Humans of Patreon: Adam Wagner

Step into the world of words with Adam Wagner, Patreon's Creative Lead. Adam doesn't just write - he "writes" the ship of creativity at Patreon. He crafts messages that bring our mission to life, ensuring every piece of communication resonates with our creators and their fans. From website content to marketing campaigns, Adam's craft helps articulate Patreon's values and vision. Join us as we peek into the mind of the man who gives voice to Patreon's creative spirit!

Question: Explain what your job is if you were talking to a 5 year old.

Adam: I do the words. When Patreon has something to say, I make sure we say it the right way.

Question: Who is your favorite creator & why?

Adam: My favorite creator is a guy named Adam Ragusea, who makes food/cooking science videos. He's super smart, informative, a great communicator, and has a lot of interesting and profound perspectives not just about food, but about his role and responsibilities as a person with a large following on the internet. He's not on Patreon (yet!) but I would do backflips if we could get him to consider it.

Question: If you started a Patreon, what would it be and why?

Adam: No 'ifs' necessary -- I have one! In the pandemic, I got really into making puzzles and games. Since 2021 I've had 20 crosswords published in the New York Times. But around the time I started working here, I realized that I didn't just want to sell my puzzles to a newspaper for them to edit at will, I also wanted to make puzzles that I could control and own myself. So I started my own daily games called OrderUp.games and Anigrams.us. They ended up being hits, so I made a Patreon to give my biggest fans bonus puzzles and access to a solvable backlog of puzzle archives.

Question: What's one thing about working at Patreon that surprised you the most?

Adam: I guess I should have expected there to be a lot of creators who work at Patreon, but it wasn't until my first company kickoff talent show that I realized just how talented and inspiring my coworkers really are.

Question: If your career was a reality TV show, what would be its tagline?

Adam: You can't script this! But he can.

Question: If you could have any creator as your mentor for a day, who would it be and what would you learn?

Adam: Kevin Parry -- I want to understand how he is able to spend so much time executing his ideas while still making time to stay creative brainstorming new ideas. It's an impressive balance and he does a phenomenal job with it.

Question: If you could instantly master one skill to help creators, what would it be?

Adam: Like, The Matrix style? Just plug a cable into my brain and I suddenly have whatever skill I want? As a writer, I guess I'd want to instantly master all of the world's languages. That'd probably be extremely helpful for a lot of reasons, but in terms of work it'd help me 'do the words' for even more creators all over the world.

Question: Describe each day of the work week in the form of a playlist/song. Please explain the reason for each.

Adam: I love listening to my Spotify Discover playlist to find new artists every Monday, and then add the ones I like to weekly playlists I make so I can continue to follow them. I feel like that's a pretty good metaphor for what life is like at Patreon -- always fresh new challenges, and no two weeks are ever the same. That's just how I like it!

Question: If your job had a theme song, what would it be and which lyrics best describe your role?

Adam: I have never felt more seen, heard, and understood by a song as I do by the California Honeydrops song "Live Learn". The whole thing is incredible but my favorite lyrics are probably:

"Nobody could tell me, I had to find out for myself. I had to live, learn, get burned, do it again. Whole lotta shoulda coulda woulda won't help me now"

and

"If I knew then, what I know now... eh, wouldn't've probably changed much of anything anyhow."

Doesn't matter if you 'know' what decision is the right one. Because you can't truly know until you've lived it... and all of the mistakes it took along the way to get there in the first place.

From crafting compelling copy to creating his own puzzles, Adam embodies the creative spirit that drives Patreon. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories in our next "Humans of Patreon" feature!