John Adams

John Adams is CEO of Evolutionary Films, an award winning film and television production, international sales and distribution company as well as an experienced producer, writer and director. Born in Chelmsford, England, John was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School where he joined the CCF (Combined Cadet Force) and Corps of Drums culminating in a year as Senior Army Cadet and a year as Drum Major. In 1996 John was Commissioned as an Officer in the British Army after attending The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He served as a Mechanised Infantry Platoon Commander (Warrior and AFV432) and subsequently as Battalion Training Officer (responsible for co-ordinating and running training exercises for over 600 personnel) with the Second Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment in the UK (including the Combined Arms Training Centre), Germany and Cyprus. His military skills include: Weapons-Handling, Drill Instruction, Fieldcraft, Tactics, OBUA (Operations in Built-Up Areas), Combat First-Aid and CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation), NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Warfare), TESEX (Tactical Engagement Simulation Exercises), Command and Orders Techniques and MOI (Method of Instruction). He also completed the Progressive Fighting Technique Course with the Royal Marine Commandos; undertook a Parachute Regiment Familiarisation Course in Aldershot; spent time with the Royal Artillery learning Gunnery and Air Defence techniques; and has an extensive knowledge of military history. He is a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Judo and fully qualified Self-Defence and Unarmed Combat Instructor as well as CCPR (Central Council of Physical Recreation) and ASPT (Army School of Physical Training) qualified sports coach. John spent three years studying English at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London. During this time he helped train and develop potential young Army Officers as an instructor with the University of London Officer Training Corps. After working with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks on Band of Brothers (2001) for the duration of the whole shoot, John and several ex-military colleagues formed Universal Combat, the first UK based agency to specialise exclusively in providing military advice and support to the entertainment industry. The company went on to provide advice, equipment and personnel to numerous films, TV shows, video games, commercials and live events as well as forging strong links with film industry armourers and security companies. Through Universal Combat, John had the opportunity to work directly with stars such as Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren on projects as diverse as X-Men: First Class (2011), Doom (2005), The Queen (2006) and Jarhead (2005). Having gained several years experience in the film industry, John diversified from military consultancy to assistant directing and script editing then ultimately to writing and producing. John built a respectable body of work as a producer through his own production company Angry Badger Pictures including the cult British comedy The Magnificent Eleven (2013) starring Hollywood legend Robert Vaughn, Josh O'Connor, Sean Pertwee and Keith Allen, which John co-wrote with Trainspotting (1996) author Irvine Welsh and his dad Peter Adams, with whom John collaborated on a number of screenplays. In addition John has operated as a freelancer running productions for overseas producers shooting in the UK, consulting to international sales agents, broadcasters and distributors and a long stint at Raw TV as a supervising producer across several high risk international reality television shows for Discovery Channel including shooting Jungle Gold (2012) on location in the West African jungle and Siberian Cut (2014) in the extreme cold of Russia. Other notable credits include line producing Demons Never Die (2011) for Idris Elba and Damaged (2024) starring Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel as well as first assistant directing on the Amazon Studios series Mammals (2022) written by Jez Butterworth and starring James Corden. In 2015 John founded the integrated finance, production, international sales and UK distribution company Evolutionary Films based at 3 Mills Studios in London, and in 2016 he directed for the first time on the critically acclaimed feature film Aux (2018) starring the veteran actor John Rhys-Davies. He has also directed Dame Joan Collins in a sizzle shoot for the British Film Institute. Evolutionary Films has twice won the Best Film Distribution Company award at the National Film Awards, UK (in 2019 and again in 2021) and was nominated for Distributor Of The Year and Best International Sales Deal For A UK Film at the prestigious Screen Awards in 2019. As well as handling hundreds of international sales and UK distribution deals as the CEO of Evolutionary Films, John also serves as a producer to many of the company's productions including the I Am Vengeance (2018) series starring WWE Superstar Stu Bennett, the second of which I Am Vengeance: Retaliation (2020), also featuring Vinnie Jones, was released globally in 2020 by Saban Films, Lionsgate and Netflix. In 2024 Evolutionary Films joined forces with Vertigo Films to produce the six part crime thriller Curfew (2024) for Paramount+ with John as the producer. In his spare time, John is a keen sportsman, having fenced sabre and foil to a high standard and competed in martial arts events to national and international level; and, as an accomplished Grade 8 musician, he regularly unwinds by playing piano and singing rhythm and blues gigs in live venues around the UK. In 2021 he began studying a second degree in Law with The Open University.