by Mark Ross, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Freya Shaw, Creative Director
World-renowned podcast host, actor, producer and creative, Adam Buxton, was welcomed to the SU last week to talk about his career, industry and inspirations.
The talk was organised by the fledgling Bristol Collaborative Arts society, which offers a space for ‘Bristol based artists to share, collaborate and get their work seen by key industries’.
Before the talk had even started, Buxton had the whole room engaged, by talking directly with audience members, who were from a range of backgrounds, not just Arts degrees.
Buxton walked the audience through his career, from his early comedy performances in The Adam and Joe Show to his award-winning podcast, to his work in Radio, culminating in his most recent venture, The Adam Buxton Podcast.
He also discussed his acting performances in films such as cult-classic Hot Fuzz (filmed in nearby Wells) and Star Dust.
His seemingly endless list of creative projects included collaborations with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, satirist Armando Ianucci (the Thick of It, Death of Stalin) and director (and close friend) Joe Cornish.
Buxton didn't just walk us though his career, but also gave us, the audience, tips, or as he called them 'CREATIVITIPS', on how to get started in an increasingly competitive and confusing creative world.
These included, having a sketchbook, or journal or some way to write all the random ideas you have down. And controversially telling us that procrastination was a good thing, at least for him and his career.
In a Q&A at the end Adam reiterated the importance of persistence and resilience on projects, citing the competitive nature of the entertainment industry.
His advice on dealing with rejection in the arts world was novel, cheekily answering that ‘I don’t - I try to avoid it as much as possible’.
Speaking to Epigram about his time at university (he attended the Cheltenham College of Art after dropping out of the University of Warwick), Adam reflected on how to retain friendships after finishing your studies:
‘It's always good to have one friend who organises things...and to just do stuff together’
And when quizzed about his current favourite TV series or comedy act, he responded that ‘House of Dragon’ and ‘Rings of Power’ were the two programmes which he was hooked on: ‘Paddy [Considine] is doing a great job [as King Viserys]’.
Epigram also asked Buxton to reflect on his career, questioning which project, if any, would he redo and why? For sentimental reasons, he chose a programme that was never released. A wine tour with his late father, citing the emotional significance to him, and the importance of finding the right formats for projects.
Finally, as creatives, it can be daunting to know where to start or what to do to kickstart your creative career. But Buxton was quick to reassure stating that 'you just have to pick the idea which is the easiest, and most logical to do and build it from there'.
Buxton was inspiring and hilarious, and Epigram looks forward to seeing his work in the future.
Epigram would also like to thank BCA for organising such an entertaining and insightful evening.
Interested in more talks like this? Head to BCA's instagram for updates on upcoming events.
