Writer, Director, Screenwriter
Max Price - Writer, Director, Screenwriter
Max is a writer, director and screenwriter who has spent over a decade creating sketch comedy content with some of the biggest brands in Australia including Kayo, Sportsbet, Triple M, Xero and Channel 7.
Max is also the writer and Director for Network Ten's Kinne Tonight, and previously worked as a creative producer on The Footy Show.
Max on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxprice3
Priceless Productions: https://www.pricelessproductions.com.au/
Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.
“I know I got told that I, um, we just finished filming the Kinny Show and that Channel 10 made me trim it back.”
“I'm one of those cafe wanker writers.”
“Being a dickhead is not a good call in my book.”
“invest in this, in social, in social content where the first comment can be, this is fucking shit, which makes a lot of people, which makes a lot of people nervous.”
“I actually think that if it wasn't because of the pregnancy and the— and having a, having a daughter, uh, the I'd be working half, half the intensity that I was working.”
“if there's two restaurants on each side of the road, one has a menu with 150 things on it and the other one just sells ravioli, like you're more likely to go I reckon they'd do that, that pretty good.”
“I know, I know they'll just take a chunk.”
How do you keep a pandemic-era studio comedy taping feeling energetic without a live audience?
Max Price suggests not making excuses for reduced energy from no-audience filming, deliberately not referencing COVID-19 in the show itself, and instead just pushing crew to laugh and engage multiple times to capture usable reactions, trusting that audiences have already adjusted to this 'new normal' seen across other shows.
Do you need to be tough or aggressive to be a good director on a comedy set?
No — Max Price advises against being a 'dickhead' or aggressive on set; instead, address brewing issues early, use words carefully to redirect performers, and pay attention to how actors are coping mentally (especially after multiple failed takes), pulling them aside to calm them down and remind them it's meant to be fun, since a positive set vibe reflects on screen.
How can I capture creative ideas before I forget them?
Max suggests using a note-taking app (he uses Evernote) to immediately jot down ideas the moment they occur, such as in the middle of a conversation with friends, rather than relying on memory, then later organising them into a full draft before formatting in proper writing software.
Should a business try to do everything or specialise in one thing?
Max advises specialising in a narrow niche (comedy content only) rather than offering a broad menu of services, using the analogy that a restaurant serving only ravioli is more trustworthy and distinct than one with 150 menu items, even though saying no to broader, more lucrative work (like wedding videos) is difficult.
How do you stay calm when something goes wrong on a shoot?
Max says maturity and filmmaking experience taught him to problem-solve rationally in a crisis rather than panic, recognising that setbacks aren't catastrophic, unlike earlier in his career when he might have quit over similar problems.
How do you keep morale high on a stressful multi-day shoot?
Max recommends being highly observant of crew/cast dynamics, giving confidence-building feedback using a 'praise-criticism-praise' sandwich approach, and quickly mediating interpersonal issues before they escalate, especially on longer 15-20 day shoots.
Max recalls Jack Post once leaving a sarcastic Instagram comment ('Martin Scorsese's masterclass?') on a chaotic video of Max directing Sam Pang, and that years earlier Jack ignored Max's Hong Kong recommendations, establishing their prior low-key online rivalry before meeting properly.
Max Price describes how the 14-day location shoot for his sketch show Kinne started with hugging and buffet lunches and ended, by day 11, with individually packaged meals handed out with gloves, before the cast and crew voluntarily shut the shoot down as COVID-19 cases doubled daily.
Drawn from the episode transcripts.
The sketch show was partway through a 14-day shoot when COVID-19 cases began doubling daily; by day 11, the production had moved from buffet-style shared lunches to individually packaged, gloved meal handling, and the cast/crew voluntarily shut down filming before finishing, with Network 10 still pushing to air the early episodes as soon as possible.
From episode 718→No — Max Price says being a 'dickhead' or aggressive on set is an ugly approach; he prefers nipping tension in the bud early, using words carefully to redirect performers, and checking in on actors' mental state (especially after repeated takes) so everyone has fun, which he believes reflects on screen.
From episode 718→Max started as a marketing assistant at Sportsbet getting coffees, worked his way up over about 4 years, and watched the company shift budget from big TV commercials to social content. After roughly 6-8 years there he quit to start Priceless Productions, initially facing resistance from marketing managers used to funding half-million-dollar TV ads.
From episode 560→Max compares his comedy-only specialisation to a restaurant that only sells ravioli versus one with 150 menu items — customers are more likely to trust the ravioli place. He applied this by refusing non-comedy work (weddings, straight corporate videos) even though it would have been more profitable.
From episode 560→He says he rarely shows stress on set, gives confidence-building feedback (praising good takes, framing criticism positively), and mediates relationship issues early. He attributes reduced personal stress to maturity and filmmaking experience teaching him that problems are solvable and 'not the end of the world.'
From episode 560→Mentioned on 1 episode Maxwasn’t on.
Every episode featuring Max Price on The Daily Talk Show.
Max Price & Jack Post are back! We chat about the new season of Kinne Tonight, Max's approach to directing, putting out more content in isolation, and Jack writes and performs a song in 20 minutes!
Max Price joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 560 (27 December 2019) — "From TV To Social Media Content With Max Price". Max Price - Writer, Director, Screenwriter Max is a writer, director and screenwriter who has spent over a decade creating sketch comedy content with some of the biggest brands in Australia including Kayo, Sportsbet, Triple M, Xero and Channel 7. Max is also the writer and Director for Network...