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Mary Robertson

Mary Robertson

Producer and director

Primetime Emmy nominee · 1 other major award body

Mary Robertson is an Emmy Award-winning executive producer and director. In 2022, she founded Maxine, a film and television production company devoted to the creation of extraordinary journalist and filmmaker-driven nonfiction work. Maxine is part of Sony Pictures Television's nonfiction group. Prior to founding Maxine, Robertson was the showrunner of The New York Times Presents. Her efforts for the series include 'Framing Britney Spears' and 'Controlling Britney Spears', both critically-lauded documentaries that have touched-off a reckoning on Spears' treatment, misogyny, conservatorships and tabloid culture. 'Framing Britney Spears' broke ratings records around the world, was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Nonfiction Documentary or Special and won the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information. 'Controlling Britney Spears' was also nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Documentary or Special and the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information. In the wake of both films, Ms. Spears's father was suspended as conservator, and the judge terminated the conservatorship entirely. Before her work on The New York Times Presents Robertson helped create and executive produce The Weekly, whose first season garnered nine Emmy nominations and four wins. Prior to that Robertson created, directed and executive produced the award-winning all-archival limited series 'Tricky Dick' for CNN. The Wall Street Journal described 'Tricky Dick' as a, "remarkably penetrating portrait of Richard Nixon" and named it to its year-end best of TV list. Before that she directed and produced the feature documentary 'Trumped' which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and premiered on Showtime. And before that Robertson helped develop and executive produce the inaugural season of Showtime's doc series on the Presidential election 'The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth'. Season one of 'The Circus' was honored with IDA, and Television Critics Association nominations and the series is now in its seventh season. Additionally Robertson directed, produced and wrote five films for Frontline on PBS, two of which received Emmy nominations. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and a graduate of Wesleyan University.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Producer and director
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 14% in 30 days

What are Mary Robertson's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
28%
Morality
22%
Self
16%
Society
15%
Bonds
8%
Ideas
7%
Survival
4%
Community3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed3 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 3

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Contemplative
9
Melancholic
6
Cold
3
Dread
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Thought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous7

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Mary Robertson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mary Robertson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

32 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The One About Matthew Perry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

  • The Real Wolf of Wall Street(2026)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows

  • Married to El Chapo: Emma Coronel Speaks(2025)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Fall of Diddy(2025)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story(2024)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows

  • Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV(2024)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Dr. Death: Cutthroat Conman(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • June(2023)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Superspreader (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Executive Producer

  • Elon Musk's Crash Course (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Executive Producer

  • Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Executive Producer

  • Controlling Britney Spears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Executive Producer

  • Move Fast & Vape Things (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Executive Producer

  • Who Gets To Be an Influencer? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Executive Producer

  • Framing Britney Spears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Executive Producer

  • The Teenager Who Hacked Twitter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Executive Producer

  • Hurricane of Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Executive Producer

  • The Killing of Breonna Taylor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Executive Producer

  • Dominic Fike, At First (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Executive Producer

  • The New York Times Presents(2020)

    Show 20 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • They Get Brave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Executive Producer

  • Tricky Dick(2019)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Trumped: Inside the Greatest Political Upset of All Time(2017)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • America’s 9/11 Flag: Rise From the Ashes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director

  • Separate and Unequal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Brad Meltzer's Lost History(2014)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • A Death in St. Augustine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Co-Producer

  • United Stats of America(2012)

    Show Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • This Emotional Life(2010)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner(2006)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Wolves of Real Estate: The Alexander Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 28 titles, 26 of them dated from 2006 to 2026.

Highest rated

June (2023)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing6 of 28: 3 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting1 of 28: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing24 of 28: 21 only producing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thOther crew1 of 28: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

28 titles, 3 with more than one role — producing and directing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

2000s1 · crew2010s5 · crew2020s20 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

4 major nominations and no wins, 2021–2025.

  1. 2025
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Music Film
  2. 2024
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
  3. 2022
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  4. 2021
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Mary Robertson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · producer

Married to El Chapo: Emma Coronel Speaks (2025)

87th percentile spread · 31% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

June (2023)

Midcredits 95th · 85% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Mary Robertson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mary Robertson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Aaron Saidman shares the most, 6.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers