Mark W. Gray’s filmmaking life began in the fifth grade in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Mark’s slide show “The Venusian Solution” won first place in the state Media Fair with the competition’s only perfect score. Mark went on the study film at USC where he got a degree in Cinema Production. Specializing in Cinematography in his early career, Mark had shot his first feature film by the time he was 24 and went on the shoot a dozen more, as well as TV dramas and reality shows.
Later, Mark began writing his own scripts and directing short films – his award winning “The Morning Guy” appearing in over 50 festivals worldwide. A fixture at the Cannes Film Festival, Mark co-founded and ran the Cannes 24 Hour Film Challenge, where filmmakers had to create films in under a day. This kind of MacGuyver-like ingenuity has always been a trademark of Mark’s work.
Mark spent several semesters teaching filmmaking at his alma mater USC as an adjunct professor. He was also the director of the Film & Video Production program at the National High School Institute at Northwestern University.
With his alter ego, Professor Hans Von Puppet, Mark has taken the internet by storm with his web shows and an uncountable number of online commercial endorsements. Hans is the spokesman for literally hundreds of companies, from Nissan in Ireland to a Chiropractor in Las Vegas to a junkyard in Australia.
Mark has directed several award-winning commercials as well as the web show/TV Pilot “Meter Men” which won the “Best Director” award at the 2011 New York TV Festival Pilot Competition along with co-director Scotty Weil,.
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