Today we’d like to introduce you to Max McGuire.
Max, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started making videos when I was in high school for my cross country and track team. I was inspired by YouTube videos of competitions that would show highlights and big moments in an athlete’s career. I made highlight reels for my college applications and shot photos for my friends during competitions. As I got comfortable using my camera, I developed skills in editing and photoshop. When I got to college, I was beginning to stress about my future and what I would end up doing with the rest of my life. I started making content and shooting videos for my musical friends. As some of my older friends and relatives got word that I was starting in the media industry, I started getting offers to shoot headshots and do professional photoshoots. Last year (2018), I decided that I would make a career out of media and started my own media company MaxMcGuireMedia. Now I am working full time as a freelance filmmaker and photographer.
Great, 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?
The hardest point so far was deciding to pursue my passion over making a healthy living. My first year out of college was really rough and full of small mistakes. When I graduated High School, I had set my sights high on making a lot of money and I fell into the financial industry. I got a job as a financial advisor selling life insurance to people who didn’t need it. The job was pushy and I was a constant struggle to go against my personal beliefs to please the company. As I began to distance myself, I needed up quitting and returning to school. In my first year back at school, I thought I had it all figured out. The year progressed and I ended up doing really bad in my classes due to parties, friends, and lack of determination. I decided that I needed a change of scenery and after the summer, I moved to Santa Monica. Santa Monica was really good for the first semester but I began to lack confidence in what I wanted to do, which was still undetermined. That shot me down a rabbit hole of unnecessary nervousness eventually leading to me failing yet another class. Overall I didn’t feel too bad about failing a class per semester because I was taking four and three out of four isn’t bad. It was at that point when I decided that failure wasn’t an option and I need to do something. I began shooting photos again and connecting with new friends just by making content.
MaxMcGuireMedia – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I started my own business MaxMcGuireMedia in July of 2019. I specialize in photo and video work but have begun to expand what I do to all mediums of media. I now build social media pages, websites, and shoot all photo/video work required to build those pages. My business is flexible and capable, I can work at all hours of the day allowing me to be out until 3 am shooting a music venue to waking up at 4 am for a sunrise shoot 60 miles from my home. I am most proud of the fact that my company is me, it runs as long as I am willing to put in the effort. I believe what makes the business that I do special is that I do all forms of media and I have no limitations to what I can and can’t do. Being freelance means that I don’t have any ties to other companies or work, and I can work as I please. If I need help on a project, I will hire a friend or the best person I know for the job.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment to this day was shooting with the Clements Twins. They have over 1.5 million followers on Instagram and are currently being signed to big companies like Disney. I was given the opportunity to shoot photos for a clothing company from a friend. She was really busy with school and other work and decided to give me the opportunity. She referred me and her contact reached out asking for me to shoot the twins for the release of her new line that they had collaborated on. The shoot was nerveracking and stressful but we came up with some wonderful shots and the release went fantastically. This photoshoot is still the biggest shoot I have done, view and quality-wise since I started the business.
Contact Info:
- Website: maxmcguiremedia.com
- Phone: 9092855088
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: maxdmcguire
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