Maximilian Aoki

I am a filmmaker with 5+ years of experience as a Cinematographer/Editor, Film Composer, Actor, and Freelancer.

With a degree in Engineering and ability to build web applications across the stack, I am able to create rich digital experiences that span several modes.

I have several years of professional experience in filmmaking, engineering, and project management:

As Lead Actor and Composer of the feature film Things I Do For Money:

• Starred in and composed 70+ minutes of music for the feature film “Things I Do for Money”, producing an award-winning soundtrack and representing the project at film festivals internationally
• Assisted director Warren Sonoda in all project phases including script editing, crowd-funding, casting, location scouting, and supervising post-production at Urban Post in Toronto

As a Professional Videographer:

• Co-founded “The Sincerity Project”, a production company with 1M+ views across all platforms
• Created media content to support Hamilton’s first “Stop Sprawl” campaign, with over 67,000 cold engagements in under a week

As a Professional Cellist and co-founder of versaCello:

• Performed 10+ headlining shows, 50+ corporate events and 100+ weddings, mastering the art of client relations, production requirements (sound and visual), and adapting to last-minute changes
• Headlined in the CBC articles: “Meet the Cellist Brothers” and “5 Underrated Acts you need to see at Supercrawl”

As a Special Projects Coordinator at Modern Niagara:

• Oversaw the coordination of a $10M+ portfolio of mechanical special projects through budgeting, on-site logistics, and timeline management while maintaining profit margins in a fast-paced industry
• Organized and led weekly meetings with senior leadership, clients, subcontractors, and suppliers, ensuring effective communication to all stakeholders and expediting project timelines
• Spearheaded the ideation and implementation of a digitized documentation process

As a Computing & Software Intern at McMaster's Advanced Optimization Laboratory:

• Interned at the Advanced Optimization Laboratory and tasked with developing/documenting an algorithm to sort all general 1st year McMaster Engineering Students into their specific stream based on demand and GPA

I have a Bachelor of Engineering from McMaster University, along with various accolades from my undergraduate career:

• Recipient of the Joseph IP ($10 000), Dean’s Excellence, and President’s Entrance Scholarships
• Headlined in the McMaster News Article “Big Ideas: Two Sides of the Same Coin”
• Selected to represent McMaster at the 2022 Global Engineering Design Studio