Max Monsegue, a Producer and Project Lead, has been in the live event production industry for 22 years. As Max puts it, this industry is “something you don’t really know exists until you fall into it,” which she did while studying Art and Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) in New York. At the time, Max was in-between degrees when her friend, Suzette Wilson, offered her some work on a show in San Francisco. Max accepted and made the trip out to California for the three-week gig. The company for whom she did the show, Drury Design Dynamics, had an office just a block away from F.I.T., and Max continued to work for them while attending classes. She would often copy show books and study them to better understand what was happening onstage. After two years, Max was asked if she wanted to train to be an Associate Producer and she accepted the offer. However, Max didn’t always believe production was the right path for her. She twice tried to leave the industry in order to pursue her interest in fashion. Yet, both times Max found herself pulled back into the production world. Over time, Max saw an outlet for her creativity in parts of the pre-production process as she worked with creative designers building content. In this episode, Max Monsegue sits down with hosts Clem Harrod and Stephen Bowles to discuss different elements of her life as a Producer and Project Lead, including building a show’s agenda in pre-production, getting budget adjustments on show site, and maintaining a day-to-day work-life balance.Lean in with us as we listen to Max Monsegue’s story.