Mark Pontarelli
ACTOR
How did you come across Vertical Dramas?.
When I first moved to LA from Chicago, I worked as an actor in ad videos for mobile game apps. When some of the producers started working on vertical projects, they reached out to me. I've been in this world ever since!
What is your favourite project you have worked on so far?
Love and Blood and The Knight and the Influencer! Knight and the Influencer was so much fun because I got to do more comedy and I absolutely love doing comedy projects! Love and Blood was an incredible project because I got to work with an amazing cast and crew. It's not everyday you get to work with your closest friends who are all so talented and dedicated. The project and the process felt really different from a lot of other projects I've been on.
What is the craziest thing you have found yourself doing while working on a vertical?
I never ever thought I would have to "growl" or "snarl" as much as I have, but the werewolf verticals have definitely made that an everyday occurrence on some projects. Kudos to the camera crew for having to be on the receiving end of some of my growling closeups
Any funny stories you can share with us?
Whenever I work with Eric Guilmette, it's my mission to make him break into laughter while shooting any of our scenes.
Who is your unsung hero? Someone in the industry who should get more credit?
The sound and lighting crew! Sound is sometimes the first thing that people notice and sound mixing is one of the most underrated parts. Lighting crew as well are people on set who literally never stop moving their feet on 12 hour or longer days to make sure that we get the shots we want. They deserve more recognition for everything they do!
What do you wish more people knew about verticals?
Vertical projects are usually filmed in a very short time frame and everything is super fast paced. Everyone in the cast and crew is working so hard to get everything done, and sometimes we don't have all the time we'd like to dedicate to perfecting and polishing every scene, like a usual movie would.
What developments would you like to see in the industry in the year ahead?
I truly believe that the world loves to laugh and to have more comedy in the vertical world would not only create a larger audience but also bring more joy to people's lives, and that's the reason I wanted to be an actor in the first place! I would also love to see more genres and more diverse storylines!
3 Random Facts:
⭐ I'm a professional stilt walker! I am almost 10 feet tall when up on the stilts.
⭐ My family's pet of choice are rabbits - we currently have 4!
⭐ I used to live abroad, and spent a couple of years in Paris and Shanghai!
Favourite Snack:
Pizza (is that a snack?)
Current earworm:
Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede and Bjorn Skifs
Last movie you saw at the cinema:
Sinners in 4DX. It was an incredible experience!
Thank you Mark 🙏🏼
Please do check out:
🎞️Love & Blood on Reelshort
🎞️The Knight And the Influencer on Alta
📸 Mark’s Instagram @markjpont
