Directory Profile

David Max Steinberg is a producer, filmmaker, and Local 644 I.A.T.S.E. Director of Photography

His professional experience ranges from producing, directing, and photographing feature films, to shooting documentaries, broadcast spots, and music videos. He has been on the San Diego State University Department of Theatre, Film, and New Media faculty since 2006. In 2007, he designed and taught the film and video production curriculum for the University of California, San Diego’s Digital Arts Center (UCSD DAC).

David’s work as a cinematographer received recognition while he was a graduate student at NYU, when his work on an Arts & Entertainment short film, “The Locust”, was awarded “Best Narrative Cinematography” at the 1982 Focus Film Awards – (sponsored by Eastman Kodak and judged by A.S.C. Directors of Photography William Fraker and John Bailey).

He received his B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of California at San Diego and an M.F.A. from New York University’s Graduate Institute of Film and Television in 1985, where he tracked as a cinematography student under Czech Director of Photography Beta Batka (“The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia”, “Little Darlings”).

David produced and directed the feature film, “Severance”, as a graduate student at NYU (Amazon Prime, Fox / Lorber Associates). “Severance” made its debut at the 1988 Independent Feature Project in New York, and the film was invited to the Florence Film Festival where it was picked up for worldwide distribution by Fox / Lorber Associates, Inc. Steinberg was signed by Steven Starr at the William Morris Agency that in fall 1988.

David moved to Los Angeles in the spring of 1991. He was invited to join I.A.T.S.E Local 644 in 1991, while shooting the Nickelodeon feature film “Home of Angels” in Philadelphia, starring Abe Vigoda, Sherman Helmsley and "Champion Joe" Frazier.

In 1993, Steinberg moved to Los Angeles where he photographed the Lifetime feature film, "Silent Victim", directed by Menahem Golan of Cannon Films (Michele Greene, Kyle Secor). IMDB for more.

Music video credits involve projects for Prince, Roxy Music, Lee Ritenour, Diamond Rio, and Miles Davis, Donald Fagan. Commercial clients include Booz Allen Hamilton, Harvard University, "Good Morning, America", Mike Nichols & Diane Sawyer, The DuBois Institute, Katherine Dunham Dance Institute, PBS, and others.