Ever since Max Rissman was four years old, when he forced his parents to watch and subsequently act out "The Wizard of Oz" with him every single night, he has been captivated by the power of stories to transform the mundane into the magical. After attending college at Washington University in St. Louis and completing New York University’s MFA program in filmmaking, he followed the yellow brick road to Los Angeles where he has been creating film and television projects about characters coming of age and embarking on journeys of self-discovery. His web series ROOT FOR THE VILLAIN was an official selection of the 2018 Austin Film Festival, and his feature screenplay HIT ME HARDER was featured on the 2020 GLAAD List. more...