Mark received his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in film and literature from Warwick University. During his academic years, he began writing about camp and gay aspects of Hollywood cinema for various journals and periodicals, including Screen, The Monthly Film Bulletin, and City Limits. Concurrently, he started working as a programmer and co-founded London's showcase for independent cinema, The Piccadilly Film Festival.
Mark's career in the film industry continued to flourish as he worked in various capacities for the British Film Institute. He played a significant role in championing gay and lesbian film and video makers, launching England's first gay home video line, The Gay Connoisseur, and touring gay and lesbian cinema to the rest of England.
In 1991, Mark relocated to San Francisco to begin Frameline's Distribution program, which aimed to provide broad national exposure to lesbian and gay filmmakers through the first U.S. distribution company dedicated solely to gay and lesbian film and video. During his tenure at Frameline, Mark organized a variety of year-round screenings, oversaw the Frameline Fund for Film & Video Completion, and programmed gay and lesbian works for KQED's The Living Room Festival.
Mark also served as an advisor, consultant, and juror to numerous film festivals, while maintaining a close relationship with hundreds of independent filmmakers and video makers. His extensive writings on gay and lesbian film have appeared in various periodicals and anthologies, including The Guardian, The Listener, Bay Area Reporter, Bay Times, Montage, Cineaste, Queer Looks, The Media Reader, Warhol's Film Factory, ICA Video Directory, and In the Pink.
As Festival Director at the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (SFILGFF),Mark brought together his diverse skills and experience to shape the event into a unique combination of world-class film festival and local happening. He was admired for his exceptional organizational and administrative talents, his sense of style and attention to detail, his personal warmth, charm, and humor, his gracious respect for his colleagues, and his intense dedication to cultural activism.
