100% Tasmanian-owned

The crew behind
the spectacle

MaxFX is a small, Launceston-based team of licensed pyrotechnicians, designers and operators who do this because we love it — not because it's a side-line to a hire business.

Our story

Built in Launceston, firing statewide

MaxFX started with fireworks and grew outward — because clients kept asking us to handle the lighting, the lasers and the sound too.

We are a Tasmanian business. Our workshop is in Newnham, our crew live here, and the councils, venues and event organisers we work with are our neighbours. That matters: when something needs fixing at 4pm on show day, we are twenty minutes away, not on the next ferry.

Being small also means the person who designs your show is the person who fires it. There is no handover, no account manager translating your brief, and no crew turning up who has never seen the plan.

Licensed pyrotechnicians on every display

Licensed electrical contractor in-house

Public liability insurance and full documentation

Own inventory — pyro, effects, lighting, lasers, audio

Tasmania-wide, based in Launceston

Direct contact with the people doing the work

The team

Who you'll be working with

Max Jago

Owner & Head Pyrotechnician

A Tasmanian showmaker who brings fireworks, lighting and special effects together in tightly timed productions.

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Zane O'Neal

Pyrotechnics Wizard

A founding MaxFX crew member trusted with pyrotechnic hardware, logistics and on-site safety.

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Matt Hobson

Head Lighting Designer & Technician

An experienced lighting designer who shapes bold, precise looks for theatre, festivals and live events.

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Jacoda Calvert

Lighting Designer & Technician

A lighting designer creating musical, dynamic environments for nightlife, festivals and community events.

Read full profile

Let's build something worth watching

Talk directly to the people who will design and fire your show.

Meet the team

Max Jago

Owner & Head Pyrotechnician

Max is a Tasmanian creative technologist and showmaker who leads MaxFX and sister company Tas Crackers. He maps, wires and rehearses complex shows combining sparks, flames, CO₂, confetti, snow, lasers and fireworks.

His background as a licensed electrician brings technical rigour to every production, while projects including the SunSmart Light Show and Spooktacular Lights reflect his drive to create ambitious local spectacles. Max's strength is connecting multiple technical disciplines so a complex, timecoded show feels effortless to the audience.

Meet the team

Zane O'Neal

Pyrotechnics Wizard

A founding member of the MaxFX crew, Zane is a steady presence behind the scenes. He manages logistics, hardware and on-site safety for major events, including Party in the Paddock, and is regularly responsible for rooftop pyrotechnic systems and high-pressure cue coordination.

Zane was pivotal in delivering the SunSmart Light Show, including the first residential house in Australia to fire timecoded rooftop fireworks. From the initial load-in to the final make-safe sweep, he helps turn complex show plans into safe, precise live moments.

Meet the team

Matt Hobson

Head Lighting Designer & Technician

With nearly three decades in Tasmanian theatre and live events, Matt uses lighting as a storytelling medium. His designs favour bold colour and sculptural angles, combining imaginative looks with the practical showcraft needed to deliver them reliably.

Matt handles drafting, lighting plots and meticulous show files, and works across LED fixtures, pixel mapping, timecode and DMX control. His collaborative approach keeps the lighting, lasers, pyrotechnics and performance working as one production, with safety built into every decision.

Meet the team

Jacoda Calvert

Lighting Designer & Technician

Jacoda creates musical, dynamic lighting looks for nightlife, festivals and community events. Working across plotting, patching and programming, she builds rig environments that feel alive through movement, colour and texture.

Her experience also extends into pyrotechnics, assisting licensed operators and coordinating lighting cues with special effects. That cross-disciplinary knowledge helps every moment read clearly for the live audience and look polished on camera.