo film market.
Often described as a "magician" for the horror and special effects featured in his films, Adam creates epic cinematic landscapes through thrifty creative decisions, practical ingenuity, and bold storytelling.
Beyond his creative work, Adam is a survivor who lives with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) a condition that can result from experiencing or witnessing deeply traumatic events. He has transformed those challenges into artistic strength, using filmmaking as both expression and healing. His projects often explore resilience, transformation, and the courage to face what haunts us, both on screen and within.
Adam's work stands as proof that independent cinema is not defined by budget, but by heart, imagination, and the will to create something meaningful from even the darkest places.
- IMDb mini biography by: Publicist (updated A REAL film person)
- When Steigert was a boy he would put "shows/ movies" on using action figures for his grandfather.
- In fifth grade Adam attempted to direct a play called "Titanic".
- Adam's inspiration in film making is directly related to George A Romero creator "of the dead" series. When he as a young boy he watched Return of the Living Dead as his first horror movie ever with his grandfather. Not knowing "of the dead" series he mistakenly though Night of the Living Dead was sequel/ prequel to Return of the Living Dead. He quickly found out how wrong that was and began to grow more interested in zombie films coming across George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
- Prisoners of the Dead featured over a thousand extras. Adam has been quoted saying "the more the merrier" when it comes to more zombies.
- Adam's inspiration comes from Geroge Romero Dawn of the Dead. He's been often quoted as saying his inspiration came from this horror masterpiece.
- I often think of myself as a writer/editor before being considered a director.
- If you're going to make a sequel to an indie film which only a handful of people are going to see then you need to reinvent the story every time.
- Normally the only way I am able to get through editing my films is with Reese's cups and a glass of cold white milk.
- The greatest performers I've ever worked with all share the same secret humility. Talent opens doors, but humility keeps them open.
- Everyone wants to break into the industry, but the truth is... you don't break in you build in. You build your own stories, your own connections, your own reputation. The door doesn't open when you knock loud enough; it opens when you've proven you belong on the other side.
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