THE Team



Maxx Raths, Owner and Founder

Founder and head of THE/RISE, Maxx Raths is a husband, father and has a background in marketing. Maxx has been a lifelong story lover and he claims it comes from his grandfather who has mastered the craft of storytelling. Maxx and his wife Rachel live in Marshall, MN with their 1-year-old son, Elam. Beyond storytelling, Maxx loves snowboarding, playing hockey, and riding motorcycles. He loves the idea of buying old motorcycles and fixing them up but usually he only succeeds in the buying step.


Hannah Thooft, Managing Editor

Editor of THE/RISE, Hannah spends most of her time working as a writing, reading, and literature teacher in a high school. She is an avid reader of fiction and a fierce believer that her students can learn something new or apply something to their lives from every single story they read. Hannah and her husband Nate live in Marshall, MN, where they coach and watch basketball to survive the winters. During the warmer months, they enjoy being outdoors running, fishing, or traveling together. 



Dan West, Marketing and Media

Dan is a creator and storyteller, harnessing the two through filmmaking. He captures and preserves stories through his video production companies and keeps himself busy with hours of editing. When he isn’t out on a shoot or in his edit cave, Dan is usually learning something new whether it’s reading a book, listening to podcasts, or experiencing life. Dan loves adventure, backpacking through the mountains, spending time with his lovely lady, and making monkey companions.    


Above is our core operating team but we'd be remiss if we didn't also acknowledge that spouses, family, friends, and guest authors have all played vital roles in our team and we are thankful for them daily.