Mark Maxey

Last updated

Mark Maxey
Mark Maxey on location.jpg
Maxey filming on location, July 2017
Born
John Mark Maxey

(1969-05-13)May 13, 1969
Occupation(s)Producer, writer, director, filmmaker
Years active2000–present
Spouse
Rebecca Ewing
(m. 1998)
Children2
Website rollingpictures.com

Mark Maxey (born May 13, 1969) is an American producer, writer and director of film and television best known for the documentary film Up to Snuff (2019), [1] about musician/composer W. G. Snuffy Walden. [2]

Contents

Early life

Mark Maxey was born on May 13, 1969, in Long Beach, California, the son of concert marimbist Linda Maxey and clarinetist Lawrence Maxey. The family moved to Lawrence, Kansas where Maxey's father taught at the University of Kansas School of Music for the next 37 years. [3] [4]

In Lawrence, the Maxey family lived across the street from the Centron film studio, where, as a boy, Maxey first entered the industry in small roles and as an extra. [4] He was involved in the Lawrence Community Theater while in high school, and worked for the Theater after graduating from Lawrence High School in 1987. [4]

In 1990 he moved to Washington, D.C. to begin working in television production. [4] He became a vice president at Yorktel. [4]

Professional

Maxey is a television and film producer who wrote, directed and produced the documentary film Up to Snuff (2019) about musician and composer W.G. Snuffy Walden. [5] [6] [7] [8] The film is a story of redemption and chronicles Walden's excesses as a touring rock and roll musician in the 1970's and '80's, and his decision to choose sobriety and reinvent himself as a television and film composer. [9]

In 2014, Maxey won an Emmy Award for The Honors: A Salute to American Heroes which he produced. [4] Maxey's other productions include television specials such as American Valor, Salute to Veterans, The Wounded Warrior Experience, and the National Memorial Day Parade, each of which were broadcast nationally on cable television. Maxey also created the PBS primetime special On Stage at the Kennedy Center: A Holiday Concert for the Troops with the late Marvin Hamlisch. [10] [4]

In 2011, Maxey co-founded with Brad Russell the Washington West Film Festival [11] [5] [4] Maxey serves as chairman of the board and Russell as president. [12]

Maxey produced Mayim Bialik's feature directorial debut As They Made Us which was written, directed and produced by Bialik. The film stars Dianna Agron, Simon Helberg, Candice Bergen, Dustin Hoffman, Julian Gant, Charlie Weber and Justin Chu Cary. The plot follows Abigail (Agron) and the last moments that she and her family spend with her dying father (Hoffman). It was released in theaters and on video on demand by Quiver Distribution on April 8, 2022. It received positive reviews from critics. [13]

In 2022, Maxey produced the feature film Space Oddity directed by Kyra Sedgwick and written by Rebecca Banner. The film stars Kyle Allen, Alexandra Shipp, Madeline Brewer, Carrie Preston, Simon Helberg and Kevin Bacon. The film had its premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2022. [14] It was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films on March 31, 2023. [15]

Maxey produced the 2025 film Words of War about the late Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Directed by James Strong, it stars Maxine Peake as Politkovskaya, Jason Isaacs as her husband Sascha, and Ciarán Hinds as her Nobel Peace Prize-winning editor at the Novaya Gazeta , Dmitry Muratov. [16] . Sean Penn is the executive producer of the film. Variety reported that Words of War will be released in U.S. theaters starting on May 2, 2025. [17]

Personal

On September 6, 1998, Maxey married Rebecca Ewing. Together they have two sons and reside the Washington D.C. metro area. [9] [8]

References

  1. "Documentary on TV Composer W.G. Snuffy Walden Leads a Strong Newport Beach Film Festival Music Program". OC Weekly. April 26, 2018. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  2. Archived March 10, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , W. G. Snuffy Walden
  3. Archived May 11, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , University of Kansas, retiring faculty, staff to be honored...
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Valverde, Rochelle (July 6, 2015). "Lawrence native wins Emmy for excellence in TV production". Lawrence Journal-World.
  5. 1 2 Freedman, Richard (October 31, 2018). "November 1 Vallejo A&E Source: Walden saluted by longtime friend in 'Up to Snuff'". Vallejo Times Herald . Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  6. , Napa Valley Film Fest: Up to Snuff
  7. Poling, Cassidy (June 14, 2018). "Television Producer Makes First Feature Documentary 'Behind-The-Scenes' with Mark Maxey". Desktop Documentaries. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  8. 1 2 Meyers, Joe (July 9, 2018). "'Snuffy' Walden: From rock world substance abuser to TV composing star". Connecticut Post. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Bell, Becky (January 13, 2019). "Snuffy's story of redemption goes public in film that tells East Texas native's story". Longview News-Journal . Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  10. "Mark Maxey filmography". IMDB. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  11. Archived May 11, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , Washington West Film Festival
  12. , About Our Team
  13. Grobar, Matt (February 10, 2022). "Quiver Acquires Mayim Bialik's Feature Directorial Debut 'As They Made Us' Starring Dianna Agron, Simon Helberg, Candice Bergen & Dustin Hoffman, Sets April Release". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 25, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  14. Goldsmith, Jill (April 19, 2022). "Tribeca Festival Lineup Includes Corner Office With Jon Hamm, Ray Romano's Somewhere In Queens, More". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  15. Valle, Ali (February 12, 2023). "Space Oddity Drops Official Trailer Ahead of March Premiere". MovieWeb . Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  16. "Ciarán Hinds to portray Nobel Peace Prize winner in film about murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya". rte.ie. May 16, 2022.
  17. Tangcay, Jazz (February 18, 2025). "Sean Penn Executive Produced Thriller 'Words of War' Gets May Release Date" . Retrieved February 22, 2025.