No. 15OCTOBER 19, 2026 · 79 MIN
Purpose Built Films: From American Sniper Extra to Accidental Founder
Also on Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube
Meet the filmmaker who had an arrow aimed at his crew in the Amazon, then inherited a business he never asked for. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/founded. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. "This young lad with his shirt off, with a bow and arrow, pulls it tight and aims it at Gus's head. And at that point, Charlie grabs the camera, yanks it down: 'Look behind you, mate. We need to get out of here.'" That's how this episode opens. It's one chapter in one of the most winding routes to running a business we've ever heard. Adam Laister was told to study something with a fallback because his parents didn't think he'd make it in photography. He failed at a sales job, tried to sell surf photos to tourists in Morocco until the locals ran him off the beach, ended up as an extra in American Sniper, and broke his leg two days before Christmas. Then a friend asked if he'd ever thought about being a runner. Seven years at Bristol's Icon Films took him from making teas to filming hippos fighting in Malawi, and on to shoots for Vice and National Geographic.
When the TV industry shrank, he co-founded Purpose Built Films to tell the stories that never make the main edit. A month after Adam was made a director, his business partner took a new job and left. The company was suddenly his. In this episode Adam talks about the Amazon roadblock that ended with his kit smashed and set on fire, losing his dad while filming in the Guyanese jungle, why broadcast TV's middle ground has collapsed, whether audiences will ever watch fully AI-made films, and how he's building a values-led business with a network of freelancers instead of a traditional team. Please note: this episode includes a story about bereavement and a threatening encounter with weapons.
WHAT WE COVER
- "Something to fall back on": the parents who didn't think he'd make it
- Failing at sales, and getting run off a Moroccan beach selling surf photos
- Two weeks as an extra in American Sniper, then a broken leg on 23 December
- Runner to camera operator at Icon Films, and the hippo shot that made the title sequence
- The Amazon roadblock: surrounded, kit smashed and burned, and the one camera that survived
- Losing his dad during a jungle shoot in Guyana, and the van named Joni - Becoming a director in November, then sole owner in December: inheriting a business
- Funding films for charities and conservation when nobody has budget - Building with a network of freelancers instead of a traditional team
- Why the mid-budget TV world has collapsed, and "adapt or perish"
- AI and filmmaking: the 3D cinema comparison, and does it matter if a story is real?
- His advice: get help, invest in yourself, and build alongside your freelance work
💬 Adam has a question for you: would you watch content made entirely by AI? Vote in our LinkedIn poll or tell us in the comments. Guest: Adam Laister, Purpose Built Films (Bristol) LinkedIn: Adam Laister Hosted by Ollie Tiramuragan Collard and Dr. Becky Sage.
🎧 New episodes every fortnight. Search "Founded and Grounded" on your favourite player. 👍 If you got value, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It genuinely helps the show grow. #FoundedAndGrounded #StartupPodcast #Entrepreneurship #Filmmaking #AccidentalFounder
Key Points
- Dead ends aren't stopping points. As Becky puts it, they're just the opportunity to pivot. Morocco, a broken leg and a closed production company all looked like endings at the time. Looking back, each one pointed to the next step.
- Surround yourself with amplifiers, not blockers. Adam's break came from a camera operator who said "you crack on, mate" instead of taking the shot himself. When you build your own business you get to choose your people, so pick the ones who move your work forward.
- Adapt without losing your values. Adam's industry is being reshaped by streaming, YouTube and AI. His response is to adapt the format and the funding while keeping the purpose: environmental stories, told by real people, with integrity.
Contents
Transcript
Loading transcript...