Max Gardner Email & Phone Number

New York, United States

Executive Producer and primary Producer for the narrative short film, "THREE MEALS" by director Pelin Keskin Liu. Logline: "When her brother's health worsens, Yasmeen returns to the US to see her mother, Suzy, and is forced to confront hard truths about their relationship." Currently in post-production and coming to festivals soon. An A+M Creative Production.

Brooklyn + Hudson, New York, Us

- A+M Creative is an independent production company and creative partnership between myself and Alex Knapp focused on creating high-quality, cinematic video and films- A+M works with a diverse array of clients and partners:--- Clients include: agency, production company, publisher, media companies, D2C brands, music artists, B2B corporate brands and organizations--- Partners include: directors, producers, post-production specialists (VFX/CGI, sound design, original sound composition/scoring), motion graphic artists + animators and an ever-growing roster of the best in production crew nationwide- As a director, utilizing my own creative voice to guide and craft unique narratives through thoughtful storytelling and distinctive visuals; pitching concepts and work, and leading productions- As producer, managing logistics, SOWs, timelines and crews to achieve high-quality results while remaining dedicated to actualizing under any budget scenario under which I operate- As a business owner-operator, maintain and focus on operational excellence, growing revenue on a job-by-job basis, responding to RFPs, negotiating contracts and service agreements, and fostering productive engagements with our clients and partners

Executive Producer for the narrative short film, "STEAL, KILL, and DESTROY" by director Darron Savage. Logline: "A bi-racial family orchestrates an elaborate scheme to deliver cold justice to a corrupt local police force." Coming soon to film festivals. An A+M Creative Production.

New York City, New York, Us

Us

- Freelance Director / Producer / Editor / Creative for hire: www.maxmgardner.com- Experience across the media space creating and producing film + video creative for agencies, media companies, production shops, public relations firms, non-profit organizations and independent entities- Platform literate and skilled at developing, producing and delivering films + video for a diversity of spaces: OTT, Linear, Digital, Broadcast, Theatrical and emerging platforms- Experience producing films + video in the <$2mil budget space- OSHA COVID-19 Infection Control certified producer- Clients include: Bloomberg Media, VICE Media, Hearst Digital Media, Group Nine Media, iCrossing, ForwardPMX, StrawberryFrog, Data Axle, Not Impossible Labs, Critical Mass, Bard University, Jane Moto, DribbleUp, CEVA Logistics, New York State Association of Realtors, The New York State Democratic Assembly, AncestryDNA, IndieGoGo, Stevens Institute of Technology, LIFEAID Beverage Co., Vinyl Me Please, GREATS Brand Shoes, Vivaldi_, Convene, Kings County Distillery, and many more

"The Big Pitch" is a contemporary parable on the dangers of social media addiction. The story follows Marc and Peter, two young entrepreneurs on the cusp of greatest - or disaster - with a unique new app they've developed: Spotlight. With their partnership on a knife's edge, they prepare for the single biggest pitch they've ever make to a group of hungry venture capitalists in search of the next Big Thing.As the primary producer of the film, my duties included:- From May-June of 2021, Oversaw development, pre-production, and successful Seed&Spark crowdfund for the film's production/post-production period. Through June-July of 2021, the crowdfund raised over $10,000 in individual contributions to baseline the production/post-production of "The Big Pitch," helping to more than double the initial budget range of the project to $23,000- In July of 2021, assembled, staffed and supported a production crew of 20 across a 5-day shoot in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York, while also managing locations, shoot logistics, catering and production support for the duration of the production- From August through January of 2021-2022, oversaw and contributed to the post-production and editing of the film, giving iterative notes to the director and editor, helping to shape and steer the narrative and look/feel of the film in post-production. Hired and managed several key post-production vendors: Legion Post, TD Post & Animation, Company3 and several freelance post-production specialists.- "The Big Pitch" went on to have successful premieres at the 2022 Greenpoint Film Festival in September 2022, followed by The SoHo International Film Festival in October 2022

New York, Ny, Us

- Worked as a Video and Film Director, focused on building treatments and creative outlines, leading teams from pre-production through Production and across Post-Production to deliver client mediaPredominantly worked with Private Equity and Financial Institution clients: Advent International, KKR and One Equity Partners- Scoping work in the $500K-$4M budget range- As a director, led teams in the field, capturing a variety of production engagements: talking head interviews, company culture films, live event and employee engagement sessions, and contributed video storytelling to several financial client annual general meeting multimedia presentations

"Through the Stars" Synopsis: "Under the cover of darkness, a teenage girl attempts to escape her tormented reality, determined to find her missing father with the help of her best friend and a mysterious device."As a producer on the film, my duties included:- From July-September of 2021, Oversaw development, pre-production, and successful Seed&Spark crowdfund for the film's production/post-production period. Through August-September of 2021, the crowdfund raised over $8,000 in individual contributions to baseline the production/post-production of "Through the Stars" adding over 30% to the overall project budget, landing the production at functional budget of $45,000- In October of 2021, assembled, staffed and supported a production crew of 30 across a 4-day shoot in Columbia County, New York, remotely assisting with shoot logistics, catering and production support for the duration of the production- From November to July of 2021-2022, oversaw and contributed to the post-production and editing of the film, giving iterative notes to the director and editor, helping to shape and steer the narrative and look/feel of the film in post-production. Hired and managed several key post-production vendors: Company 3, Uppercut and several independent post-production artists and specialists- "Through the Stars" went on to have successful premieres at the 2022 HollyShorts Short Film Festival (an Oscar-qualifying shorts festival) in Hollywood, California, followed by appearances at The 2022 Tacoma International Film Festival, The 2022 New York Shorts International Film Festival, and The 2022 FilmQuest Festival, where it was nominated for "Best SciFi," "Best Director," and "Best Editing" awards. Currently available to stream on YouTube and DUSTx. An A+M Creative Production.

New York, Ny, Us

Senior Video Producer and Creative Director of Video embedded within Morgan Stanley's Creative Services Group producing a variety of diverse projects across the Morgan Stanley portfolio. My contract was originally held and executed by Maslow Media Group from August 2020-December 2021. As of January 2022, my contract was held and executed by OLIVER Agency, a globally de-centralized in-house agency partner for brands and organizations.As the senior video producer and creative director of video, my duties included:- Responsible for creating, producing, directing and delivering high-quality video productions across the collective business units of the global investment bank, Morgan Stanley:--- Preparing scopes of work (SOW) for each project on a per client basis--- Assigning resources—both in-house and out-of-house—to projects--- Creating detailed timelines and pre-pro/production/post-production schedules--- Working on projects with budgets ranging from $10K to $2M--- Owning all aspects of pre-production, production and post-production- As a director, guiding creative and helping to craft narrative while adding distinctive creative direction and branded aspects of Morgan Stanley storytelling- As a producer, managing SOWs, line sheets and billings while overseeing and providing creative feedback to editors, motion-graphics artists, animators, and designers (both in-house and out-of-house)- As a creative, helping to distill complex financial concepts into approachable, compelling video content that helps educate and expand knowledge for a variety of audiences: institutional investors, financial advisors and planners, traders, and a broad, diverse range of a market-facing practitioners

Participating as a Festival Judge for the 47th Season of the Boston SciFi Film Festival, the oldest genre-film festival in the United States. Duties include:- Screening and reviewing films for judging- Providing both internal and filmmaker-facing notes and comments on entries and submissions- Giving direction to the judging process through critical feedback and communication

"Killing Evan" is the story of when a poseur bass player announces she got her noise punk band a big gig in Brooklyn, her abusive boyfriend (who’s also the band’s lead singer), flies into a fit of rage and dies suddenly. Determined to make it to Brooklyn for the big gig, an insane road trip ensues, accompanied by the ghost of her dead ex, forcing her to face the voices of doubt from her past as she steps into her futureAs the primary producer on "Killing Evan," I worked on such aspects as:- Producer and production manager on the narrative short film- From May to June 2019, oversaw development, pre-production, and budget outlay of the principle production. Pre-production duties included: casting sessions, overseeing and supporting rehearsals, location scouting and management, interviewing + hiring of all principle production staff- In July of 2019, assembled, staffed and supported a production crew of 20 across a 6-day shoot in Ulster and Orange Counties, New York, managing all shoot logistics, catering and production support for the duration of the shoot- From August to December of 2019-2020, contributed to the post-production and editing of the film, giving iterative notes to the director and editor, helping to shape and steer the narrative and look/feel of the film in post-production- "Killing Evan" went on to have successful premieres at the 2021 Cannes Indie Shorts Awards where it won "Best Female Director" and "Best Screenplay" awards, followed by appearances at the 2021 Austin After Dark Festival, the 2021 Portland Comedy Film Festival, where it won "Best Cinematography" award, the 2021 Greenpoint Film Festival, the 2021 Bushwick Film Festival, and the 2022 Garden State Film Festival

GO/DON'T GO is the debut feature film from writer/director Alex Knapp, starring Olivia Luccardi, Nore Davis and Knapp as the lead role. Film Synopsis: "Caught between a lost-love story and inescapable paranoia, "Go/Don't Go" is a genre-bending slow-burn thriller that follows Adam, a wallflower who happens to be the last person left alive--or so he thinks."Worked as Lead producer and production manager for the narrative feature film, “Go/Don’t Go”- Working with the writer-director, Alex Knapp, to develop the film, obtain funding and set an achievable production schedule within a micro-budget scope ($100K)- As producer and production manager:--- Oversaw a 25 day shoot calendar, managed daily shoot schedule with 1st AD --- Hired, managed and supported a crew of 20, cast of 7--- Acted as SAG-AFTRA-designated signatory and reporting producer--- Research, cast and locked down all principal talent, locations and logistics--- Organized and managed catering, transportation, housing and departmental needs- As post-producer:--- Helped to coordinate and manage a lean post-production schedule--- Along with the director, selected and hired the edit team, sound design team, composer and all finishing vendors, building a robust post-production pipeline on a limited budget/timeline--- Focused efforts on closing the books on time and on-budget at the end of post to report to our financiers- “Go/Don’t Go” premiered at the 22nd San Francisco IndieFEST, followed by an East Coast Premiere at the 45th Boston SciFi Festival where it was nominated for the "Festival Director's Award." The film went on to play several more festivals through the 2020 virtual festival season due to the COVID19 pandemic- Facilitated a dual-distribution agreement with boutique releaser Kamikaze Dogfight and indie aggregator Gravitas Ventures, seeing the film released via VOD on January 12th, 2021 to strong critical and audience reviews

New York, New York , Us

Worked as a contract director/producer working on a content marketing series profiling the ViacomCBS leadership- As director, created a distinct visual style that captured the energy and vision of the unified company- As producer, coordinated and managed all aspects of:--- Pre-Production: scheduling executives, booking locations and assembling a crew/equipment--- Production: directing and managing crew, as well as shoot day logistics--- Post-Production: oversaw editors, out-of-house vendors (color correction and finishing) and supervised the post-pipeline to deliver to series to the ViacomCBS Brand Newsroom

Brooklyn, Ny, Us

Reel Works is a non-profit arts education program focused on teaching teenagers the art of filmmaking. As a mentor, duties include:- Weekly meetings with mentees to plan, scope and execute on a documentary film of their design. In the mentor role, we work to help the students set up goals and timelines for documentary production, oversee editing, and help them to achieve the goal of the program—to create a short reflexive documentary that allows them to display their creativity. Reel Works is partnered with HBO Docs and sponsored by Time Warner, Adobe, Vivendi, ViacomCBS, American Express and many more corporate sponsors and underwriters

- Contract showrunner charged with directing, producing and running the comedy-cooking web series, “$30 Dinner Party” from Thrillist, on Facebook Watch and YouTube- Brought the show from pilot to series, building out a robust and fully-formed style and voice with the host, Lee Kalpakis- As showrunner + producer, my focus was management of all logistic needs of the show:--- Hiring, overseeing and supporting a crew of 15--- Casting and arranging guests, talent and locations, leading to collaborations with notable food world personalities Alison Roman, Justin Warner and Candice Hutchings--- Built, scheduled and ran an 8-week shoot-to-publish calendar- As director, my focus was creating a distinct visual style as well as:--- Leading and bringing out the best in my crew, fostering a productive team environment--- Worked with the food producer and host/recipe developer to create visually interesting meals that are both simple to make and beautiful to look at- As post-producer, managed the editorial process of the series, delivering on-time and on-budget to the publishing team- Additionally worked as an ad-hoc producer on other Thrillist shows, “Five Buck Lunch” “Fork Yeah!” and “FOOD/GROUPS”

Brooklyn, New York, Us

Worked as Associate Editor on the Disney XD and VICE Media co-production "Waypoint on Disney XD."- As editor cut the first 4 episodes of the series from archival VICE shows, reorganizing and re-cutting them to fit to broadcast standards- As associate editor, helped the edit team to streamline processes, helping to guide the edit on 4 original episodes of "Waypoint" as they came in from the field- Working with the Delivery Manager and Post-Production Broadcast ops to standardize each delivery to Disney-ABC- Worked as an ad-hoc editor cutting additional VICE Digital content

New York, New York , Us

Content Marketing Manager, focused on:- Developing, managing, producing, directing and editing of content marketing videoas part of Siegel+Gale’s marketing + business development team- Managed a team of associates and freelancers on various projects- Developed two award-winning, core video series to S+G's content marketing strategy - Brand Matters and Simplifiers- Wrote and edited whitepapers, e-mail newsletters, social content to bolster and support business development and brand development goals

New York, New York , Us

As the Marketing Associate at Siegel+Gale, I was chiefly responsible for all content marketing production including:- Maintenance and editorial oversight of the company blog (http://www.siegelgale.com/views), soliciting contributions from across departments, and writing articles that reinforce Siegel+Gale's brand ethos - "Simple is Smart." Additional duties include: executive ghostwriting, whitepaper/e-book writing, e-mail newsletter and campaign programming, and content production for marketing collateral.- Lead video content producer: ideating/producing/shooting/editing original videos in the form of: owned series, case studies, client testimonials, internal videos for knowledge purposes, and producing marketing campaigns and events that utilize video and/or multimedia. Content initiatives include: - Brand Matters: a bi-weekly educational video series which aims to answer the key questions for stakeholders looking for branding services, recipient of two 2015 Communicator Awards.- Simplifiers: a short-form branded documentary series about individuals and companies that identify with Siegel+Gale’s focus on simplicity and how it can drive innovation—now the recipient of HOW International Design Award of Merit, 2015.- SMPL Q&A: a weekly short-form question & answer series featuring Siegel+Gale's practitioners answering questions on a variety of branding-related topics including digital, brand communication, strategy, design and more.- Simply Smarter: a bi-weekly e-mail newsletter focused on educating subscribers on key topics in the branding industry

Marketing and Special Projects Intern- Responsible for researching outreach opportunities for client films and compiling databases of necessary marketing and press materials- Additional tasks include script review, liaising with potential clients and other film development and production companies, and general administrative tasks

New York, New York, Us

Content copywriter and social media associate- Duties include daily preparation of press releases for a growing list of clients in the advertising, VFX, editorial and post-production fields - Creation and coordination of site content for dissemination, including the branded TRUSTfyi blog- Monitoring & metric analysis of client and internal social media accounts for optimized performance and best practice

Brooklyn, New York, Us

Digital Media & Marketing Intern- Daily duties include updating media plans and schedules, transcribing video scripts and updating metadata, coordination of digital campaign activation and rollout with various advertising partners across departments, working with department members to ideate and copyedit presentations and outbound RFP’s, and to continuously improve upon group best practices.- A constant function of the internship was working with large-scale social media campaigns, including the launch of VICE’s music vertical Noisey, in March of 2011. This launch coincided with SXSW 2011 and the VICE Kills Texas music showcase at the festival, which called upon the 360-coordination of hundreds of influencers, bloggers, and new media and music industry luminaries, both on the ground in Austin, Texas as well as back in the Brooklyn office. - Later in the internship, the department was again tasked with a large digital and 360 campaign activation during Coachella 2011, this time including more of VICE’s dedicated verticals including The Creator’s Project, Noisey, and Motherboard.tv