Adam Hootnick, The Independent

CEO of Storybook matches struggling filmmakers with corporate backers.

ADAM HOOTNICK, 33. Independent filmmaker and CEO of Storyboard, a collaborative venture with the SF Arts Fund that matches struggling filmmakers with corporate backers. Shot on location in Chinatown by Anön.

As a documentary filmmaker, Adam Hootnick prefers a ringside perspective on the world. But that privileged POV brings with it some heart-stopping moments—like, for instance, when the Harvard-educated former attorney was filming the recent Democratic National Convention for MTV. "Hillary Clinton moving to end the state-by-state roll call [thereby nominating Barack Obama by acclamation] was one of the most intense and dramatic events I've ever witnessed," he says.

This coming from a man who placed himself in the thick of heavy protests in the Gaza Strip during the evacuation of Israeli settlements there in 2005. "Yes, there were safety concerns"—if heavy artillery mixed with heated emotion qualifies as a safety concern—"but I believed history was being made," he says. The result? Hootnick's first big-screen indie venture, a gut-wrenching documentary called Unsettled that won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature at last year's Slamdance Film Festival. If Hootnick has his way, the future of independent films will be in the black thanks to Storyboard, his new collaboration with the SF Arts Fund. Acting as a kind of yenta for struggling filmmakers, Storyboard matches talent with corporate funding. "No longer will these artists have to max out their credit cards to make their movies," Hootnick says.

Speaking of yentas, the bachelor could use one to overcome heart issues of a different sort. "I haven't had many long-term romantic relationships," he confesses. "Lately, the girls I go out with want to spend a long time analyzing this phenomenon. What can I say? I'm a picky kid."

What are you vain about?
I think my creative work turns out well because people tend to trust me. They trust me to help them tell their story in their words, and they know I’m not going to turn them into some sort of caricature of themselves.

Where can we find you tooling about around town?
You might find me hiking in the Marin Headlands. You might find me at Harlot. You might find me at any number of dive bars in the city that have Beirut (or beer-pong) tables.

Prada wool blazer ($1,490), at Barneys New York, 415-229-2029. t-shirt, jeans and belt, model's own.

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