Adam Morse

He/Him
Professional
HOLLYFIELD PRODUCTIONS & CRYSTAL VISION FOUNDATION

Award category:

Visual Arts, Fashion and Design

Adam Morse is a British-born actor/writer/director/producer based in London and is the world’s first award-winning blind filmmaker to be celebrated in Hollywood. Adam lost most of his eyesight at the age of nineteen in 2009 when he was diagnosed with the incurable mitochondrial disease LHON (Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy). Since then, Adam has gone against all odds to break boundaries in the entertainment business by becoming an industry trailblazer for other differently-abled artists. Morse’s feature debut as writer/director ‘LUCID’ (starring Billy Zane), was released on AMAZON in 2020, and it was nominated for the prestigious ‘Michael Powel Award’ at the Edinburgh Film Festival and went on to win ‘BEST DIRECTOR’ at the GOLD MOVIE AWARDS in London. Adam has also made headlines by becoming a “BLIND ACTION STAR” (NEW YORK POST) after appearing in a recurring role on the APPLE+ series ‘SEE’ (starring Jason Momoa), where he performed his own stunts on screen. Adam became the first blind model to walk the runway at London Fashion Week 2022. Morse is writing a self-help/memoir book describing his experiences overcoming blindness and inspiring readers to adopt a positive mentality for success. Morse recently founded the non-profit organization Crystal Vision Foundation to support blind artists in film/TV. Adam has gone from keeping his blindness a secret in the industry to now being extremely candid about his condition and sharing his unique journey through public speaking with live talks on big stages such as DUBAI EXPO 2020, Cannes Film Festival, META ENTERTAINMENT WORLD SUMMIT, and GREENWICH UNIVERSITY to name a few. Morse has been prolific in directing advertisement films with stunning end products for major high-end brands such as GOOGLE, PUMA, MCLAREN, GSK, and others. Adam again challenged disability stigma as an actor with his recent critically acclaimed performance in the psychological drama ‘SUPPRESSION’ where he plays a fully sighted character. Adam is developing a slate of movie/TV projects with his production company HOLLYFIELD PRODUCTIONS and is attached to direct a number of feature films, including Sci-Fi Comedy ‘CHANNEL THREE BILLION’ being produced by RADAR PICTURES. Morse is currently being considered for BAFTA ‘BREAKTHROUGH BRIT’ and is also now working as an ambassador for the RNIB (ROYAL NATIONAL INSTITUTION for the BLIND).

In February of this year, I became the first blind filmmaker to direct a Super Bowl advert. My Google Pixel 8 commercial ‘Javier in Frame’ went viral online with over 50 million views and started the #3facesdetected trend on TikTok. It was named “Best of the Bunch” by the New York Times. It was also named the most heartfelt Super Bowl commercial ever made by People Magazine. I was given important advice by my mother at a young age to never be shy about asking for help or support from others, “If you don’t ask, then you don’t get”, she always used to say; this advice instilled an openness in me to make connections that have surely made me more social and collaborative in my artform. I am motivated by the discrimination and prejudice in the world towards myself and others from my community; I use it as fuel to finally put an end to the negative stigma associated with disability. My hope is that everyone can draw inspiration from my success and use me as a reference point to an example of a proof of concept for how a blind person can thrive in a visual medium.

“Sight and vision are not the same, we use sight to map our physical surroundings, but vision is how we manifest our future”

Q&A

Adam Morse
Surround yourself with the right people, keep those close who share your ambition and believe in your abilities, distance yourself from every negative nay sayer who doubts you.
I have had many people from all over the world reach out to me online with messages of thanks for raising awareness for disabled talent after my Google commercial came out. On top of this, even more, people were inspired by the behind-the-scenes video that Google released showing my process as a blind filmmaker directing the advert; one particular case was a mother from the US who told me that her 12-year-old son had just been diagnosed with the same incurable condition as my own and that he had recently lost the majority of his eyesight, the boy was in a dark place and was encouraged when he learned about me in the BTS film, now determined to grow up and become a filmmaker like me, despite his blindness.
My goal is to become the first blind film director in Hollywood to win an Oscar. Another aspirations is to grow my foundation (CVF) to support blind artists and discover the next generation of disabled filmmakers.
Listen to music. Make music. Play football. Go to the cinema. Dinners with friends.
My other half Julia Varvara, she is my fiancée, business partner, carer/companion, creative partner, and best friend.
Ego in humanity. I believe it is responsible for all wars and most unhealthy emotions. It is to blame for insecurities that bring about insensitivities and intolerance.
The barrier of stereotype and stigma creates the bias to assume disabled people are generally less capable.

Areas of expertise

Accessibility, Art, photography, Business, Community, Disability Advocacy, Performing arts, Television, radio, podcast

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Image credits: Maria Khavanskaya