Adora Wilson-Eye is a talented freelance producer in the Bay Area. For over a decade she’s worked across a wide range of projects from broadcast commercials and documentaries to experiential and digital campaigns. In her own words, she’s an “enthusiastic make-it-happener”, and we’d have to agree. We are a frequent collaborator with Adora, and she’s a delight to work with. She really does get things done. Enjoy our conversation with our vibrant friend.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I was born in the Midwest and raised on the East Coast, where I spent my childhood on college campuses while my mom taught classes and worked in student life. From the time I was eight, I was dead set on going to film school. After graduating from high school I decided that the traditional college experience wasn’t for me and attended film school in the heart of downtown Chicago. 

I then spent another decade there, getting my feet wet in the film production industry. After burning out producing union commercial shoots for a while, I decided that California was my next stop, and I have been living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area ever since. I now live here with my husband and three cats and still produce video and print shoots for the most part. 

In my spare time, I take 35mm and 120 film photos, I lead a knitting circle at an assisted living facility, and improvise songs about my cats. Although film school never led me to making films or television (no regrets!) I am also still big into films and television and love talking about them. As a Bay Area resident, I am also, of course, an avid camper, hiker, and trail bike rider.

Tell us some of your go-to content at the moment. What are you reading/listening to/watching now?

READING: Dune! I’ve been reading the book to see how the new movies measure up. It has made them an even richer experience. I can see why the book has been so notoriously difficult to adapt. So much information comes through the omniscient narration and it’s really tough to convey that without a ton of voiceover. I think these adaptations did a pretty decent job, but the book is just killer, if a little dense and hard to get into at first.

I’ve been on a “book to movie” kick lately so I also recently finished Killers of the Flower Moon - honestly, the book was better. The movie, I felt, was far too enamored with DiCaprio’s Sling Blade impression. 
I’m also reading some Sarah J Maas as a recommendation from a friend, but truthfully, I don’t think it's for me. I was a big fan fiction girlie back in the early aughts, and it reads too much like that stuff for me. Sorry Maas fans!

Next up on the book pile I’m switching it up and reading Julia Fox’s memoir, Down the Drain. I’m not a big celeb memoir reader, but I’ve heard she has had quite an interesting life and an engaging way of writing. Honestly, I lowkey love her so I’m looking forward to it.  

LISTENING: For music, I’m making Cowboy Carter my entire personality this summer and no, I don’t care if anyone judges me for being a Yank in a cowboy hat. I also may or may not have had Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso cycling through my head for the last handful of days or so….

As far as podcasts, I’ve been obsessed with this one called Clotheshorse which details everything about the garment industry and the impact production has on the planet. It’s been really eye-opening and I’ve learned so much about the process that goes into that. It’s changed the way I buy clothing and I’ve been focusing way more on thrifting and repairing the clothing I have as a result. 

WATCHING: My movie obsession has ramped up as of late between a fresh Criterion app subscription and a Letterboxd account. I go through periods where I’ll watch a random movie every day or even several movies if I have the time. Criterion is excellent at curating playlists and recently added a “24/7” channel where it’s essentially a TV station. You tune in at any time to see what they’re playing. They do a really good job of helping you discover new films. 

Some gems I’ve fallen in love with recently from the Criterion app include: Haxan, House, Fantastic Planet, Space is the Place, Xanadu, and Lost Highway. I can’t believe how many years of appreciating Lost Highway I’ve missed out on. It’s my new favorite Lynch movie, by far. 

Been also doing a lot of shows: Fallout was great, as was Shogun. And my embarrassing guilty pleasure is The Circle on Netflix. Don’t tell anyone!

Any time I get stressed about my work, I think, it’s just burgers and fries, baby.

What’s the best advice you’ve received that you actually use?

When I graduated from college - at the height of the 2008 recession - I ended up working as a server for many years. I was working in this very busy, loud sports bar and having a tough day. I think my manager could tell because he pulled me aside and said, “Hey. This isn’t that big of a deal…it’s just burgers and fries, baby!” And I still think about that all the time. Any time I get stressed about my work, I think, it’s just burgers and fries, baby. We aren’t saving lives here. It definitely takes the edge off of my stress. :)

Tell us about a brand you admire and why.

Patagonia! My family was an anti-sweatshop household for as long as I can remember and as a result, as a kid, I wasn’t allowed to pick clothing from most of the cool kid mall brands I so desperately wanted. But Patagonia was talking about ethics and sustainability way before they became marketing buzzwords, and thus they were one of the few places my mom would take me school shopping at. 

People care more about slow fashion now and anti-sweatshop brands have come and gone since I’ve grown up, and most of them have proven disappointing (looking at you, American Apparel). Not going to say that any brand is perfect, but Patagonia just gave the entire company away to a nonprofit trust, which I’m sure has some tax benefits for them, but I’ll still take it over 99% of the greenwashing most clothing companies do these days. As the OGs of ethical clothing brands, I respect their commitment to the cause. 🫡 Wearing my Patagonia fleece right now to pay respects (also it's cold today).‍

What’s your favorite non-famous app on your phone?

Wow, I’m so glad you asked. I have been absolutely obsessed with Yuka, my Roman empire that I cannot shut up about. It scans food and beauty products and tells you how many hazardous additives are in them, using only legitimate scientific studies. The studies are mostly from Europe because they have to prove a chemical is safe before adding it to food, as opposed to the states, where they go ‘whoopsie! Sorry, we didn't know this gave you cancer tee hee’. They are very open and honest about funding and don’t receive any from businesses, so I feel more confident that it’s unbiased information.

I’m not a big woo-woo science gal, but I’m all in on avoiding these additives. It's honestly shocking how much garbage we put in our food in the US and how that affects us. It’s no wonder so many people feel so crappy all the time. It’s been a game changer for my diet and beauty regimen and maybe it’s all placebo, but I’ve been feeling a lot better since detoxifying what I eat and put on my skin!

What is the current topic/hobby/subject that you are obsessed with?

I think I covered all of the main ones as of late! I’ve been all about random movies and scanning my food for toxic chemicals lol. I’ve also gotten an Oura ring and I’ve been super obsessed with tracking my vitals. It’s helped me to become more active because I’m determined not to disappoint the app any more than I already do with my horrible sleep schedule! 

I am also obsessed with skincare recently and always; admittedly I am not getting any younger, and I love my skin and want to preserve it in amber, basically. I have binged so many YouTube videos about dermatology. Holler if you want to talk about your skin routine and the benefits of retinoids. I’m also anti-botox and fillers but I have gotten into face acupuncture and microneedling and it makes my face look nice and tight.

What’s an ad that stands out in your mind or your favorite campaign ad?

Honestly, it got mixed reactions but a recent one is the Superbowl Cerave ads with Michael Cera. They were so fucking stupid and I loved them. When I learned that Tim and Eric (of Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job) directed them, I was like, of course. I love that weird “public access” humor and that was exactly the Cerave ads. My Gen X colleagues were like, what the hell is this garbage? But I got it. As an elder Millennial, it was for me. 

(And I know you’re asking. Per the Yuka app, Cerave products are about 60-70% unsafe, but they do have quite a few products deemed safe without any hazardous additives.)

What’s something that’s brought you joy recently outside of work?

I went to Harley’s Goat Farm in Pescadero last week and wow. Petting 158 baby goats is a massive dopamine hit that I highly, highly recommend. Then you can hit up the shop and get the most delicious goat cheese you will ever have the pleasure of eating.