Elizabethtown College Alumnus Pursuing Passion in the Film Industry

Elizabethtown College alumnus Adam Parliman ’08 is in the process of directing and producing his first feature film, Shredded, which recently began production in Queens, N.Y.

Parliman, who goes by Adam Michael as his filmmaking stage name, specializes in producing, writing, and directing his own indie films while running his own production company, Candid Life Entertainment. A Sociology major during his time at Etown, Parliman graduated from the College in 2008 and has been pursuing his passion and career in filmmaking ever since.

The movie is about Riley, who suffers a near-fatal accident riding her bike over the Manhattan Bridge and finds herself escaping to Rockaway Beach, a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. Coincidentally, Riley finds a companion searching for the same solace as she is seeking in the waves. What starts as two souls running from their respective lives becomes a journey of hope, friendship, and healing.

Parliman co-wrote the script with his production partner, Makayla McIntosh, who was a professional dancer until a dangerous bicycling accident, unfortunately, took away her ability to dance. The film’s character, Riley, is based on McIntosh, while the other main character, Logan, is based on Parliman’s personal life experience when he battled breast cancer about eight years ago.

“It was not only tough to write but every day directing someone to say those words is hard as well,” Parliman said. “It took months and months of sleepless nights but the story we came up with is something I am very proud of as it allowed me to confront a lot of my own traumas I still face from having cancer.”

Parliman has been hard at work making his dreams in film a reality since he graduated from Etown, and he now has several films circulating the film festival circuit. Parliman also runs his own film festival event named the Youngstown Film Festival, which recently celebrated its inaugural event in February, with the next one slated for this upcoming October.

Parliman credits his time at Etown with allowing him to develop the skills and connections that have helped him to succeed at becoming a filmmaker.

“I would not be the person I am today without Elizabethtown College, the friends I made, the relationships I developed, and the confidence Etown gave me to pursue my passions in life,” Parliman said.