Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Adam Schomer of President of i2i Productions Is Helping To Change Our World
Learn to Edit. It is so empowering to know how to edit on your own. I love hiring editors for my projects, but sometimes, I need to get in there and edit something on my own, try things, or make something short. And specifically, I had two weeks off from the documentary “Heal” when I was producing it, so I took a vacation to learn Adobe Premiere. I then edited the first two episodes of “Road to Dharma” in my off time and on weekends. So, when “Heal” ended, I had the first two episodes of “Road to Dharma” done and used that to get investors interested to fund post-production for the rest of the series.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Adam Schomer.
Adam Schomer is a documentary filmmaker, president of i2i Productions, and is known for going to extreme lengths to follow stories that empower us. Feature documentaries include the award winning “The Highest Pass” (2012), “The “ (2014), “One Little Pill” (2015), and “Women of the White Buffalo” (2022). He is well known for producing the #1 iTunes Best-Seller and Netflix hit, “Heal” (2017), which went on to spawn three online summits, a Heal book, the Heal podcast, and now Heal conferences. It continues to be the go-to film for holistic healing and streams on Amazon Prime. Adam created and directed the 10-episode docu-series “The Road to Dharma” (2020), a heart pounding and spirit driven quest to find freedom on motorcycles in the Himalayas, and wrote its companion online course for Living a Life of Freedom. He just finished writing/directing the feature documentary “Finding Peace” (2024) featuring the famed Tibetan Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard. I2i’s newest feature doc in development is “Erin’s Law” (2026) of which Adam is the executive producer. Adam’s latest project, the four-part docu-series “Selling Superman” (2024) which he directed and produced, brings a heartfelt comic book legacy to life, exploring family, mental health, and redemption. “Selling Superman” is available now on major VOD platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
My journey to documentary filmmaking is definitely not traditional. I studied engineering and played soccer in college, as well as semi-professionally. So that athletic desire to be physically and mentally firing on every level really lends itself to the kind of docs I make that mostly unfold in real-time and often involve adventure and a resolve of tenacity. Then also, that mindset of an engineer really helps me in doc filmmaking because it’s all a big puzzle that you can’t simply “make up” a storyline within. It’s a game that you have to solve in terms of limited pieces of the story with which you create a compelling narrative.
Now, how did I transition from that past specific skillset to now making my 9th documentary? It started on a seed level with my desire for truth and an inquiry into how spirituality and science can come together. That seed would eventually morph into entertainment and wisdom coming together. But that original seed took more flight when I stepped into entertainment originally, doing improv comedy in Detroit, Michigan. I trained at Second City there for two years and always felt that improv comedy was the yoga of comedy/entertainment. It was unhinged; in the moment, it was dropping of ego, and very much like storytelling under extreme circumstances. So, from improv, I kept pushing my story chops by learning how to write films through reading books, attending writing groups, writing my own screenplays, writing spec scripts, writing plays, and even writing children’s shows and children’s books. So, I really felt strongest in the writing aspect, and yeah, initially, my narrative skills were focused on comedy and fiction.
Eventually, I left Detroit for LA, and amidst that, I kept going west and forayed to India a few times. It was at that time, that my teacher in India, a wonderful, wise master, invited me to go into the Himalayas on motorcycles over the highest road in the world. I said “yes,” half excited and half deathly afraid because I didn’t know how to ride motorcycles and because he had a prophecy he’d die in an accident. We both thought it would be an interesting, beautiful journey to share with others who could never see these places that we were going to. So, with that, I produced and directed my first documentary, “The Highest Pass.” It was incredibly challenging, but I fell in love with the documentary form. I fell in love with the challenge, and I fell in love with the mystery and unknown of documentary filmmaking. And from that time onward, which has been 16 years, I’ve totally focused on documentaries and now have written, directed, or produced eight docs/series and am working on my 9th now.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Yeah, the funniest mistake I made when first starting documentary filmmaking was waiting way too long to learn how to ride a motorcycle because my first documentary was about motorcycling through the Himalayas, as mentioned. And as much as it’s incredibly challenging, making your first documentary while taking a crew through the Himalayas, with no scouting, and in a foreign land. It’s even harder to face death for 12 hours per day straight, learning to ride amidst road-killer traffic, sheer cliffs, snow, altitude, etc. Death is scarier than filmmaking, I promise you. The mistake of not learning to ride taught me two wonderful things: a) There are no higher stakes than life/death for a good story. b) And no story or film is bigger than life. So, let’s keep our humble hats on amidst what we think is the center of the world — Hollywood and Films! Haha.
So yeah, life and death really make for a very fertile ground for growth (which is entertaining!). And I love watching and documenting internal growth. Plus, any story worth watching or making has to have risk involved. Then you have the chance for a great reward. The highest reward, which we know in story, is always internal.
I’m glad you are asking this, as it’s a good reminder to me as we dive into the unknown of releasing our new four-part docuseries independently (“Selling Superman”) and the great challenge and risk of that. It can be daunting, but let’s not let it overtake our sanity and self-worth. And self-worth is the very message “Selling Superman” inspires us to consider.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
The most interesting people I’ve interacted with, to be honest, are everyday people, like we see in “Selling Superman.” In this case, it’s those who collect comic books and just have this real innocent love and nostalgia for their childhood. I find it incredibly interesting because I’m not someone who collects or loves comics, but the depth of people’s love of a hobby is, to me, fascinating. And what’s also fascinating is the trade-offs people make in life for what they value. I mean the stories of people spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on books that they can’t even open and maybe not spending money on their health, experiences, travel, or family. That, to me, is kind of mind-blowing. But when you understand what these books mean to people, it then shifts your mindset. And I love things that can shift my mindset, create empathy or allow me to see the world in a broader way. So often, everyday people and experiences unexpectedly do that.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
Well, to me, the most inspiring people in history are those who have dedicated their lives to freedom, be it outer freedom or inner freedom. So, be it someone like Gandhi who’s fighting for his country and a whole people’s freedom, or be it someone like the Buddha or the many yogic masters who dedicate their whole lives towards understanding the truth of our existence. This is very inspiring, especially when we get caught up in the minutia of day-to-day life and the drama of our own agendas. When I can refer back to people who have taken a bigger view of this lifetime, that really inspires me. It inspires me to do the same and maybe take some risks in life, live a life with meaning, and do projects that are meaningful to me. And yes, even if they’re a little more dangerous or a little bit more out of the box, I hope the things we do not only help our own inner growth but help the people around us. So, I’m very inspired by those who have dedicated their lives to that freedom. Shout out to Gandhi and the Buddha once again.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
I’m using the success and the entertainment aspect of documentary films to get people to look at their inner world. That’s really my big push, whether it’s a social cause or an adventure or with “Selling Superman,” a human family story of conditioning and mental health. I feel it is incredibly important to use media to get people to inquire about their beliefs, inquire about their lives, and shift how they see themselves. There is a time for straight entertainment, but I think we can do better than just entertaining people. So, that’s how I’m bringing goodness by doing my best to merge the two to make something entertaining and gripping that also makes us question our beliefs, question how we see the world, and question the meaning of why we give things.
And that then extends to documentaries with social impact causes, too. “Selling Superman” is very much about mental health, stress, anxiety, and the stories we hold from our parents and our society that keep us locked in that mindset. Deeper still are the stories we hold about superheroes and how that affects us in terms of waiting for saviors and the monetary value we put on books/collectibles versus the value we put on our own peace, happiness, or our loved ones.
The other social cause documentary I’m currently working on is called “Erin’s Law.” It will highlight the incredible journey of Erin Merryn from victim to advocate, following her fight to get all 50 states to adopt her law. Specifically, this looks at sexual abuse of children and how she’s implemented laws that teach kids to speak up and what’s good touch and what’s not good touch so that we can dramatically reduce the effects of sexual abuse and sexual abuse occurrences in general. It’s a huge problem with 40 million adults in the USA having been sexually abused. So, I’m incredibly happy to help be part of this mission to get every state passing this, and part of that is documenting this journey and bringing awareness to an international level through our documentary.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions but never manifest them. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
I can answer more specifically for each of my films, as there’s always a moment of, oh, wow, I need to tell that story. So, with “Selling Superman,” when I met the family and filmed at their old home… I mean, gosh they were so honest with their emotions and their trauma with the father. I thought, wow, this is so much deeper than comics; this is going to be amazing. They’re courageous people. They’re willing to show us the conditioning they’ve been through and how they can overcome it. So yes, there is always a moment of “I have to do it.” With “Erin’s Law,” the next documentary we’re doing, the moment that I heard about how deep the problem of sexual abuse with children, some stats say one in four girls and one in six boys, and I heard what she was doing and that there hadn’t been a documentary yet. Of course, the light bulb went off. I have to help. I have to help make this film. No matter how busy I am, I have to make this happen. And I brought in an amazing director named Maureen Isern to direct the film, as she knows this topic well and has the right eye to make it, and I will produce it. So yeah, this is one you can’t turn your back on. There are these moments when you just have to say yes, no matter the risk or time or whatever.
Lastly, I’ll just say that after that first documentary, “The Highest Pass,” I basically thought that if I could make that film, not die, and direct a crew through the Himalayas for 21 days, then not much else seemed scary. So, I had that “aha moment” of “Yeah, I can make that next film, of course I can.” There will always be fear, but the key is more love (or vision) than fear.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Again, my main cause is creating films that make people question and look at their inner world and inspire us to grow and evolve. And for my doc series, “The Road To Dharma,” which was a follow-up to “The Highest Pass,” there are so many people who have watched that series and been impacted. In the series, we take a motorcycle journey through the Himalayas, facing monsoon rains, road-killer traffic, and high-altitude hiking to sacred sites of freedom. So many have watched it and then taken the leap to go on an adventure of their own to India. Many had a calling to start meditating or seeking more spirituality in life, and seeing a series that posed so many of these very rational questions (and answers) got them to take action and make a change. There are at least 100 people who have gone to Rishikesh specifically because of that series. And I think it’s because freedom is innate to us, and that topic is profound in the bones of Americans on many levels. That’s what the whole series is about. It is what real freedom is and what keeps us from it. Likewise, with “Selling Superman,” there are so many people who have expressed how they will change how they collect, how they will change how they will interact with their family, and just do some of the basics like, “I’m going to call my son right now and tell him, I love him.” We are getting emails like this daily from “Selling Superman.”
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Absolutely, three things that people can do to support the effort to bring more meaningful, conscious documentaries that are entertaining are: First, individuals can financially help support us by investing in the films. This is how they get made. Especially with “Erin’s Law” documentary coming up, we definitely rely on private investors and big donors to help make films like that possible.
Society, yes, for sure, society can value these films. You know, a lot of the streamers say people just want true crime or reality TV, etc. So, of course, if people tune into meaningful stories, then the streamers see those metrics. If people buy meaningful stories on VOD, then society will start to switch and value indie docs and series that sometimes can’t get the streamer deals.
The government could absolutely create a lot more grants for documentary films, but I don’t count on it.
So, really, it’s on the individuals to step up. Thankfully, many have wealth and do come in to support these projects.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1) “You’ll be fine, dude.” Meaning, don’t worry. Don’t worry so much in the tough times, be it financially or any of that stuff, just don’t worry. You’ll be fine. I think that takes some of the burden off and allows a little bit more freedom in following our heart when we know that. Also, freedom creatively. Thankfully, I know it now, but it would have been nice to have known it when I was younger, maybe in my teens. I think I figured it out pretty early in my 20s, though, but it’s a practice to always remember this and reside in that mindset.
2) I got this advice pretty early in my film career; of course, even earlier would have been great. It was: “Often you are going to deal with adults that are simply five-year-old kids.” And I won’t be specific exactly who, but when you realize that fellow producer is just a jealous little kid throwing a tantrum, then you don’t take it so personally. You also don’t really try to “teach” them but rather work around them. Kids pout. Kids act out. Kids throw tantrums. And well, we don’t let them control the family life, right? So, work around them and make the film. And trust. And yeah, mostly, you don’t take it personally when adults act like petulant children.
3) Don’t network for the sake of networking. Do the things you like to do, and be involved in the ways and causes, and hobbies you like. And you’ll meet like-minded people who are core and close to you. To me, this is stronger than just a “network”. I started a meditation group every Monday in 2009 because I loved to meditate and wanted to share that experience with others. It grew into a core group of friends and really a place where everyone knew there was a gathering. They knew on Mondays; they could go to Adam’s house to meditate. And people met each other, formed new bonds, and we all became true friends that shared experiences and a cool practice called meditation. To me, this became a solid group of people I could trust. It also became a great help to many people who felt isolated and alone in LA, especially when new to the city.
4) If you live in LA, move to the west side as soon as possible. The ocean is amazing and makes you forget you are in a city. To me, the ocean totally levels the craziness of this big city, and I simply adore being near it. So, living on the “west side” is living by the ocean. This is a great help to our happiness.
5) Learn to Edit. It is so empowering to know how to edit on your own. I love hiring editors for my projects, but sometimes, I need to get in there and edit something on my own, try things, or make something short. And specifically, I had two weeks off from the documentary “Heal” when I was producing it, so I took a vacation to learn Adobe Premiere. I then edited the first two episodes of “Road to Dharma” in my off time and on weekends. So, when “Heal” ended, I had the first two episodes of “Road to Dharma” done and used that to get investors interested to fund post-production for the rest of the series.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Please look deep inside at what’s of value to you and what you consider a valuable and well-lived life. Please look at how your family and society have conditioned you to live a certain way or value a certain outcome. And then do your best to decide for yourself what’s important. If we live from that base understanding, then more than likely, you will, of course, have a positive impact on yourself, but others will see that and feel that from the life you are living. And even if your “job” or “project” isn’t geared toward positive impact, you first start with having your life be an expression of evolution and growth. Try to see your life as one of many, and thus, how are you going to use this one to grow — and what is important? Honestly, if we start here, we usually move toward positively impacting those around us and our environment. Naturally, when we look inside, we want to care for our earth because it sustains us. Naturally when we take time to see what’s important, we’ll see that community is essential to life and happiness. Naturally our scope of agenda and intention gets bigger and includes rather than seeks to win and reach the “top.”
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
Yes. Ron Howard. I’ve created a very big and important documentary series project, and I’d like to collaborate with him on it. I feel he lives a meaningful life and makes media that’s high quality and of help to the world. And something intuitively says this project is meant to be in collaboration with him; perhaps it’s because we are both gingers. Who knows. So, Ron, let’s talk about our next project — this one will blow you away — it’s the most essential thing to our society right now.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“We must fall in love first, then understanding comes from that. So often, people first seek to understand and then think the love (or faith) will come, but it’s the opposite. One gains true understanding when they fall in love (faith) first.”
This quote and lesson I learned on my first journey to the Himalayas makes so much sense to me. We must first show the faith and be willing to jump or “risk” or let go… and from that, we gain wisdom. It’s so easy to see in many of our myths, like “The Lord of the Rings,” when Frodo bears the ring and sets out on a pilgrimage without “knowing” or having the “skills.” But do we live like this? Do we take pilgrimages? We will find wisdom if we take quantum leaps.
That’s how I got into documentary filmmaking — by hopping on a motorcycle in the Himalayas. And it’s basically how I approach every film, too — first with the vision and desire to share a message or explore a teaching — and how we’ll do that, we will eventually figure out.
We have trust, and eventually, we understand how to do it. So, it helps tremendously in filmmaking. It also helps tremendously with the absolute mystery of living life nowadays. We have to have some relationship with the unknown and the chaos of it all. Otherwise, we will go into total stress and anxiety trying to control it all — which we can’t, nor would we want to. So, start by developing a relationship to the mystery — by having a practice of continual leaps of faith. It has helped me be happy for no apparent reason at all… ya know, if that’s something of interest to people… being happy.
How can our readers follow you online?
All my documentary films/series can be found at the i2i Productions website www.Livingi2i.com and @i2iProductions on IG. As an offering beyond my films, I offer many free meditations and tools for consciousness and those can be found over at www.adam.yoga.com
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Adam Schomer of President of i2i Productions… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.