The first time I recall seeing Adam The Woo was his Married With Children filming locations video.  I began visiting filming locations in 2011, so it was inevitable I would discover Adam sooner or later.  What stood out to me most was his passion.  I knew there were others who enjoyed visiting places only seen through screens suddenly brought to life, but seeing his joy and enthusiasm made me realize that for some, it was a way of life.

Adam became the first YouTuber whose output I routinely followed.  Very few have ever since followed.  While I always considered him a peer cut from a similar cloth more than an inspiration, looking back, I can see many seeds of influence.  The first time I ever boarded a flight specifically to visit filming locations, my destination was Florida, where Adam began filming.  Visiting such filming locations as “My Girl,” “Doc Hollywood,” “Problem Child 2,” “The Sandlot,” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” were all inspired by seeing Adam’s videos.  Adam was also the first person I ever saw use a drone to capture filming locations.  On that very same trip, when I drove hours to visit a location and ultimately failed upon realizing it was inaccessible, the spark was lit to purchase a drone; another seed planted by Adam’s videos.

As anyone who has watched his work can attest to, you felt like you got to know Adam by seeing the world through his eyes.  While I didn’t see every video, I always checked in on what he was up to and would sometimes watch for days or weeks in a row if a particular destination struck a chord with me.

Adam lived around Los Angeles for a stretch of time, where I also lived.  With our shared love of adventures and documenting things around us, I figured it was inevitable we’d cross paths sooner or later.  It didn’t happen though.  The pandemic hit, Adam returned to Florida.

By 2023, my circle of friends in the filming location community had grown, as had his.  When a bunch of us filming location enthusiasts decided to meet up one night in L.A. and put faces to names, I had no idea Adam would be there.  All evening long, it seemed like everyone took turns trying to get a word in with him.  It was clear how revered he was among the group, many of whom he had been out filming with in the days prior.  I was familiar with nearly everyone there that evening, so I busied myself getting to know as many as I could, figuring I’d chat with Adam once he got a minute alone.  He never got a minute alone.  After some time, Adam said he was tired and wanted to go back to his hotel to rest.  I had missed my chance to speak with him.

And then we met.  Instead of actually leaving, Adam made his way around to every person he could find, introducing himself if he hadn’t met or saying goodnight if he had.  He approached me, we shook hands and spoke for a short while.  In that brief moment, my only time meeting Adam, I told him that his work meant a lot to me.  He appreciated what I had to say. There wasn’t a trace of ego, just a regular guy, genuinely happy to meet others who shared his passion.

In the days since Adam’s unexpected passing, I’ve found myself thinking about him more than I ever would have thought, his influence now in much sharper focus. To have the courage to walk away from the grind, into the unknown, with the hope of spending every day living your dreams… All the while to spread kindness and laughter, wonder and curiosity, exposed to the world to judge, but never wavering… is awe-inspiring.  So many people talk about doing these things, few do.  Even fewer do it so memorably.  Right up until his last days, Adam was fulfilling his dreams, brightening the lives of others and living his life to the fullest, on his own terms.

I’m grateful Adam shared so many videos, as I will continue to see the world through his lens for years to come.  I know others will continue to draw their own inspirations, in unpredictable and exciting new ways.  I’m glad our shared interest in visiting places eventually created a pathway to us meeting one another.  I’m grateful even though he was tired, Adam still made time to come talk that night. None of us knows where our journey ends.  We all choose where it begins.  Adam’s legacy transcends. The road remains.