In a past life, Max was a writer and creative director who secretly dreamt of becoming a director-director. After a decade of crafting campaigns at agencies like Jung von Matt, Mother, and BBDO, he finally got the chance to direct his first spot—for a little smoothie company called True Fruits. He had no idea what he was doing, but somehow it went viral and even picked up a Cannes Lion. Not long after, he did the sensible thing and quit his agency job.

Since then, Max has directed for brands like Haribo, Vodafone, Netflix, and The North Face. He’s become a dad (twice), gained some weight, lost a few pitches, and picked up a few awards—now proudly displayed in his mum’s upstairs toilet. She still isn’t quite sure what he does.