Conversations with Max Balter

Today we’d like to introduce you to Max Balter.

Hi Max, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I first stepped onto a film set when I was 18, and I immediately fell in love with filmmaking. I knew right away that this was something I wanted to be part of for the rest of my life.

But my career has never followed a straight line. I’ve always been fascinated by both creativity and technology, and over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to explore both worlds.

In 2014, when the advertising production market in Ukraine collapsed, I started exploring opportunities beyond traditional filmmaking. I eventually founded Báchoo, a UX/UI design studio that I spent five years building as CEO. We grew into one of Ukraine’s leading design studios, but filmmaking never stopped being my passion.

In 2019, I decided to return to filmmaking full-time. Over the following years, I worked on commercials, music videos, and narrative projects, both as a director and producer. But then in 2020, COVID hit. And huge in-person sets became illegal or were under many, many regulations. But during COVID, I directed one of my award-winning short films, which received recognition at numerous international film festivals.

In 2022, I moved to Los Angeles and continued building my career in film production, working on projects ranging from major commercial campaigns to independent films.

Then came 2023. During the Hollywood strikes, I saw something that reminded me of what had happened in Ukraine almost a decade earlier. The industry was facing enormous uncertainty, and I started thinking seriously about where filmmaking was heading.

My conclusion was simple: technology was going to transform this industry, whether we liked it or not. And I wanted to be part of that transformation rather than watch it happen.

I started developing my own AI project in 2023–2024, before generative AI became the phenomenon it is today.

When Higgsfield launched, I joined from day one as Executive Producer and Head of B2B. We went through an incredible journey together, building new production capabilities and exploring how AI could reshape commercial filmmaking.

But eventually, I found myself at another familiar crossroads. Just as I had once left the design business to pursue filmmaking, I realized that what excited me most wasn’t building the business around creativity — it was creating things myself.

Today, I’m the founder and Executive Producer of Magnific Creative Hub, where we’re developing original films, narrative series, and other ambitious creative projects powered by AI.

For me, it’s an exciting combination of everything I’ve spent my career learning: technology, design, business, and filmmaking.

In a way, my career has come full circle. I started on a film set at 18, and now I get to combine all those experiences to tell stories in ways that simply weren’t possible before.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has definitely been a bumpy road, but I’ve learned that difficult times often create the biggest opportunities for growth.

In 2014, when the advertising production market in Ukraine collapsed, I had to rethink my career. That crisis pushed me toward technology, and I ended up building one of Ukraine’s leading UX/UI design studios.

In 2019, I decided to return to filmmaking full-time. And then COVID happened. The entire industry came to a halt, but instead of waiting for things to return to normal, I used that time to create one of my award-winning short films, which went on to win multiple awards at film festivals around the world. Once again, a crisis turned into an opportunity.

In February 2022, I was on vacation when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. I had never planned or wanted to leave my home country, but life had other plans. I eventually moved to Los Angeles and continued pursuing filmmaking, essentially rebuilding my career in a completely new market.

Then came the Hollywood strikes in 2023. Having already experienced several major disruptions in the industry, I recognized the pattern pretty quickly. I realized that technology was going to fundamentally transform filmmaking, and I wanted to be part of that transformation rather than fight against it.

My background in technology and the experience I’d gained since 2014 helped me make that transition. I started developing my own AI project in 2023–2024, which eventually led me deeper into AI filmmaking.

Looking back, almost every major turning point in my career started with something going wrong. But each time, it pushed me to learn something new, explore a different direction, and grow.

I don’t think a bumpy road is necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes the biggest obstacles turn out to be the opportunities you never knew you needed.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think my biggest strength is making things happen. I love coming up with ambitious ideas, but what excites me even more is figuring out how to actually bring them to life.

There’s an interesting balance between technology and creativity. Building something new requires analytical thinking, understanding complex systems, solving problems, and finding ways to make things work. Creativity, on the other hand, requires imagination, intuition, storytelling, and, most importantly, taste.

These are two very different ways of thinking, and developing both takes years of experience and a lot of work. I think having a strong understanding of both worlds is what sets me apart.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked as a director, producer, executive producer, and entrepreneur. I’ve built companies, managed large production teams, developed creative projects, and worked with emerging technologies. That experience allows me to look at an idea from both perspectives: what makes it creatively exciting and what it actually takes to produce it.

Today, as the founder and Executive Producer of Magnific Creative Hub, I’m focused on building something much bigger than a traditional production company.

We’re developing original intellectual properties, films, narrative series, and commercial projects while building the production infrastructure, creative teams, and workflows needed to produce high-quality content at a scale that wasn’t possible before.

And that’s probably what I’m most excited about right now. AI is changing the economics of filmmaking, opening opportunities for stories that previously would have required enormous budgets and resources. But technology alone doesn’t make a great film. You still need a strong story, good direction, creative judgment, and people who know how to put everything together.

Our ambition is to build one of the world’s leading AI-powered creative production studios, with the talent, technology, and production capabilities to compete on a global level.

As for what I’m most proud of, it’s not necessarily one particular film, award, or company. It’s the ability to take an idea that initially seems impossible, assemble the right people, figure out the process, and turn it into something real.

I guess that’s what I specialize in: combining imagination with execution. Coming up with ideas is exciting. Making them happen is what I love.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a very restless and curious kid. I was constantly looking for something new to do, mostly because I got bored incredibly easily. I was always coming up with ideas, experimenting with things, and finding new ways to entertain myself. Looking back, I don’t think much has changed!

As a little kid, I loved computer games. When I was around 10–13, my parents got a VHS player, which was pretty exciting technology at the time, along with a collection of movies. I still remember my father bringing home the first Matrix movie. I was absolutely blown away and watched it countless times. I also grew up on classic Hollywood movies and American comedies. I had plenty of time to myself, so I could easily watch the same VHS tapes several times a day. I guess my love for cinema started somewhere around there.

During my early school years, I probably signed up for 10–20 different clubs, sports, and activities. Sometimes I’d attend just one or two classes before deciding whether I liked something. I simply wanted to try everything. I’ve always believed that reading about something and actually experiencing it are two completely different things.

My interests kept changing. Surprisingly, around high school, I actually started enjoying school and studying. Around the same time, I became obsessed with snowboarding and even competed in local competitions. During university, I got into motorsports and racing, then moved on to motorcycles, wakeboarding, kitesurfing, surfing, and pretty much anything that involved speed or learning a new skill.

Some of those interests stayed with me, while others came and went. These days, I love playing beach volleyball, still go kart racing, and enjoy riding my motorcycle whenever I get the chance or cut a powder on a snowboard.

I think curiosity has always been the most consistent part of my personality. I love discovering something new, getting excited about it, and challenging myself to learn it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maximbalter/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximbalter/
• Other: https://vimeo.com/maxbalter