In 1999 Adam was made Young Victorian of the Year and he has been honoured with many industry distinctions. He has been made an ambassador and patron for various institutions and charities and is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. He also travels the world as a juror at international film festivals and is in constant demand as a public and corporate speaker. The appeal of his films is universal. Infused with a balance of humour and pathos, his simple and endearing characters touch a nerve with so many people from all walks of life. Adam has a passion for human observation and his films are highly personal and detailed explorations of the human spirit.
HARVIE KRUMPET
“We were trying to finance a project that wasn't market friendly - its a one-off, half hour, adult, claymation film with no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny, featuring an illiterate immigrant, a story about cancer, assisted suicide, lightening strike and Alzheimer’s.”
After dozens of rejections, long hours of hard-work, driven by a passion and belief, a small independent film-maker, Adam Elliot, in February 2004, won the Oscar ® for Best Animated Short, eclipsing the work of Salvador Dali & Walt Disney, Pixar and Twentieth Century Fox
SPEAKER
A naturally gifted, engaging and entertaining communicator Adam shares his story: A Dream and Vision, years of success without wider recognition, numerous obstacles, rejections, limited funding, long hours, appalling work conditions to finally produce a global winner! He is an overnight success after years of hard work.
“A story of a Dream where Passion + Commitment + Talent make Success”
Adam Elliot is available to help create a special event for you, by delivering a keynote speech, keynote address or motivational speech for your clients. He is one of Australia's most sought after conference speakers.
Adam Elliot – winner five AFI Awards, DVD Sales of Harvie Krumpet of 40,000 in Australia alone (that’s one copy per 1000 Australians) and an Oscar won by Adam not just for himself but for all Australians. The Oscar is housed permanently in the Australian Centre for Moving Image in Melbourne.
“It was Australian Taxpayers money that funded Harvie, the Oscar and Harvie are for all Australians”.
The Oscar win for Adam has opened many doors in the USA, but Adam and his team are committed to staying in Australia to produce Australia’s first claymated multi-million dollar feature.
ADAM ELLIOT
Born on the second of January 1972, Adam was raised in the Australian Outback on a Prawn (Shrimp) Farm with his father (a retired acrobatic clown), his mother (a hairdresser), his two brothers, sister and two parrots - Sonny and Cher. After the Prawn Farm business went bankrupt, Adam's father moved the family back to the city of Melbourne and bought a Hardware shop.
Adam was a very shy child and loved to lock himself in his bedroom, spending hours drawing and making things out of pipe cleaners and egg cartons. At age 12 he was sent to a private boy's school where he excelled at Art, English Literature, Photography, Drawing and Sculpture. He was a member of the school’s Highland Pipe Band and got over his shyness by playing the Bass drum. He enjoyed acting and in his final year was awarded the schools highest honour, The A.G. Greenwood Trophy for an outstanding dramatic performance as the role of Dr. Watson in The Sherlock Holmes Play, 'The Incredible Murder of Cardinal Tosca'.
After leaving school, Adam spent five years hand-painting t-shirts at a local craft market. His most popular design being 'Murray the tap-dancing Dim-Sim'. In 1996 he decided to go to university and study animation at The Victorian College of the Arts. There he made his first film 'Uncle'. After graduating in 1997, he went on to complete the other two parts of his trilogy, 'Cousin' and 'Brother'.
In 2003 he completed a half hour Claymation called, Harvie Krumpet, narrated by Geoffrey Rush and starring Kamahl, it was produced by Melanie Coombs of Melodrama Pictures. In February 2004, HARVIE won the Oscar ® for Best Animated Short Film, eclipsing the work of Salvador Dali & Walt Disney, Pixar and Twentieth Century Fox. It has gone on to win dozens of awards and has participated in hundreds of film festivals around the globe.
Adam is an ambassador and patron of many organizations and charities and travels to various festivals around the world judging short films and giving forums on the art form. In 1998 Adam was given the honourable title of 'Young Victorian of the Year’ for his achievements in film making, as well as being awarded the 'Medibank Private Arts Award'. He was then the state representative for the Young Australian of the Year Awards. The following year he was presented with the annual 'Film Victoria's Greg Tepper Award' for outstanding achievement by an emerging filmmaker.
The appeal of his films is universal. Infused with a balance of humour and pathos, his simple and endearing characters touch a nerve with so many people from all walks of life. Adam has a passion for human observation. His films are highly personal and are based on the detailed analysis of the people around him.
CLIENT FEEDBACK
“ Well, I must say it was one of the best - if not the best - presentation I have seen. Your story showed to me that we all have our own special talents and that it is incumbent on each of us to find out what that is. It is up to us to make the most of those chances – and they are chances, they are not pitfalls or dead ends. It was good to listen to a real person with character and values.”
Mancell
“Excellent…Adam's "Hollywood" story was very entertaining - he injected the right amount of humour in the right places. He was approachable and very obliging and mingled with our clients before, during and after lunch without hesitation. I have already recommended Adam to speak at a function for our Sydney office clients.”
PricewaterhouseCoopers
“Adam Elliott - the presentation was excellent. Adam was a pleasure to work with - he was a big hit on the night. He allowed himself to be photographed with all the delegates, he signed DVD's of his work individually addressed to each attendee, and he participated in the dinner both before & after the presentation. He was a hoot & must be one of the entertainment industries true gentlemen. I would recommend his presentation to anyone - plus it offered a respite from the normal "mountain climber" type presentations given during this style of gathering.”
Attachmate Australasia
“Adam made the night very special – he mixed, he had photographs, he signed, he shared and was a great speaker. We will use him again.”
Adairs
“Adam Elliot was an inspiration, an educator and an entertainer. We just loved him.”
Lead On Inc
“Adam was able to read the mood of the crowd and chose content appropriate to their interest. He also dealt extremely well with their enthusiasm that sometimes bordered on rudeness. He was also very patient with the number of people who wanted to speak with him personally. Before and after his presentation I enjoyed his presentation it was amusing and informative. He was also very genuine and not at all pretentious. We have had lots of positive feedback from the students about the presentation and some people have said that the audience may have been so wildly excited because Adam was the speaker.”
Deakin University
“Adam Elliot was an absolute delight to listen to. He had a great story well presented and delivered with a great sense of humour and honesty. The feedback from the attendees was that "He was the best speaker we've seen."
Ivanhoe Grammar School
“Adam was an absolute delight to work with - very accommodating to our needs, and generous with his time and understanding of our needs. He willingly accepted as part of his engagement that he would make himself available for media interview/s without any guarantee that media would attend, and generously shared time with the audience following the event. His presentation addressed his passion for the subject matters of his work and he expressed to the audience his understanding of the purpose of their work, with humour and flair. Importantly for us, Adam gave all the indications of being interested in the task at hand and presented with clear communication and animation.”
Alzheimer’s Australia
“Adam is a great story teller and his life story was inspirational and at times quite humorous. He was happy to pose for photographs, answered questions and proved to be a charming and entertaining identity. When I circulated amongst my guests after the event, a number of them sincerely said "Wow I don't know how you could top that presentation".
Epson Australia
“Adam delivered an absolutely inspirational presentation to our conference. Most of us deal with small business start-ups on a regular basis and it was so good to see and hear how a small operator from Australia took on the big boys from overseas and won. Adam's story is one that all business operators should hear and in its telling Adam displays great humility and courage - but his determination and persistence shine through. It was a privilege to hear his story and most importantly see him take the time to talk to and have his photo taken with delegates individually. We loved him - what a great performance what an inspirational man.”
Business Enterprise Centre
“Adam is extremely personable and very down to earth. The audience loved him!”
MLC Wealth and Management
“Adam was fantastic. He was on time, he worked to our schedule, and his presentation was professional & really well received by all who attended, remembering we had 3 different audiences in one day. Adam is obviously a really nice guy & I'd happily recommend him to anyone.”
Mark Rees Financial Agencies
Adam Elliot has also spoken for other organisations including: M.E.G.T, Fuji Xerox, Flight Centre, and many more…
