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Published Jul 2, 2019

219: Adam Savage | Every Tool's a Hammer

Adam Savage delves into professional integrity, imposter syndrome, and the pursuit of excellence, offering personal insights from his MythBusters journey and creative endeavors, while highlighting the transformative power of practical skills and learning from failures as captured in his book, "Every Tool's a Hammer."
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  • Integrity

    Adam Savage reflects on the ethical guidelines and integrity issues faced during the production of MythBusters. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining integrity, noting that he and Jamie Hyneman realized early on that their reputation was their most valuable asset. This commitment to integrity was evident in their decision-making, such as when they chose to work with Corning, a company with a clean history, for a project.

    The only thing we would have when we finished was our integrity. And that was a coin not to be spent unwisely.

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    Savage also recounts the infamous cannonball accident, highlighting their transparency and responsibility in addressing the incident 1 2.

       

    Cannonball Mishap

    The cannonball mishap serves as a poignant example of the ethical challenges faced by the MythBusters team. Adam Savage describes the incident where a cannonball accidentally flew into a residential area, narrowly avoiding tragedy. The team took full responsibility, promptly apologizing to those affected and ensuring their properties were restored.

    We were responsible and we were taking that responsibility.

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    This incident reinforced the importance of robust safety procedures, which Savage continues to uphold in his current projects 3 2.

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