Max M. Gardner is an award-winning independent filmmaker,
director-producer and creative
living in Brooklyn, New York.
His work covers a range of styles, formats, platforms and aesthetics.
Story over everything.
Vice President, Video Producer @ Jefferies
2023 - on-going
Currently, I am the Vice President, Video Producer overseeing all video production and video outputs for the full-service investment bank Jefferies.
Director / Producer / Creative
2011 - on-going
Freelance / contract director, producer, and video creative for hire.
Full client and contractual credits are available upon request.
Co-Founder + Director / Producer @ A+M Creative
2016 - on-going
Founded in 2016, A+M Creative is a production partnership between Alex Knapp and myself, focused on making high-quality, cinematic films and video. We operate together and independently and offer a suite of full-service production abilities covering a variety of formats, styles, and creative approaches.
Director @ Osmosis Films
2022
Previously, I served as a Director at Osmosis Films, a creative production firm based in New York City. As a director, I was tasked with the creative direction of client projects, leading crews on-site and in the field, and giving shape, vision and look & feel to a wide variety of video productions and films.
Senior Producer /
Creative Director of Video @ OLIVER Agency, Morgan Stanley
2020 - 2022
Previously, I was embedded within Morgan Stanley’s Creative Services group, producing, directing and consulting on a wide range of video production and video initiatives as a Senior Producer/Creative Director of Video.
Go/Don’t Go is a slow burn post-apocalyptic thriller, oscillating between a forgotten love story and inescapable paranoia.
Starring Olivia Luccardi, Nore Davis and Alex Knapp (who also writes and directs), Go/Don’t Go is a micro-budget film produced by A+M Creative in conjunction with SSYY Productions and DB Films.
On December 22nd, 2020 Deadline Hollywood announced that Go/Don’t Go had been acquired by Kamikaze Dogfight and Gravitas Ventures for distribution on digital VOD in the US on January 12th, 2021.
The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Producer, The Big Pitch - a new tech-thriller short film
2021 - on-going
The Big Pitch is the debut short film from director Robert Enriquez. The film is his senior thesis as a New York Film Academy student. Production took place in July 2021 after a successful Seed&Spark crowdfunding campaign.
A contemporary parable on the dangers of social media addiction, the story follows Marc and Peter, two young entrepreneurs on the cusp of greatness—or disaster—with a unique new app they’ve developed: Spotlight. With their partnership tested, and their friendship on a knife’s edge, they prepare for the single biggest pitch they’ll ever make to a room full of hungry Venture Capitalists.
Written by Robert Enriquez and A.J. Morsanutto (“High-Gloss Retro” “The Ever-Changing World of KidSuper”). Produced by A+M Creative.
The Big Pitch completed it’s festival run in April of 2023 as part of the Beverly Hills Film Festival, and previously appearing at Greenpoint Film Festival, SoHo International Film Festival, and Gasparilla Film Festival.
Producer, Killing Evan - a punk rock road movie
2019-2021
Killing Evan is the debut short film from director and editor Taylor Landesman. Filmed in July of 2019, the film recent made its debut at the 2021 Cannes Indie Short Awards, where it took home Best Screenplay. It has screened at The Portland Comedy Festival, winning Best Cinematography, and Austin After Dark Festival, as well as playing the Bushwick Film Festival.
When a poser bass player announces that she got her noise punk band a big gig in Brooklyn, her abusive boyfriend and the band's lead singer, flies into a fit of rage and dies suddenly. Determined to make it to Brooklyn for the big gig, a long 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 future.
Written and directed by Taylor Landesman (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved”), the film was shot by Barton Cortright (“Notes on an Appearance” “Grow”) and features performances by Sarah Rich (“#LIKE”) and Sarah Coffey (“Baby Bites”).
Producer, Through the Stars - a gritty, young adult sci-fi short
2021 - on-going
Through the Stars is a short film project, executive produced by Ryan Marth and Lisa Carr, directed by Ariel Danzinger and produced by A+M Creative.
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.
Through the Stars held it’s world premiere at HollyShorts Film Festival, and appeared at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, FilmQuest, New York Shorts International Film Festival and the Tacoma Film Festival.
Through the Stars was released on April 26th, 2023 on DUST, a streaming film and video channel dedicated to the best, brightest and newest voices in sci-fi. DUST is a releasing division of Gunpowder & Sky, a Los Angeles-based independent movie studio.
Watch the full film below: