Meet Max Bustamante | Producer & Film Executive

We had the good fortune of connecting with Max Bustamante and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Max Bustamante, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I thought: What’s the worst thing that could possibly happen if I start this thing, It closes like all my prior businesses? 🙂

I ran a couple different sole proprietorships, and even tried my hand in a couple start-up teams before Terraform LA/Bustamante Films, and Do Easy Productions came together.

I gravitate towards operators, and it really makes me favor independent work. Even my wife, and mother all run small businesses, my mother with her tax return, and real estate business, and my wife with her consultancy work in technical design.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love my work, and I’d like to think what makes film producing so satisfying is the investment from all parties involved. I’ve never worked with another producer that didn’t love movies. When you get passionate people working together, the end result is inevitably a labor of love, so the baseline for our work is very emotionally fulfilling.
I’d like to think what sets me apart from others in this line of work is what has set me apart since I started working in general: I have never been okay with concepts like “this is how it’s always been done”, or “this is how it is” etc. and I think it’s allowed me to see opportunities others may not.
While answering phones at Entertainment Partners in Burbank (years before the support teams would go remote and move from their corporate office), I saw the job as a chance to make connections in the studio finance system. My coworkers spent a lot of time telling me that rarely if ever would people hire phone support representatives, but I would inevitably get a job from one of our clients: Jason Schoener, and his outfit; Ten Key Accounting for film. Turner North Center would then also reach out in the weeks after leaving EP’s support team.
While producing I saw the advent of what would become the content creator eco-system, partnered with members of “Bored Ape Yacht Club”, and was fortunate enough to moon-light in the Web 3 space as a creator of projects that grossed over 1 million in total sales, and residuals.
I prefer to ask “why haven’t we tried this, and how can we try this”, as opposed to turning any new idea down.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ll try to go for my favorite and keep it short:

Eat at:
Meat On Ocean – Santa Monica
Musso & Franks – Hollywood
Girl & The Goat – DTLA
Asanebo – The Valley
(LUNCH)
Dante – Beverly Hills (inside Maybourne Hotel)
Osteria La Buca – Hollywood

Drink at:
Musso & Franks – Hollywood
Mom’s – (GB Packers Bar) Santa Monica
Little Joy – Echo Park
Bar Lubitch – Hollywood
Café Elefante – Santa Monica

Hang-out:
Perch LA – DTLA
Redondo Beach Pier
Dodgers (any game)
Frank & Sons (City Of Commerce)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to shout-out my family: Socorro Bustamante, Kimberly Torres, and my business partners from Terraform LA:
Tony Imparato, and the Mora brothers, my business partners from Do Easy Productions.

Website: https://Doeasyproductions.com

Instagram: Maximilian_Bustamante

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximilian-bustamante-97a47897

Twitter: https://x.com/Smol_Frens

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/max-bustamante

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/groups/540279343349680/?ref=share&mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits
Mary Rachel Quinn