Hi, I'm Mackenzie. I'm a visual artist, creative director, and brand builder. I take on creative commissions, mostly in the realm of film and video, but also in other forms of visual arts.
Nowadays, I often hear a jack-of-all-trades is master of none, and while I understand where that mindset comes from, I fully reject it. The visual arts are what I've dedicated my life to, and I consider this realm my playground, my happy place, and my kingdom.
I have an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University and concentrated on directing and cinematography while I was there. In total, I've been practicing in the film and video arts for 20-years, and still really enjoy it.
I run Axes Agency, a creative studio where my small team and I work with corporate and commercial clients on things like brand-identity systems and producing what I call, creative asset libraries.
I've collaborated with indie productions and large companies alike, in roles like writer, director, cinematographer, photographer, video editor, motion graphics artist, colorist, sound designer, graphic designer, animator, and probably more, for companies you've probably heard of, like Google, Samsung, Ubisoft, Meta, Hearst Corporation and more.
I've helped develop creative asset libraries and marketing campaigns for companies like Clif Bar, The Clorox Company, Luna Bar, 10X Genomics, Udemy, Wikia and more, leveraging years of experience working in the creative departments of large companies, absorbing practices that work well and noticing ones that don't.
I love this type of work because I get to bring together the perfect team to execute a concept from start to finish, and collaborate with people who are the very best at their respective disciplines.
I feel completely at home in both of my forms, and welcome the opportunity to collaborate on strictly creative endeavors and commercial ones alike. If you feel like we'd be a good collaborative fit, or if you want to talk more to get a sense of what I could bring to your next project or production, I'd love to hear from you.
That about sums up who I am today as a creative. Below, I'll delve into my history a bit for the ultra-curious.
I was born in San Francisco, CA and raised in Fresno, CA. These two places are separated by just 180 miles, but culturally, they're worlds apart. Although I left Fresno upon reaching adulthood, I'm grateful for being brought up there. I had a lot of experiences, good and bad, that I couldn't have had anywhere else, and that helped shaped me into the person I am.
I moved back to San Francisco in my early 20s to attend undergraduate film school at San Francisco State University, and stayed in the Bay Area for another two decades after that, working as a freelancer, attending graduate film school, and starting a business.
It wasn't until a decent amount of time into this adult period that I realized how valuable my experience in Fresno really was, and how influential it was in my development as an artist and as a human being.
This realization happened in grad school–the place where I was truly able to foster my creativity and artistic voice. Through the guidance of some truly exceptional mentors and instructors, I learned to see my upbringing for what it truly was–a time that formed and solidified my way of seeing the world in a way that was truly unique.
I grew up as a mixed-race, only-child, without much means, in a conservative cultural desert. At times, it sucked, but I was observing and absorbing. Collecting material I'd later shape into my own way of looking at things.
My mostly quiet (some would call boring) upbringing, gave me an appreciation of the mundane that informs my work to this day. I'm fascinated by the overlooked moments in life, the things others deem unimportant or superfluous.
When I was a kid, I'd think there was something wrong with me for being moved to tears by the way dappled sunlight would fall on the sidewalk. I'd be fascinated how just a gentle breeze at the right time could give me goosebumps in the extreme heat of summer. I'd wonder why so many people went to such lengths to constantly distract themselves from their inner voices.
But this mundane existence was punctuated with recurring flashes of fear and violence. At one point in my adolescence, Fresno had the highest rate of murder in the country, mostly related to gang violence. Obviously that life spills into schools in not-great neighborhoods, making it impossible to avoid.
For me, this was raw material that helped shape my way of seeing and experiencing the world, which shows itself in my work subtly and overtly.
Today, I live in Coimbra, Portugal with my wife and two kids. In some ways it's like stepping back in time. Where the Bay Area is in a constant state of movement, with few chances to stop and be present in the moment, Portugal is more like the life I remember growing up in Fresno (but a lot safer). In a way, it's like coming full-circle, and I can finally feel at home in a place where the mundane overshadows the exciting.
I guess that about sums things up about me, at least how it relates to my work as an artist and creative. If you've read this far, you might as well reach out so we can collaborate on something. I'd love to hear from you. Until then, take care.
Peace and love.
–Mackenzie