ARI MARK
ARI MARK
CO-FOUNDER
Mark formed AMPLE in 2015 in an ongoing effort to find the intersection between quality and commercial appeal. Partnering with the massive talent, Phil Lott, Mark quickly grew AMPLE from a Venice garage to a state-of-the-art production services company with all creative & physical production kept in-house.
Mark’s style of business and passion for storytelling is the engine behind AMPLE and its continued expansion across premium documentary, blue chip natural history, and franchise-able series. Mark’s commitment to quality has led to partnerships with talent like Adam McKay, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Snook, Courteney Cox – and network partners like Netflix, HBO, Roku, YouTube, Facebook, Warner Discovery, History, A&E, and Peacock.
But it is with the relentless pursuit of unexpected stories and IP (whether it’s high-flying tales of cocaine enemas or baby kangaroos finding their feet) that Mark is most passionate about.
Some of AMPLE’s most notable projects include The Invisible Pilot (with Adam McKay/HBO, and co-directed by Mark), Kangaroo Valley (with Sarah Snook, Sia, and Netflix), Murder in the Heartland (with Warner Brothers Discovery), the Emmy-winning Could You Survive the Movies (with YouTube), Cooper’s Treasure (with Amblin & Discovery), 9 Months (w/Courteney Cox and Facebook Watch), Cold Case Files (with A&E and Blumhouse), and the docudrama epic, Ancient Empires for History Channel.
Committed to independent filmmaking, Mark has also launched an AMPLE Studios slate which kicks off the After the Fyre, a follow-up to the groundbreaking Fyre Festival fiasco, which he also co-directs (in partnership with Fremantle).
Before starting AMPLE, Ari served as Senior Vice President of Original Programming for Xbox Entertainment Studios where he was challenged to jump-start a digital platform's ambitious move into non-scripted filmmaking. In a short time, he produced and launched Xbox's first series, Every Street United, a global premium documentary series led by soccer icon, Thierry Henry. He also oversaw Xbox's documentary slate, including Zak Penn's cult film, Atari: Game Over, and Greg Barker's, The Thread. Mark also produced Xbox's first scripted project, Possibilia, a choose-your-own-adventure interactive film shown at both Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals.
Prior to Xbox, Ari worked at AMC where he oversaw their first launch into non-scripted programming. He developed the massive hit after show, The Talking Dead, the cult hit Small Town Security, Comic Book Men, and the critically acclaimed series, The Pitch, among others.
Ari began his career at Sundance Channel where he quickly developed a reputation for bold programming choices and strong creative instincts. During his tenure, Ari helped develop the hit series Iconoclasts, The Staircase, Architecture School, Brett Morgen's Nimrod Nation and Brick City, both of which won Peabody awards. He also helped oversee their feature documentary slate, producing more than 20 films including Alex Gibney's Human Behavior Experiments and D.A. Pennebaker's War Room Revisited.
Before Sundance, Mark received his MFA from San Francisco State University and his BA from SUNY Binghamton. His early films, The Gift and The Metamorphosis were both acquired by Sundance Channel.