We had the good fortune of connecting with Mark Crockett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mark, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Lord…in my case it was a slow progress of doing something that I really loved (I’ve been writing since I was a kid) that eventually trapped me in the dopamine rush of seeing my creations (essays, stories, articles for magazines/newspapers, screenplays and finally books) enjoyed by other people.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I became a producer ’cause I’m beyond tired of trying to scale the plethora of walls the entertainment industry (Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York) throws up before a creative like mushrooms growing after a Spring rain. It made no matter that I’m a published author of two novels (Simon and Schuster), worked in Television News for years, was an adjunct professor of Writing/Publishing at several colleges/universities, have had DOZENS of articles published every damn where and have had a byline at someone’s magazine or newspaper for decades. No. I didn’t have the right credentials, know the right people and have the wrong skin color to get pass the many gatekeepers that clog up the road to cinematic release. After 20+ years in this business-for lack of a better term-I’d decide to build my own table and stopped asking for a fucking seat at theirs. It’s only been the last two or three years that my company-Paddlefoot Productions, LLC (www.paddlefootproductions.com)-has started to take form and move forward a little at a time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Scottsdale would be a definite, Tempe Town Lake, a day trip to the Old Pueblo (Tucson, AZ), The Pima Air & Space Museum and the Titan Missile Museum (yes, a week of bliss for nerds!).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Steve Wargo of SWAT-HD (mentor and one HELL of a DP) and T’nia Harris, cinematographer/editor extraordinaire. Without these two my journey into screenwriting and producing would have been a LOT harder.

Website: www.paddlefootproductions.com

Facebook: facebook.com/turkeystuffer2019

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuwW-mFLXoHrLcalOX_Icrg

Image Credits
All photos by Mark Crockett

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