EMMY WINNING
MEET THE TEAM
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.
PHIL LOTT
CO-FOUNDER
Lott has been behind some of the most recognizable documentary series and non-scripted shows on television including directing and setting the look for the pilot episode of Emmy-winning Undercover Boss for CBS, as Cinematographer, shot the pilot episode of National Geographic’s hit Locked Up Abroad, show-ran Critic's Choice-nominated The Pitch for AMC (where he met Ari), and Xbox series Every Street United. Other showrunning & directing credits include Supernanny, Wife Swap, Faking It, Auction Hunters, Shark Week, I’m Alive, Sole Survivor, Kurt Sutter's Outlaw Empires, Be the Boss, Speed of Life, Mayday Bering Sea, and Biker Battleground.
When it comes to execution, Lott has created an enviable track record of pushing storytelling and visuals to new levels. Which is why he was brought in-house to direct and showrun for BBC Worldwide, Gurney Productions, and Studio Lambert, a run that would span 10 years.
Once forming AMPLE in 2015, Lott’s unique visual style became a key defining characteristic of AMPLE’s brand quickly establishing the company as synonymous with quality. Now, in 2023, that signature extends across all AMPLE product, from graphics to music to recreation. Working closely with showrunners, editors, and composers Lott has been able to scale the brand and maintain the handcrafted look & feel that has become so important to AMPLE.
Determined to continue his work as a filmmaker, Lott directed & shot recent projects like the HBO Documentary series The Invisible Pilot (with Adam McKay as EP, and co-directed with Ari), The Night Doctor, and the upcoming Fremantle co-production, After the Fyre.
Prior to AMPLE, Lott began his career in London, England, working on feature films and documentaries. As cinematographer, he shot Indian Tales for Academy Award-winning director Asif Kapadia, SXSW Gamechanger winning indie-feature, Kelly and Cal starring Juliette Lewis and Cybil Shepherd, directing 2nd unit on IFC success, Rust Creek.
DARREN KANE
EVP of PRODUCTION
Coming to AMPLE from ITV America, Darren brings over 20-years of production experience at the highest levels.
Darren has taken the filmmaker-led mentality of AMPLE and has been able to support the many filmmakers and documentarians who work with with us. In a fast changing industry, Darren is known for developing thoughtful new models for production that allow for the way we make our films and television series to be as creative as the work we deliver and ensures that budgets are maximized and end up on the screen.
Darren and his robust production team have been battle-tested, from delivering over a 100 hours of television in the last 14 months alone, to sending crews to film everywhere from war-zones, to glaciers and jungles, from space to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. And always with respect, and always as an extension of AMPLE's guiding principal of honesty, integrity and being a great partner to our networks and distributors.
KATHRYN VAUGHAN
HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT & CURRENT
Since coming to AMPLE in early 2022, Vaughan has quickly become an invaluable addition to AMPLE’s management team. Vaughan’s deep production and showrunning experience across all genres, but especially crime, has given the team a much-needed balance. This year alone, Vaughan is overseeing a slate of 8 series all in post-production at the same time. In addition to her substantial experience, Vaughan has adopted the owners’ commitment to quality and nimbleness with confidence.
Vaughan has worked in the TV industry for more than 20 years, with experience in unscripted genres such as true crime, lifestyle, and sports. She recently led Good Caper Content, which she launched as ITV America’s true-crime and investigation arm, overseeing a slate of series, including Taken at Birth (TLC) and True Life Crime (MTV), and created New York Homicide and Final Moments for Oxygen, BTK: Confessions of a Serial Killer for A&E, and Holy Heist for Discovery+.
Vaughan previously worked as an executive producer at Magical Elves on titles like Cold Justice, and Cold Justice: Sex Crimes (TNT). She also worked at Fox Sports Net, where she produced their Beyond the Glory strand. As an independent producer, Vaughn worked on shows like Millionaire Matchmaker for Bravo and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for ABC.
Sean comes to AMPLE after an extensive career producing shows for all four major broadcast networks, as well as some of the most ambitious and successful non-fiction series of the last decade including "Extreme Makeover", "Fear Factor", "Wipeout", "Undercover Boss", and ESPN’s "Sport Science".
Sean also has an enviable track record of live and live-to-tape shows, including the Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show and the inaugural NBA Awards Show.
What unites Sean's experience is scale and adaptability and after years at the cutting edge of production, his innovative approach is put to work daily on all of AMPLE's series as we strive to find bold new ways to bring powerful stories to the screen.
VIVIANA SOTO
DIRECTOR of FINANCE
Viviana is a key member of the AMPLE team, in charge of payroll, finance, and accounting, she runs a team dedicated to keeping all our series running smoothly. Prior to joining AMPLE, Viviana worked for Shed Media, Articulus and was across three seasons of "Don’t Forget the Lyrics" with Argyle Productions.
VIVIANA SOTO
DIRECTOR of FINANCE
With over a decade of television experience, Anne translates her enthusiasm for pop culture, true crime, and history into premium content – making her a perfect fit for helping develop AMPLE’s diverse slate.
Previously she was Director of Development at Lightbox where she developed their slate of premium non-fiction projects — most recently the three-part stylized docuseries Supervillain for Showtime as well as several unannounced greenlit projects for Netflix, HBO Max, and Discovery+. Previously she served as a Development Producer for the Sydney-based startup, The Working Group, and as Director of Development at Magilla Entertainment where she helped create Discovery's Diesel Brothers and HGTV's Beachfront Bargain Hunt.
