SHORT FILM - PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL

Damage Control


Matt and Nina ended their conflict-averse relationship weeks ago, but they're still living in the same flat. One afternoon Matt stumbles upon Nina's social media to see that she's gone viral with her breakup narrative - and to thousands of vitriolic comments, he finds himself the villain.


Maxwell is delighted to be part of the production team for this 12 minute short film, a dramatic comedy from rising writer-director Emma Parkinson.

From The Morning Show to Black Mirror, audiences today are searching for emotionally rich tales that show the toxic side of online hyperconnection, parasocial relationships and the online court of public opinion.

Emma experienced this herself after a recent breakup, where she was pressured by the TikTok algorithm to create emotionally charged content about her post-breakup wellness journey.

Instead, she wrote Damage Control, to take a serious issue and twist it with a dark, comic tone.


The ask

The Damage Control team is seeking £30k from a range of prospective executive producers. EPs will receive standard opportunities for creative involvement, credits, set visits, festival access, private screenings and red carpet invites.

Given prior interest and strong project momentum, we anticipate a final decision on EP involvement by April 2026.

→ book a meeting



Lookbook

Success for this short looks like:

From lowest to highest risk, the following outcomes are ambitious but feasible.

Given the team's prior work, it's not unfeasible to target:


Team

Emma Parkinson is an dynamic writer/director from Somerset with a won't-stop attitude and a glittering portfolio of painfully funny shorts, exploring young people battling against the pressures of social media, mental ill health and economic stagnation.

She has been relentless in pursuing her ambition, picking up awards with each new production and is well-known on the London short film scene. Emma now finds herself just a handful of projects away from creating the mainstream films and series of the next decade. A disciplined operator, she has been trusted with 7-figure budgets but has also been scrappy on tight financing plans.

She has assembled a crack team of cast and crew, including:

Jojo Macari (cast) - a rising star with acting roles in Sex Education (Netflix) & Masters of the Air (EP'd by Tom Hanks & Steven Spielberg). [wikipedia]

Priyanka Patel (cast) - known for her collaboration with Phillip Barantini, director of Adolescence. [imdb]

Lucy Benson Brown (producer) - a seasoned filmmaker with experience delivering films on time & under budget. Lucy is also a sought-after commercials producer with campaigns for McDonalds, Adidas, FIFA & more. [portfolio]

Ashley Horne (executive producer) - a BAFTA-nominated shorts filmmaker known for his collaborations with Lewis Capaldi, Ice Cube and E4. Ash has a well-trained eye for the incoming cohort of top talent. [linkedin]

Harry Kingdon (associate producer) - a former startup founder with experience leading multimillion dollar projects at the intersection of art & technology. [linkedin]


Getting started in film?

In Hollywood, Britain punches far above its weight and shorts are no exception.

Executive producing at short-form level allows time-pressed individuals to support emerging talent, gain behind-the-scenes access to the filmmaking process, and build meaningful creative relationships that can be lucrative in the long term.

Nowadays, the short film ecosystem is the de facto incubator where rising talents develop their voice, test the frontiers of cinema and are discovered by Hollywood studios, from Chloe Zhao's Daughters to Damien Chazelle's Whiplash to Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket.


Financing

We've budgeted approximately £30k for Damage Control, across:

Emma is an unusually entrepreneurial filmmaker and has the opportunity to self-fund the project entirely through a series of in-person speed dating events and screenings in London, alongside friends and family support.

However, as expected for a project of this calibre, Damage Control has experienced meaningful interest from prospective investors. In light of that the team is throwing a wide net to assemble the best possible team, and are particularly keen to onboard those who may not have prior experience executive producing.

We expect to decide on the appropriate financier blend by April 2026.

The Damage Control team is experienced, with a deep love for cinema and heads tightly screwed on. To find out more, including the script, treatment and to meet Emma and the team, please enquire below:

→ book a meeting


CONFIDENTIAL - MAXWELL MOTION PICTURES