Quick Facts
| Intro | American cartoonist | |||
| A.K.A. | adamtots | |||
| Is | Cartoonist Comics artist Comics writer | |||
| From | United States of America | |||
| Field | Arts Humor | |||
| Gender | male | |||
| Residence | Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA | |||
| Education |
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| Profiles |
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Biography
Adam Ellis, aka adamtots, is an American comic artist and illustrator based in New York. He is famous for his long-running series of cartoons featured on Buzzfeed.
Life and career
A native of Portland, Oregon, Ellis graduated with a bachelor's degree in illustration from The Art Institute of Boston, Massachusetts, (2005-2009).
He became known during his tenure at Buzzfeed for drawing webcomics intended to be relatable. In January 2018, he left Buzzfeed to pursue his dreams, fully concentrating on personal projects. He made a comic about leaving Buzzfeed.
In July 2010, Ellis published his first book Books of Adam: The Blunder Years, a set of "hilarious trials and tribulations in attempt to become a functioning member of society." His other books include Tiny Hats on Cats: Because Every Cat Deserves to Feel Fancy (October 20, 2015) and Super Chill: A Year of Living Anxiously (October 23, 2018).
Ellis began posting his comics to Reddit on December 22nd, 2014.
In early 2021, Ellis accused the makers of the award-winning short film Keratin of plagiarizing one of his comics. Keratin, directed by Andrew Butler and James Wilson Mackenzie, is a black-and-white film that follows a man who enacts a strange magical ritual. The comic in question was posted By Ellis on Instagram back in 2018. It shows his cartoon persona burying his fingernail clipping and returning the next day to find a human in its place. The short film Keratin also followed a similar plot.
On January 8, 2021, Ellis made the accusations on Twitter, saying "This film is a fully plagiarized, shot-for-shot remake of my comic. The filmmakers didn't ask me for permission to adapt my work. They didn't even notify me they were doing so until the film had already been released and was winning awards at film festivals." Adding, "The comic they stole is deeply personal to me, maybe the most personal comic I've ever made. I drew it shortly after I left my day job because of disputes over ownership of my personal work. The comic is about self-care, reinvention, and personal growth."
This film is a fully plagiarized, shot-for-shot remake of my comic. The filmmakers didn't ask me for permission to adapt my work. They didn't even notify me they were doing so until the film had already been released and was winning awards at film festivals. https://t.co/4mW9w7ObSf pic.twitter.com/ew5d7I0BY7
— Adam Ellis (@adamtotscomix) February 1, 2021
The film has since been pulled from online circulation.
Active on social media, Ellis has around 1.7 million followers on Instagram, around 1.2 million on Facebook, and around 925,000 followers on Twitter (as of February 2021.)
Ellis resides in New York City.
Books
- Books of Adam: The Blunder Years (Jul 9, 2010)
- Tiny Hats on Cats: Because Every Cat Deserves to Feel Fancy (October 20, 2015)
- Super Chill: A Year of Living Anxiously (October 23, 2018)
