Max Kutner

I'm happy to say that I have stories in both Boston and Smithsonian magazines this month. The Boston one is a feature for the annual education issue about the college rankings industry and how schools like Northeastern have gamed the system. Northeastern has jumped 120 spots since 1996 in the U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges" list through genius number crunching and more than a billion dollars spent.

Read "How to Game the College Rankings."

Four years ago, I read a local newspaper article about a farmer who killed 51 of his cows and then himself near my college in Poughkeepsie, NY. I had spent the previous summer making a documentary film about struggling farmers, and so the story of this man's suicide stuck with me.

Last fall, when tasked with pitching stories for my Columbia Journalism School master's project, I immediately recalled the farmer story. Once I was sure that this tragic incident was part of a larger trend - an international one, it turned out - I moved forward. The resulting article is now a Newsweek cover story, available online and at news stands today.

The Daily News and Brokelyn posted about my Coney Island Lighthouse documentary short, which was broadcast on PBS this week.

Daily News: "Students shine light on last civilian lighthouse operator Frank Schubert in new documentary" Brokelyn: "Watch a short film on the Coney Island lighthouse"

This week, PBS's Metrofocus broadcast a documentary short I made with a Columbia Journalism School classmate about the Coney Island Lighthouse. That lighthouse was the last in the country to have a civilian lighthouse keeper. The 4-minute short was shown on WLIW, Thirteen, and NJTV.

Here is my first published article of 2014, a print and video profile of Joe McGinty, a former member of The Psychedelic Furs who now runs a live piano karaoke night at Manhattan Inn in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Excerpt:

I've had a lot of writing published the last few weeks. Here are some of my articles worth checking out from Decide NYC, The Red Hook Star Revue, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Brooklyn Paper, and Buzzfeed.

Boaters Want to Help Landlubbers Survive the Next Storm

Do You Know What it Means to Miss Red Hook?

The Most Andersonian Moments in the Trailer for “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Carlos Menchaca, From Sandy to City Hall

Red Hook’s Innovative Tool Lending Library

The Red Hook International Film Festival just announced this season's winners and my film, At the Corner of 3rd and 3rd, won Best Documentary. 

I had a great time at the festival this past weekend, especially since I have spent the past two months reporting from Red Hook for Columbia Journalism School.

My documentary, At the Corner of 3rd and 3rd, about a neglected Brooklyn landmark and the Whole Foods opening next door, will screen at the Red Hook Film Festival this Saturday, 10/12.

This year’s festival showcases films that deal with Hurricane Sandy. The hurricane hit Red Hook hard and many residents and business owners are still recovering.

I’ve been spending time in the neighborhood lately for my Columbia Journalism School reporting class.

Mid-Brooklyn blog Pardon Me For Asking did a nice write-up yesterday of my film, At the Corner of 3rd and 3rd, which has its Brooklyn premiere tonight in Greenpoint! Katia Kelly, who writes the blog and appears in the documentary, has been so helpful throughout the entire process of making and promoting the film. 

Tonight's premiere also got a mention on Jeremiah's Vanishing New York.

My documentary, At the Corner of 3rd and 3rd, has its Brooklyn premiere this week! The film is showing at the Greenpoint Film Festival on Friday, 9/20, at 6:30pm. I'll be doing a Q&A following the screening.

HGTV's Frontdoor blog interviewed me about my documentary, At the Corner of 3rd and 3rd, which has its Brooklyn premiere on Friday at the Greenpoint Film Festival. Check out the full interview here and an excerpt below.

Since returning to New York City from Paris last month, I've been attending the Columbia Journalism School. This week, The Columbia Journalist published my first big assignment, which followed the City Council race in Brooklyn's District 38. I wrote about Carlos Menchaca, who was the only City Council candidate to beat an incumbent and who will become the city's first Mexican-American council member. Excerpt below, full article here.

The councilman-elect, who will also be Brooklyn’s first openly gay council member and was the only City Council candidate to defeat an incumbent – stressed that he represents a wider group.

“It’s not just about Mexicans – it’s about giving all immigrants a voice in City Council,” he said at a Sunset Park event three days before the primary.

My documentary, At the Corner of 3rd and 3rd, had its New York City premiere Tuesday night. It showed at the weekly NewFilmmakers NY series at Anthology Film Archives.

I'm honored that the Greenpoint Film Festival has awarded Best Documentary Short to my film At the Corner of 3rd and 3rd. This is the film's first award and will be its third festival appearance. 

I'm particularly excited since I shot 3rd and 3rd entirely in Brooklyn and the Greenpoint Film Festival will be the film's Brooklyn premiere. Also, I was living in Greenpoint while shooting the film.