At Flylords, great storytelling doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built by people who live on the water and behind the camera. In our Meet the Team series, we highlight the individuals who help turn moments into films and ideas into stories. This week, we’re catching up with Max Erickson, Flylords’ Creative Director, to talk about how he found his way to Flylords, what goes into capturing the perfect shot, and the projects that have left a lasting mark on his career.
Flylords: For those who may not know you yet, can you give us a quick introduction and tell us how you first started working with Flylords?
Max: “I’m currently the full-time Creative Director at Flylords, and I’ve been working with the brand for a long time—somewhere around 2016 or 2017. It’s been a while.
Before Flylords, I was living in New York and working as a commercial director of photography, very much in the traditional film industry world. At some point, just for fun, I made a small fly fishing film. A buddy of mine suggested sending it to Orvis to see if Phil Monahan would post it on his blog. Phil never got back to us, so my friend sent it to Jared as a second option.
Jared watched it and said, “Wait, this is actually pretty sick.” He ended up coming up to fish with us, and not long after that, Hurricane Irma hit the Florida Keys. Jared called me and asked if I wanted to try to make a film about it. We scraped together about $1,500 from Costa to rent a camera and cover flights, crashed on Will Benson’s couch in the Keys, and made a short film. That project really kicked everything off.”
Flylords: Fast-forward to today—what does a typical day look like for you as Flylords’ Creative Director?
Max: “It’s pretty all over the place, honestly. A big part of my job is overseeing the content we create—films, documentaries, product videos, seasonal brand campaigns. We produce a wide range of work, and I’m primarily focused on that production side.
Beyond that, I work closely with the agency and media teams, helping shape creative direction and figuring out how to best execute ideas. And surprisingly, a lot of my time is spent staring at spreadsheets. I think people imagine “creative director” as making pretty things, but there’s a lot of planning, logistics, and organization behind the scenes.”
Flylords: You’ve worked on a lot of projects over the years. Is there one that stands out as your favorite?
Max: “That’s a really tough question. I get different kinds of fulfillment from different projects. I enjoy both the commercial work and the documentary side for very different reasons.
On the commercial side, something like the Columbia Spring ‘22–’23 That’ll Fish campaign stands out. That was one of our first projects working through an agency with a full crew and a real budget. It gave us the resources to fully execute what I had envisioned creatively, and it felt like our entry into a more traditional commercial production space.
On the documentary side, the value is more personal. To make a good documentary, you really have to connect with the people you’re filming. That relationship-building happens organically, especially in fishing, where you already share a common passion. Through films, I’ve built friendships with people I never would’ve met otherwise. That part of the work is incredibly meaningful to me.”
Flylords: What’s one detail most viewers don’t realize goes into capturing a single great shot?
Max: “A lot of it comes down to intuition and patience. For shots like a hook set or a fish jumping, it’s a waiting game—but also an instinct game.
I spend almost all my free time on the water, and as an angler, you develop a sense for what’s about to happen, where it might happen, and how it’s likely to unfold. From there, you have to make creative decisions in real time—where to position yourself, how close to get, what to include in the frame, and how that shot fits into the larger story you’re telling.
There are countless ways to film the same moment. The challenge is choosing the one that best serves the narrative, not just the action.”
Flylords: When you’re not working, you’re still fishing. If you had to choose just one fish to chase for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Max: “I can’t do it. I live in Vermont for a reason—I love seasons and variety. All summer, if it’s calm and sunny, I’m sight fishing for carp from a skiff. That’s all I think about.
If it’s windy and gloomy, I’ve recently fallen deep into musky fishing, which has been both amazing and terrible for me. I landed three big fish last year, and now I’m fully ruined. My fly-tying desk is covered in massive flies, and my shoulder hates me.
In the winter, all I want to do is stand in a cold river, swing flies, and dream about that grab—even if I don’t catch anything.”
Flylords: Last one—what’s the funniest blooper or moment that never made it into a final cut?
Max: “There are a lot, but one that stands out definitely involves Zento swimming with mako sharks while getting absolutely screamed at by the chase boat to get out of the chum slick. Moments like that never make the final edit—but they definitely stick with you.”
Thank you, Max, for joining us for this episode of Meet the Team. Stay tuned for our next feature as we continue introducing the faces behind Flylords.