| Notes |
Development economics and Poverty, Inc.
Prior to MIT, produced documentary films on political economy and development, most notably a film called Poverty, Inc., winner of over 50 international film festival honors and the $100,000 Templeton Freedom Award. The film secured broadcast deals in 12 countries and praise across the political spectrum, from hyper-liberal filmmaker Michael Moore to free-market Stanford economist Russ Roberts. The film presents a strong critique of the neocolonialist overtones of the Western “aid industrial complex” and its tendency to undermine local markets and political leadership.
Connected to this film was Mark's leadership as a founding team member of PovertyCure, an educational media initiative and network of over 350 partner organizations and 1.3 million Facebook fans spanning 144 countries. The PovertyCure DVD Series has played in over 400 universities, has been translated into a dozen languages, and continues to be used in educational curricula around the world.
Mark's first venture, a film titled Strong Bodies Fight, earned 20 film festival honors and coverage on NBC, ESPN, and FOX. The film captures the 80+ year relationship between Bangladesh and the University of Notre Dame Boxing Team, for which Mark served as captain and president. During his tenure at Notre Dame, he founded an International Summer Service Learning Program in Bangladesh. |