[5] He then worked as a roster director at Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender's production company A Band Apart,[6] where he wrote and directed television, music videos, and commercials.

[10] John Anderson of Variety said, "Displaying nerves of steel and a generous heart, helmer Adam Christian Clark takes a lot of chances with Caroline and Jackie, a tale of troubled sisters that keeps the viewer off balance throughout before delivering a payoff that serves as both catharsis and absolution.

[17] Josh Bell from Crooked Marquee commented, "Clark seems determined to drain all possible suspense and excitement from the spy genre," while Shelagh Rowan-Legg wrote for Screen Anarchy, "Diary of a Spy takes us into this dark, dangerous world via an often neglected side door, probing this story with observations on human vulnerability and the price of exploiting it.

[20] Clark has attributed strong influence to the American New Wave[4][21] film movement, and directors John Cassavetes,[4] and Robert Altman.

[22][23][24] When asked to describe his style in a 2012 interview with IndieWire, Clark stated, "Stylistically my number one goal at all stages of production is for the narrative to always maintain the highest level of reality possible.