Local Science Show Strives to be Broadcast Globally

Why Adam’s creator Adam Boyd always asks “why?” He attributes this to his mom, saying “my mother made sure as a child that I always asked why. I crave knowledge like a drug.” Boyd is always involved with creative experi­ences, whether it’s dancing, being a lead singer in a punk rock show, or starting his own science show in Tacoma.

The show Why Adam? was created in 2013 and is based in Tacoma at a studio he and a team of volunteers at Rampart Antiques built on Broadway. The show attempts to answer everyday questions about our natural world through science, with a motto of “Sci­ence is everywhere.”

Boyd says, “Learning how our world works is part of our show. I want to make a show that gets everyone in­terested in science again.” Why Adam? takes a new look at what a traditional science show is supposed to look like. Instead of a professor teaching the au­dience, the audience learns as Adam learns.

Boyd attempts to mix creativity and analytical thinking by attempting to entertain and educate at the same time. Boyd says, “ Creativity makes a show entertaining but the science makes it also educational. People want to be entertained and if we can do that in a way that also opens people’s minds to new things then we have a winwin.” The stuff that happens on set is script­ed while stuff that happens on location is not.

Adam plays himself. The first half of the show is spent in the character Adam’s home, with the other half show­ing Adam going out to the world to discover the science used in everyday life. The target audience is geared to­wards 18-49 year olds.

Boyd is creating three pilot episodes instead of the traditional television format of only one. In each episode, Boyd is on a quest to solve every day scientific questions. The questions in the pilot episodes are “Why does good food go bad?”, “Why are there waves in the water?”, and “Why does the power go out?”

One thing that makes the show unique is the absence of a green screen and special effects, keeping with the premise that the things that are hap­pening on screen are actually happen­ing in real life.

Why Adam? is specifically designed for broadcast instead of online only distribution. Boyd says, “The point of the show is to promote science locally that will be distributed globally.” The goal is to distribute the show on a net­work, such as the Discovery Channel or FOX, and stream it online as soon as possible.

In order to make Why Adam? a reality, Boyd created a fundraiser “sci­ence summit.” Boyd hopes this will lay the groundwork for a “science summit” each year. The summit begins April 4th and runs all the way through April 11th. Typical fundraisers contain one event, but this science summit contains nine events in seven days. Boyd says, “There is a host at every event that de­scribes the purpose of the show and what people can do to participate.” The event on April 8th is an all ages gaming event at Terracrux. The event on April 10th contains a punk rock show and a crazy circus side show revival troupe that involves science.

It’s all about Tacoma pride and cre­ating your own identity. What’s in it for those who participate is entertain­ment. Adam says, “I don’t take no for an answer. This show is being made but we will get there faster with your help.”

To learn more about Why Adam? show, go to www.whyadamshow.com and to make a donation just go to one of their events or search for Why Adam? on Kickstarter starting April 4. Boyd is hoping to raise $1,000 to fund the show, which will put it into produc­tion faster and demonstrate that the community wants to see this kind of programming.