We were lucky to catch up with Max Mainwood recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Max, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I think the most important step to taking a risk is confidence. Cliché or not, to me, it’s the largest hurdle in actually perusing your risk. My first real set I designed and built, I had no idea what I was doing. With very little experience and someone taking a chance on me, I had a lot to lose. In no way did I want the client to doubt the outcome, and I especially didn’t want to doubt myself. I knew I needed to attack this job with confidence, as if I had done it before. I had to be tedious and tried to think of every detail imaginable. It was important to have my bases covered, and to be able to communicate clearly and confidently to the director, and for them to feel confident in me. I did whatever it took to get the job done from pulling all-nighters, asking favors, to getting resourceful. I knew that this was a “make or break” opportunity and despite the risk, I wanted to prove myself and take this opportunity by the horns. I couldn’t doubt myself. If I did, it would hold me back from making good decisions and hinder my creative choices. So I threw caution to the wind, gathered my resources and did it. And it couldn’t have gone better. Reflecting now, I think the project’s success came from taking creative risks and confidently pursuing those ideas. It was less important to me that there was risk of failure, and more important that I trusted my ideas.

Max, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Max Mainwood. Originally from Milwaukee. I am a production designer, set builder, and art director for Film and T.V. as well as retail and art installations. You dream it, we build it! I have an incredible team, who are skilled problem solvers and excellent builders. We build sets of all scales from miniatures to full immersive worlds. We work around the country with various clients, and offer anything from full builds, styling, design, or consultations. We love to approach our work with fun and passion and are always eager for the next new ideas!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Becoming a Production designer/set builder was a huge pivot for me. It was something that happened suddenly and I don’t think I was expecting it. I had studied acting in college and was headed for a trajectory of performing and attempting to make a living as an actor(still secretly trying to). While perusing this, my friend started talking about the film industry and asked me to do art on a few projects with him. I saw a door opening and I went with my gut and just decided to pivot and plunge into this weird world of set building/art direction. I’m so happy I did and so grateful it has been good to me so far!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

To me it’s simple. Be a kind, engaging person. Within our industry, you get hired from word of mouth. Very rarely do we apply for jobs. We mainly receive jobs based on word of mouth or previous hires. This means every job I’m on could be my next gig. I’ve found that being positive and authentic is pivotal in meeting those connections, and creating your network. I’ve heard directors casting actors say they would cast the friendly, easy to work with person over the more talented, less friendly actor.

Contact Info:

• Website: MaxMainwood.com
• Instagram: @maxmainwood