Maxim Jago – Filmmaker, Futurist, Adobe Trainer

Maxim Jago is a filmmaker, futurist, an Adobe Master Trainer,  author and motivational speaker. His focus is on the creative act, and what it means to be human. Maxim talks with OWC Host, Cirina Catania, about the challenges of making and financing films, including how he recently directed his first feature film coming out in 2020. In addition, Maxim visits the varied themes about life and creativity that he touches on through his busy keynote speaking career. From “how to make a feature film from $0" to living your life full of existential joy, this interview has a little of something for everyone. Transcript This is Cirina Catania with OWC Radio. Maxim Jago, how are you this morning? We have so much to talk about.  Fantastic. Thank you for inviting me on the show. So for those of you who don't know who has had their head in the sand, Maxim Jago is a futurist, he's a filmmaker, he's an author and an amazing motivational speaker. The one thing I love about you most, Maxim, is your creativity, your big brain, and your kind heart. So there's so much to talk about. You're in the process of writing books, you've just directed your first feature, you're at the Toronto Film Festival right now, and I dragged you into talking to me. You are organizing an amazing conference, which we won't talk about yet, but I'll let you say that, and then you're going to Tokyo. I don't even know what to start with. Let's start by the fact that you just directed your first feature, which is an amazing accomplishment for anyone. Thank you. When I was a kid, my dad said, "Say yes first and find out how later and you'll live a more interesting life." And he never mentioned getting enough sleep. I didn't realize that was a limitation of the advice. I always tell people I can sleep when I'm dead. One of my favorite quotes on the internet, and I'm sure it's traceable, I've spoken about this before. You're not supposed to arrive serenely at the grave. You're supposed to tumble skidding across the ground into the grave, covered in cuts and bruises, saying, Wow, what an amazing ride. There you go. One of my favorite parts of that misquote is cuts and bruises. It's okay to get the scar tissue, it's okay that it's hard. We have this culture where any kind of suffering or pain is unacceptable. And I think that that's a misunderstanding of what pain is, therefore, it's a message and it's telling you something. It's not necessarily to be avoided. In fact, you should really engage with it and find out what it's telling you. But that's a whole other conversation. So I set out to be a feature film director when I was 15. And it turns out that I wasn't wealthy enough, tall enough, connected enough, it took a long time. So I have been working on projects. I have directed about 30 short films of one kind or another and did okay with those. But I just directed a no-budget, amazing concept, supernatural thriller, and we're just in post now, and we're just editing.  And where was it filmed?  We shot in a beach house in Massachusetts. And there's a famous guy in Hollywood, his name's *Doug Simmons, who has a workshop that has been running for 20 years on how to make your first feature film. And he's an amazing speaker. I actually saw his presentation 20 years ago and saw it again about two years ago. It hasn't changed, it's the same message, just go and make a film. And his recommendation is if you want to make the first feature, horror always sells,