From Games to Pro Wrestling: Project Management, Partnerships, and Live Storytelling | Max Zaleski
ABOUT max:
Max Zaleski is a games industry professional with experience in project management, partnerships, social media, and creative production at Crystal Dynamics. Outside the games industry, he founded Unconfirmed Flight Offerings (UFO), produced more than 150 professional wrestling events, performs stand-up comedy, creates tabletop RPG worlds, and is a passionate advocate for accessibility, inclusive communities, and creative storytelling.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
How Max transitioned into the games industry at Crystal Dynamics
Why storytelling connects games, wrestling, comedy, and tabletop RPGs
Building a career through project management and partnerships
What producing more than 150 live wrestling shows taught him about leadership
Why community is often more valuable than competition
The importance of relationship management in creative projects
A simple project management strategy that saves nearly every production
Why adding schedule buffers can dramatically improve creative work
Lessons learned from successful—and unsuccessful—live event storytelling
How emotional investment drives audience engagement
What wrestling can teach marketers and creative directors about branding
Advocating for accessibility and helping bring subtitles to WWE content
Why inclusive design creates better experiences for everyone
Building creative communities through tabletop RPGs and local game stores
How stand-up comedy has strengthened Max's storytelling skills
Mentorship, collaboration, and continuing to grow throughout your career
In This Episode…
Carl sits down with Max Zaleski, games industry professional at Crystal Dynamics and founder of Unconfirmed Flight Offerings (UFO), to explore how storytelling connects careers in video games, professional wrestling, tabletop RPGs, stand-up comedy, and live events.
Max shares his unconventional path into the games industry, lessons learned producing more than 150 professional wrestling events, the importance of building creative communities, and why project management is really about relationships—not spreadsheets. They also dive into accessibility, advocacy, audience engagement, and how creating memorable experiences always starts with telling a story people care about. Whether you're a game developer, producer, creative leader, marketer, or storyteller, this conversation is packed with practical insights on leadership, collaboration, and building communities that last.
Resources Mentioned in this episode:
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