Max Butler ’98
I M PAC T I N G
A R T
M
ALUMNI FE ATURE
ax Butler’s career as a producer has been fueled
by his skills in planning, creative problem
solving, logistics, budgeting, management,
and communication, all skills he says were
reinforced at CPA. The 1998 CPA graduate moved to New
York City with his Sociology/Film degree from Vanderbilt and
was hired onto the TV show, “Without A Trace.” From there,
his production work has taken him through films, music
videos, and more, working with directors such as Neil Jordan,
Jonathan Demme, and Martin Scorsese.
“CPA prepared me for my current pursuits in a variety of
ways: developing my critical thinking skills, continuing a spiri-
tual and moral edification, instilling a strong work ethic in me,
and helping to teach me to get along well with others. I spent
almost 13 years with a lot of the same people, and I am still
good friends with people I have known since kindergarten.
The smaller size of our class and the atmosphere created by ev-
eryone at CPA fostered a uniquely strong sense of community.
I have been able to carry it over into my professional life, much
to my benefit,” explains Max.
Max remembers many faculty and staff members at the
Academy who shaped him as a student. He particularly recalls
Tom Gilman and a poster in Mr. Gilman’s history classroom
listing historic votes which had narrow margins, emphasizing
the voice a single individual making meaningful impacts. This
resonates with Max as a producer and curator of popular cul-
ture: “I feel like people easily fall into the misbelief that their
votes, actions, or choices don’t matter [...] the few really can
make change. [...] I think about this with every job I take, and
I hope to use my choices to make a positive impact.”
Since moving back to Nashville in 2005 with his wife,
Ruth, his career has grown, along with his family. Max, Ruth,
and their two children Henry and Marjorie, are members of
Downtown Presbyterian Church where Max serves on the
board. His focus has been in commercial production with the
occasional film and music video.
In 2016, Max’s line produced a film called COLUMBUS
which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2017 in the
NEXT section. It received a Creative Distribution Grant from
Sundance and was released in over 200 theaters in 78 mar-
kets in 2017. It was nominated for Best First Feature in the
2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards. It is currently avail-
able to watch on Hulu. It was the tenth best reviewed film
of 2017.
This year, Max is working on a yet-to-be-titled Duplass
Brothers film for Netflix starring Mark Duplass and Ray Ro-
mano in Solvang, CA. He has also produced several commer-
cials and video content pieces for Spotify, and music videos for
Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, and Luke Bryan (all of which are
nominated for awards).
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