Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maximus Jenkins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Maximus, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I would say I am happy as a creative. I get to work with a lot of different people from different backgrounds. Stepping onto a film set can be like stepping into a different world, and it is just such a fluid and interesting experience that seems to never be the same. I do sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a regular job, especially one that helps people more directly. I don’t think just because you are a creative you are limited to one job for your entire life, and I believe that trying different things though out your life can be beneficial. The amazing thing about film is that hopefully with the right sets and stories I will get to learn about other jobs and lifestyles and get to take a look into their worlds.
Maximus, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Maximus Jenkins, and I am a filmmaker and small business owner. I got into film first while filming action sports with my friends, skiing, diving, spearfishing, and surfing. Coming to USC in LA I dove into narrative filmmaking and created 4085 Productions LLC with 3 of my newfound friends. 4085 Productions is a small production company dedicated to independent filmmaking, exploring untold narratives, cultivating original thought and stimulating authentic conversation. We want to make filmmaking a space to anyone that is interested, new or old. Our motto is that if you want to work with us, we want to work with you. We create short films, features, music videos, and advertising work for clients. An uncommon model that 4085 adopts is that we give equity of our projects to the artists that work on them. Anyone from a PA to a producer gets to own a percentage of the project that they work on, So far 4085 Productions has made over 20 short films and recently finished our first feature film, All Alone Together. This project was worked on by hundreds of people over the past two years and I am very proud of the finished product. I can not wait to release it to the world and get the opportunity to get it seen.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding aspect is getting to help people tell their own stories. In the past years my company, 4085 Productions, has held two film festivals, where we take on projects written by people outside of the company, and build crews with independent artists from directors, producers, DPs, and more. At the screenings of these events people have come to me and thanked me for helping them get their story told. That was easily the most rewarding part of being a creative. Getting to help other people also create and learn in a medium that is usually so hard to break into or try out is so rewarding and so impactful.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I applied to the USC film school 3 times. I never got it. As a USC student I didn’t want to let that stop me. I took the film classes that I was allowed to. Made friends with the professors that I wanted to learn from. Applied myself in those classes and worked my way up to running a show on the USC television station, Trojan Vision. I think I could have easily given up, I definitely thought about it a few times. Not getting into the program I wanted to stung. It made me feel that maybe the school was right, and I wasn’t cut out for filmmaking. But I didn’t want them to be right. I wanted to keep pushing, I wanted to be a filmmaker so I wasn’t going to let these rejections stop me. I’m very proud of how far I’ve come in my filmmaking journey and am excited to continue it.
Contact Info:
- Website: 4085Productions.com
- Instagram: max_jenkins_2001
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximus-jenkins-874634209/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Productions-be9wk