Hi, I'm Mark. I would like to briefly take you on the creative journey that has led me here. From an early age, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the arts. Inspired by the passion instilled in me by my high school art instructor, I began pursuing a degree in Art Education at a local university. While completing introductory coursework for my degree, I discovered my love for the digital arts. With great supporting mentors in the visual arts department, I began working towards completing a second degree in graphic design. Upon graduating from college, I was offered a position teaching at South Florence High School, which was in the middle of transitioning to an arts magnet school. During that summer, before I could sign the contract, my offer was revoked. Unbeknownst to myself, it was conditional on the school getting funding to develop the magnet program. I imagine this was due in part to the '08 recession. I was hired as a long-term substitute for the district. I did that for seven years, hoping that funding would be established for the school district. As time passed, I decided it was the right moment to pursue my long-lost dream of having a career in the digital arts. Around that time, I received a call from the neighboring district looking for a tech-savvy art teacher for a gifted and talented program. I jumped at the opportunity and was hired on the spot. It was the dream job for any educator. Still, after a year of employment with The School of Discovery, I decided to make the leap and returned to Francis Marion University for two years to finish my Graphic Design degree in preparation for applying to Clemson's Digital Production MFA program. Upon completing my second degree, I sold my house, the majority of my possessions, and moved to Charleston, South Carolina, hoping that my application would be accepted. In the Fall of 2017 I joined Clemson's ranks as a student in the Digital Production program. I put all my focus into learning everything about the digital film and video game industry. I've worked on and completed several small projects, ranging in size from five to ten people. All projects were completed using industry standard pipelines. I have also managed a group of four people as a texture and look development lead in the completion of a digital short. I am versed in multiple software suites mainly focused in 3D asset, texture and material creation.