Before he was Adam the Woo to millions on YouTube, to many BTTF fans he was “TwinPinesMall” on the BTTF.com forums back in the ’90s and early 2000s. Adam was a true, devoted, dyed-in-the-wool Back to the Future fan; an original Citizen of Hill Valley.
Adam was one of the very first BTTF friends I ever met in real life, in 2002 at the BTTF.com exhibit during the FX Show in Orlando. I still remember how genuinely excited he was to meet another fan from the forums, proudly showing off his BTTF tattoos. It was years before I realized the famous YouTuber was that same guy from the forums and convention, but yet according to mutual friends he always remembered me, which says so much about the kind of person he was.
On his YouTube channel, Adam put a special emphasis on documenting visits to Back to the Future filming locations and attending fan events like We’re Going Back, Back to 1885, FanFest: Destination Hill Valley, and the Twin Pines Mall meet-up. When he bought tickets to
@fromthefuture.events this year, I felt both honored and a little nervous about living up to his expectations. But, as always, he was kind, gracious, and even praised our little event for allowing him to tick some boxes off his bucket list.
His presence during the week of the 40th fan celebration elevated the entire experience. And it became, unknowingly, one last opportunity for so many of us to spend time with him, in our element, in Hill Valley. During a quiet moment I showed him a photo he’d never seen of both of us at FX 2002, and he demonstrated that same genuine enthusiasm he had 23 years earlier.
Adam embodied the best of everything he did, from travel vlogger to BTTF fan to devoted friend and authentic human being. If you have any stories with Adam, please share them in the comments.
