Max Winter
Chris launched his writing career in 2020 under the pen name Max Winter – immediately optioning his first two
short stories for film, including to Netflix.
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A-List talent and filmmakers have been attached to Max Winter stories including Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell, filmmakers Jake Schreier (Beef, Thunderbolts), Cathy Yan (Succession, Birds of Prey) and screenwriter Drew Pearce (The Fall Guy).
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Chris also conceived of and co-wrote the novel Insignificant Others with NYT Bestselling author Sarah Jio, which sold to HarperCollins/Morrow in a 5-house bidding war and published in 10 international territories, including Norway where it debuted at #1 on the bestseller list. Insignificant Others was optioned by international film financier Carrousel Studios and is being developed as a feature with Chris and Sarah producing.
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Beginning in July 2025, the Max Winter Substack account has gone viral several times with 3.5K subscribers and the top fiction short story garnering 10K reads – numbers on par with many traditionally-published, bestselling authors on the platform.
Currently, Chris is adapting his short story Retro into an 8-episode scripted audio series for Treefort Media as well as developing adaptations of several of his stories as a producer with various partners.
Stories
sci-fi/thriller
Set in a very near future Los Angeles teaming with unrest between the poor and the extremely rich, whose medical upgrades allow them to live much longer and look younger, Bunny, an ageless Beverly Hills billionaire is hijacked by the leader of a resistance movement, a mysterious older woman who has a deep connection to her long-ago past.
murder mystery / romcom
When Veronica meets Jimmy at her therapist’s funeral, he says he’s a police officer and suspects a murder. Veronica agrees to help him investigate, only to discover Jimmy’s not a cop – he’s a patient, and likely delusional. Still, the clues pile up and it seems the two are onto something – or are they just both off their meds?
Follow Max Winter on Substack: