Mark F. Martino

Screenwriter

If you're interested in Mark's screenplays or need help developing a script or story, contact Mark.

marmar@seanet.com
home: 425/827-3513
cell: 425/765-3698
12217 NE 82nd Lane
Kirkland WA 98033

Mark's brother Michael is a sculptor with work installed throughout the country. Michael's wife Phyllis is a noted watercolorist. To learn more about Michael and Phyillis, visit Martino Studios.

NEWS

Mark, with a lot of help from his wife Colleen Cullen and their friends, wrote, produced, and directed the short to kickstart THE WALLET comedy series. Episodes in the series explore the concept of the wallet in different ways. Each episode provides a unique, standalone viewing experience suitable for online, cable, or broadcast distribution.

Find out more about THE WALLET, Splashtastic Productions' comedy short on Vimeo.

Read THE WALLET collection of short stories based on Mark's scripts.

You can also read Skyliner, a novelization of Mark's script.

BACKSTORY

The skills Mark developed during his art and engineering education and multiple careers make him a natural visual storyteller. He's been writing and pitching comedy and action scripts since 1998 when he was a scene programmer at Sierra On-Line. Mark worked with Al Lowe on Leisure Suit Larry and also worked on other franchises including King's Quest.

Before that, Mark received a BFA in Visual Communications with a minor in journalism and creative writing from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. He also did graphic, set, and costume design for video along with floor direction, camera work, and acting. Later, he studied electronics and received a BSEE. He helped develop games, media titles, and user interfaces for on-demand video delivery systems, web pages, and software tools including Aldus Pagemaker, the application that defined desktop publishing.

His years as an electronics and software engineer in computer graphics, animation, and games helped him understand digital media from the hardware all the way up to the viewer's perception. That experience led him into visual storytelling and screenwriting.

As a member of the Northwest Screenwriter Guild, Mark supported events for screenwriters, contacted movie industry professionals and mentored new and intermediate level screenwriters. As a board member, Mark managed two screenwriting competitions, was a reader for other competitions, and helped govern the Guild.

Working on media and games taught him to visualize action and images and describe them to other people, fast. Adapting to the strict format and style of screenplays came naturally after writing gigabytes of technical documents, marketing literature, and patent applications. Making thousands changes to them taught him to be creative, yet thorough, when time is tight. It also taught him how to take notes and criticism and to quickly turn them into positive, creative changes. Working on funny games like Leisure Suit Larry taught him comic timing, especially for visual gags.

During his Italian Catholic childhood in Wisconsin, Mark had to convince himself that Vince Lombardi wasn't intentionally making sports impossible for him. After making money as a sign painter, cartoonist, commercial artist, drafter, circuit board designer, electronics engineer, software engineer, and patent application writer his mind contains enough material to keep his imagination gainfully occupied when he's not windsurfing.

COMPANIES WHERE MARK WORKED

AWARDS

Diamond Rain - action comedy
Disbarred patent agent eavesdrops on executives making deals on cell phones and sells the information, but what he hears today could cost him his life. Top 15% of 2008 Nicholl Fellowship Competition.

The Magic of the Deal - romantic comedy
Cynical physicist discovers his genie powers while making love to his girlfriend and must win her back to save the universe from a corporate climbing genie. In top ten of the 2006 Pacific Northwest Writers Association Competition.