My Friend, Max Hate

Directing for Video - Single

2025

Bensimon Byrne / Narrative XPR, Toronto, ON
e: letschat@bensimonbyrne.com
w: bensimonbyrne.com

Our director captured so many nuances in each character's performance, building tension and empathy. No young boy sets out to become the person we see in the final scene, so our director had convincingly show how a child can transition from relative innocence to full-blown hate—even toward his own mother. Working closely with our VFX team, they also helped craft the look and feel of the puppet, a visual metaphor for how young boys are tricked into becoming 'puppets' of misogynistic hate.

Chief Creative Officer: Joseph Bonnici
Executive Creative Director: Debbie Chan
Creative Director: David Mueller
Associate Creative Director: Ana Segurajauregui Sanchez
Art Director: Zoë Gray
Writer: Nate Houseley
Agency Producer: Michelle Pilling
Senior Strategist: Pat Martini
Program Director: Oliver Glover
Account Director: Cole Douglas
Senior Account Manager: Samantha Sartor
Account Manager: Kanishka Punjabi, Aaron Short
Executive Producer: Amanda Morrison
Director: Angie Bird
Director of Photography: Mat Barkley
Line Producer: Kailey Shanque
Offline Producer: Sam McLaren
Offline Editor: Michelle Czuker
Offline Assistant Editor: Matt Blakely
Online Producer: Andrew Tavares
Online Editor: Saba Zahir, David Whiteson
Colourist: Eric Whipp
Shoot/Edit (Social): Marco Libretti
Audio Producer: Julia Vasiliev
Audio Director: Jared Kuemper
Engineer: Jared Kuemper, Marcel Hidalgo, Tyler Young
Client: White Ribbon

Winning Entry: youtu.be/SQHztQBinvA?si=Qmp3ctgAnNXvHvMC