We recently connected with Max Berlin and have shared our conversation below.

Max, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Glad you asked! I’m thrilled to announce an upcoming concert work, “HYSTERIA,” choreographed by Leah Zeiger and co-composed by Adam Schwartz. This 30-minute work features a powerhouse trio of dancers and an electronic score by yours truly. To honor Leah’s vision, we had to tackle an out-of-the-box compositional process and the result is beautiful chaos. I’ve never written music like this and each of us had to venture into new and uncomfortable territory with our craft. Since Leah and I have collaborated before, I trust her creativity to the ends of the earth–but HYSTERIA still lives up to its title. This is a powerful piece that will haunt you in the best way. Leah’s story and activism always serve as the foundation to her dance, and to be a part of that activism makes my job as a composer all the more rewarding.

August 16th and 17th at Highways Performance Space! You don’t want to miss this.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I compose music with a specialty in collaborating with visual media and other artistic disciplines. This includes film and television–but I have just as much excitement about new and nontraditional media. Everything from 30-second TikToks to immersive modern dance to entire film scores performed live-to-picture.

My Los Angeles story wouldn’t have been a success without adaptation and reinvention. In 2019, I moved from Detroit, MI almost entirely on a gut feeling–that it was the place I needed to create in, and in that place were the people I needed to create with. I was lucky enough to be thrown into Hollywood film music early on, but after the pandemic and Hollywood strikes it was clear how much the entertainment industry has shaken up. My idea of what I could do with my film scoring and composition skillset blew wide open.

My mantra is fairly simple. Whatever the project, whatever the medium–I try to bring excellent music and a truly open mind.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media fascinates me. It’s a tool that can somehow imbue creatives with stardom and burnout all in the same day. TikTok and Instagram have just as many eyeballs on them as any movie screen–and I appreciate the lack of gatekeeping social media has compared to the nepotism/plutocracy of Hollywood.

My strategy with social media has been to post authentically and sustainably. Everyone has a special niche and your ability to publish consistently without strain or debilitating cringe has been key for me. Posting weekly for an audience of 20 or 200K is the same in my book; content that’s authentic to your brand and personality will transcend chasing the dragon of virality.

I try to stay consistent no matter what! I’ve found a recent affinity for writing weekly orchestral film scores under random comedy TikToks. I’ll link it below :)

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Paying them well! Paying them like we want to live in a world with professional creatives!

Within the artist community, I also love seeing transparency about rates, independent contracts, and calling out unfair situations. I wish all types of art schools required their students to take “Freelance Contracts/How Not To Get Exploited 101” which I think would immensely benefit the professional scene for emerging creatives–especially those who reside in New York and Los Angeles.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maxberlinmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themaxberlin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/max.berlin.7
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-berlin-73b227197/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJSloAPre8xTAfjBACXb3QQ
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/D7CBTfsBhVWMdsp4A
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@themaxberlin

  https://www.highwaysperformance.org/events/indigo-dance-company-leah-zeiger-closer-to-hysteria-2024-08-16-20-30?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYl0kWc-QRlIVW8lhIsT4su5gI5-RSeqzZh67-FsOcMhiai9Wnda_lWeNo_aem_XNvedjV58PNrB8rq6pXL1w

Image Credits

PC: Leah Zeiger, Chris Montgomery