Richard Max

mob. +44(0)78 08 47 71 32
e. richard@mrmax.co.uk

Writer - Producer - Director

COMPETENCES in development - on location - through the edit
I try to bring intelligence, wit and humanity to factual filmmaking, sometimes in extreme environments - the remotest indigenous community in Australia, taking Vietnam Vets back to Vietnam, diving with turtles, caving for rare bats in Japan, flying 40 hours in military helicopters, entering a nuclear exclusion zone, kissed by a grizzly bear, handling priceless Chinese treasures, sailing a Stone Age boat and crashing a passenger jet into the desert (nobody died).

I'm a highly experienced editorial lead with 20+ years Producing & Directing Specialist Factual /Unscripted,
recruiting and managing teams with multiple edits for new formats, series or single films across History, Art,Archaeology, Adventure, Food, Natural History and Science. My storytelling has visual flair and journalistic rigour from over 120 hours of Broadcast TV for BBC, Ch4, Ch5, Discovery, NatGeo, Smithsonian, PBS, Vice and international co-productions.

My single films include The Plane Crash - Channel 4/Discovery (nominated BAFTA Best Specialist Factual, nominated RTS Best Science and Natural History, winner of the Televisual Awards Best Single Documentary and winner of the CINE Special Jury Award Best Science and Technology Production); Curiosity: How Will the World End? - Discovery (winner of the CINE Golden Eagle Award 2013 Special Recognition for televised series); and Helicopter Wars - NatGeo/Smithsonian/Channel 5 (winner of the Special Jury Prize, Houston International Film Festival). I recently directed a 6-part Art History series China’s Greatest Treasures for the BBC and continue to direct Our Changing Planet for the BBC Natural History Unit.

I trained as a Producer at the BBC. I have a Licence from the University of Strasbourg, a Masters in Modern and Medieval Languages from the University of Cambridge and am a graduate of the European Documentary Campus Masterschool.

shoot on FS7 - edit on Final Cut Pro - First Aid Remote Locations certified

TELEVISION CREDITS

BBC One / BBC Studios Natural History Unit / PBS
Our Changing Planet Series 1 ,2 & 3 (2 x 60, 1 x 60) 2021-24
Producer/Director. The most ambitious environmental series the BBC has ever commissioned. Filmed in Kenya, Australia, Maldives, UK & USA.

BBC / BBC Studios Documentary Unit / PBS
Rise of the Bolsonaros (1 x 120) 2022
Edit Director. I created a feature length profile of the controversial Brazilian political clan.

BBC / CCTV/ Mustang Films
China's Greatest Treasures (6 x 30) 2019
Series Director. A major international co-pro with art critic Alastair Sooke exploring the contemporary relevance of 5000 years of Chinese culture and history.

National Geographic / Mallinson Sadler Productions
Drain The Oceans (Series 2) 2019
Director. The Secrets of the Spanish Armada revealed in amazing underwater archaeology filmed in Newfoundland, Spain, England and Ireland.

Channel 4 / Jamie Oliver Productions
Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast (4x60) 2018
Producer/Director Campaign VTs. Large scale multi-cam location shoots with the food team tackling big national health issues and food waste solutions.
EP Sam Beddoes Comm Ed. Sarah Lazenby

Channel 5 / Windfall Films
Intercity 125: The Train That Saved Britain's Railways (2x60) 2018
Self-shooting Producer/Director. Definitive social history of this iconic feat of British engineering. EP Fred Hepburn Comm Ed. Daniel Pearl

Discovery / Woodcut Media
Fukushima: Nature in the Dangerzone (1x60) 2018
Self-shooting Producer/Director. Filming inside Fukushima Radiation Exclusion Zone scientific research into on-going impact of 2011 nuclear disaster on wildlife and former residents.

Channel 4 / Reef TV
Flying Across Britain with Arthur Williams (2 x 60) 2018
Producer/Director. Creating a new 4 x 60 series as Arthur flies round Britain's airfields in a vintage plane exploring our fascination with flight and the people and places with an unexpected story. EP Ben Weston Comm Ed.Lizi Wooton

BBC TWO / BBC World News
Japan's Northern Wilderness (1 x 60 and 2 x 30 mins) 2017
Series Producer / Director. Steve Backshall and Helen Glover go on an exhilarating adventure in Tohoku - a region of outstanding natural beauty seemingly left behind by time.
EP Charlotte Jones, Comm Ed.Emma De'ath

BBC
The Story of Rice (1 x 60 mins) 2017
Producer / Director. Chef Rachel Allen on a foodie travelogue to Japan discovers the secrets of rice: its importance to the culture, history and longevity of the Japanese people.
EP Charlotte Jones, Comm Ed.Tatsuo Shioi

Channel 5
When Kids Kill (6 x 60 mins) 2016
Shooting Producer / Director. New presenter-led contemporary sensitive access UK crime series. Working across all Eps in series, lead director on 2 into the edit.
EP Fintan Maguire, Comm Ed.Emma Westcott

Ch4 / Smithsonian Channel / ARTE / JSBC / Lion TV
China: Treasures of the Jade Empire (1 x 60 mins) 2015
Writer/Director. Exceptional access to new archaeological treasures of the Han Dynasty.
EP Bill Locke, Comm Ed. Rob Coldstream/Charles Poe

Smithsonian Channel / TVT Productions
American Experience: America's Secret D-Day Disaster (1 x 60 mins) 2014
Writer/Producer/Director. Untangling the web of secrecy around a D-Day training exercise that claimed more American lives than the attack on Utah Beach itself.
EP Charles Thompson, Comm Ed. Charles Poe

Discovery / Wag TV
How Do They Do it?(Series 12) 2014
Producer/Director. More surprising problems and solutions of products we take for granted.
EP Martin Durkin SP Richard Stansfield, Comm Ed.Liz MacIntyre

National Geographic / IWC Media
Richard Hammond's Science of Stupid (14 x 30 mins) 2013
Writer/Producer. Factual Entertainment series where Richard Hammond explains the hard science behind Youtube stunt fails. Try to break the laws of science and they'll break you.
EP Hamish Barbour, SP Dom Bowles, Comm Ed.Hamish Mykura/Ed Sayer

Channel 4/ Discovery Channel/ Pro7/ Dragonfly Film & TV
The Plane Crash (1 x 120 mins) 2012
Lead Producer/Director
NOMINATED BAFTA TV AWARDS - Best Specialist Factual Programme
NOMINATED ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY AWARDS – Best Science & Natural History
WINNER BULLDOG AWARDS - Best Single Documentary
NOMINATED BROADCAST AWARDS - Best Original Programme & Best Documentary
WINNER CINE - Special Jury Award Best Science & Technology Production
Rebooting production of a unique and risky event as an international co-production. Writing shooting scripts and EdSpec, liaising with business&legal affairs and commissioning. Crewing up, risk assessment, crash plans, managing pre-production and location directing all the obsdoc action in the air and on the ground plus master interviews with the test pilots responsible for crashing the plane and the emergency response in the aftermath.
EP Sanjay Singhal/ Simon Dickson, Comm Ed.David Glover/Howard Swartz

Discovery Channel / Darlow Smithson Productions
Stonehenge Boat (1 x 60 mins) 2012
Self-shooting Writer/Producer/Director
One hour special. Experimental Archaeology adventure retracing a journey by Neolithic boat across the Bristol Channel.
EP Tom Adams/Julian Ware, Comm Ed.Howard Swartz

Discovery Channel / Pioneer Productions
How Will the World End? (1 x 60 mins) 2011
Producer/Director. One hour special presented by Samuel L Jackson in the Curiosity strand. How one of five natural disasters will finally destroy Earth.
EP Stuart Carter, SP Yavar Abbas/Bob Strange. Comm Ed.Alan Eyres

BBC TWO / CBBC Channel
Ultimate Sports Day (11 x 30 mins) 2012
Shooting Producer/Director. Created obdoc format for the selection process of a children's game show in CBBC's landmark new sports series. EP Steven Andrew, Comm Ed.Kez Margrie

National Geographic / WagTV
Ancient X Files (3 x 60 mins) 2010
Writer/Producer/Director. Helped define series format and style unravelling mysteries behind famous historical objects - such as the Minotaur's Labyrinth, the Sudarium of Oviedo and the Phaistos Disk. EP Martin Durkin SP Jon Stephens, Comm Ed.Steve Burns

FIVE / National Geographic / Smithsonian Network / Windfall Films
Helicopter Warfare: Vietnam and Afghanistan (2 x 60 mins) 2009
Writer/Producer/Director. Vietnam Firefight and Taliban Gambit bring to life two extraordinary helicopter rescues 40 years apart using powerful eyewitness testimony, unique archives, 3D & photo-real graphics and dramatic reconstruction.
EP David Dugan, Comm Ed.Julia Harrington/Stephen Hunter/ Charles Poe

Discovery Science and Discovery Asia / Darlow Smithson Productions
Ecopolis (6 x 60 mins) 2008
Lead Director. Exploring Techno-fixes for our Carbon Footprint in the year 2050.
EP David Mcnab/Ali Turner, Comm Ed.Bruce Hepton

Discovery US/ Darlow Smithson Productions
True Heroes: Grizzly Attack and Runaway Car (2 x 30 mins) 2007
Writer/Producer/Director. Action-packed real life disaster dramadocs with full on stunts.
EP Paul Wooding, Comm Ed.Jack Smith

Channel 4/ Mentorn
Charles Kennedy: Politics and Power (30 mins) 2006
Producer/Director. Insider's view of Westminster from former leader of the Liberal Democrats.
EP Sam Collyns/Dimitri Doganis, Comm Ed.Dorothy Byrne

BBC2/Discovery
Journeys to the bottom of the sea: Blackbeard's Revenge (1x60mins) 2002
Director (drama reconstruction element) A slice of Pirates in the Caribbean with tall ships, with SFX cannons & muskets. SP Will Aslett.

Discovery Animal Planet
Ben Fogle's Saturday Matinees (12 x 2 mins) 2005
Director. Devised showcase presentation for the weekend film.
Comm Ed.Mark Wild

BBC Food
My Favourite Chef (20x30 mins) 2005
Director. International series re-packaged with presenter Gino D'Acampo for viewers' votes competition. EP Nick Spilman

Flextech/Ten Alps Broadcasting
John Thomson Stands Up for Comedy (15x30mins) 2004
Series Producer/Director. Crafted comedy clips series of classic performances from all-time greats and the best talent from today's stand-up circuit; directed John's location links; led team of archive researchers; negotiated clearances
EP Sam Cash, Comm Ed.Rebecca Johnson

Corporate

CLIENTS INCLUDE ROLEX, NOKIA, BLACKROCK, MALAYSIAN TOURIST BOARD, BP, STANDARD CHARTERED BANK, GREATER LONDON ASSEMBLY, VISITBRITAIN

SHORT FORM

Clients include BBC, Channel 4, MTV, Sky Movies, Discovery Networks Europe & UKTV As an award-winning freelancer I have written, directed & produced commercials, promotions, press launches, branding & sponsorship

Industry Awards

The Plane Crash
NOMINATED BAFTA TV AWARDS - 2013 Best Specialist Factual Programme
NOMINATED ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY AWARDS Best Science & Natural History
NOMINATED BROADCAST AWARDS Best Original programme, Best Documentary
WINNER BULLDOG AWARDS Best Single Documentary
WINNER CINE Special Jury Award Best Science and Technology Production

Curiosity
WINNER CINE Golden Eagle Award 2013 Special Recognition for televised series (I directed 3 films in this strand for Discovery)

Helicopter Wars: Taliban Gambit
WINNER the 44th Houston International Film Festival WorldFest 2011 Special Jury Prize for the Smithsonian Network

WINNER Promax UK
Gold - Best Use of Graphics in On air promo (Channel 4)
Silver - Best Corporate Marketing Film (Channel 4)
Bronze - Best News and Current Affairs on air promo (Channel 4)

WINNER Promax World Gold Awards Best adult entertainment promo(MTV)
NOMINATED Promax World Gold Awards Best Comedy Promo (MTV)
WINNER Bronze Promax Europe Best On Air Programme Campaign (MTV)
NOMINATED Promax Europe Best Comedy promo (MTV)
WINNER Bronze Promax Europe Best Reality Show Campaign (MTV)
NOMINATED Promax Europe Best Interactive Promotion (MTV)

FINALIST BBC Talent New Filmmakers' Award