Mark One, (real name Mark Walters) is Creative Director at the recently formed Mark One Group. He has over 16 years of commercial design experience in different disciplines of graphic design, international client liaison and directing over seas shoot experience. Setting up Mark One Group in 2011 allows him to work in a freelance capacity as a director or with collective colleagues as Creative Director under the Mark One Group banner.

He began his extensive career after graduating with full honours in Graphic Design Communications from Newham College of Art & Design in which he quickly set up his own small design company called: ‘Juxtapose’ based in the Docklands. This business operated successfully for three years. Remaining at the forefront of technology he joined the BBC as an Interactive Designer and within a short space of time became a highly effective and influential Senior Designer-leading a team of cutting edge designers, delivering content graphics for programmes broadcast and interactive television, websites, CD ROMs and interface kiosks etc. During this period he won numerous awards for his innovative, interactive designs.

Making the switch from interactive to broadcast designer while at the BBC Mark One directed and branded the opening sequences for: Fame Academy, The Summer of British Film, BBC2, as well as several BBC Sports brands, including: Grandstand, The London Marathon and Match of the Day.

During this period of time he also started producing and directing music promotional videos to increase his understanding and experience as a director. He completed numerous highly successful, landmark projects forcing open the door for independent music videos to be aired on Digital TV platforms.

As Design Director leading a team in 2006 he delivered and re-branded BBC Sport and directed Match Of The Day 2006 FIFA World Cup opening titles, which involved filming in Germany, Spain and the UK. This phenomenal piece of work was awarded a BAFTA for the best title sequence in 2006 at the 2007 BAFTA craft awards and notably this was the first time the BBC broadcast using a HD signal in the UK at a live event.

While working at the BBC the section of the business called BBC Broadcast was sold and re-branded RED BEE MEDIA. At RED BEE MEDIA he was fortunate to work on high profile creative works such as the Virgin1 TV re-brand, Canal Digital Scandinavian set-top-box provider based in Norway TV & Print re-brand; BBC HD re-brand, BBC SPORT Endboard re-brand, BBC Natural History, Disney Kids Club & Disney CLUB two TV channel strands re-brand, BBC 2 The Summer Of British Film brand, Universal NBC strategic steering based in the USA, SFDRS Sport State Broadcaster channel brand based in Switzerland, Red Bull TV channel brand based in Salzburg, News X TV channel brand based in India, and numerous international pitches and branding jobs.

Mark was Head hunted by Virgin Media TV in June 2009, after playing a key role in the rebrand of the Virgin1 TV channel`. His role at the time was Design Director at RED BEE MEDIA, (formerly known as BBC Broadcast) and he was also part of the team responsible for creating Virgin1's cheeky loveable mascot RED.

In 2010, Mark was Head of Design at Virgin Media TV, which became Living TV Group after BSkyB purchased the television channels. His responsibilities was to run the daily operations of an intensely busy TV design department including over seeing the graphic budget spend with external suppliers, art directing, special effects direction, directing and producing the onscreen graphic output and actively policing the onscreen brand as brand guardian for Virgin1, Bravo, Bravo2, Living, Living It, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot and all online outputs relating to the TV channels.

Whilst carrying out his duties at Virgin Media TV as Head of Design Mark completed two short films and wrote a very powerful and inspirational motivational book. The first of the two films is an anti knife and gun story he wrote, funded, produced and directed called: After Effects, which has the backing of The Robert Levy Foundation and The Tom Easton Flavasum Trust who also contributed to the financing of the project, which will be released in schools across the UK in 2011. The second he co-directed produced and post produced called 'I AM WHO?' and inspirational poem brought to life with animation and 3D effects. The motivational book is called ‘the Positive Side of Negative.

Having had a family member affected by gun and knife crime Mark One is also a proactive voice and campaigner against such crime in the UK. He is also a highly inspirational motivational speaker and a mentor to an ever growing number of people of differing ages races social backgrounds and genders.

 

back to the top