Writer
Mark Clark
Mark D. Clark is a screenwriter specializing in high-stakes suspense, horror, and action-thrillers. A retired Navy Commander with 30 years of service, Mark’s writing is deeply informed by a career that spanned from serving as a hospital corpsman with a Marine infantry battalion during the Persian Gulf War to serving as an Operations Officer (S3) and Intel Officer (S2) during the Iraq War. This boots-on-the-ground experience lends a visceral authenticity to his military and supernatural thrillers, grounding even the most fantastical elements in a gritty, lived-in reality.
A graduate of the Marine Corps University with a Masters in Military Studies and an MBA from New Hampshire College, Mark balances a disciplined, tactical approach to storytelling with a lifelong passion for cinema. His work has already gained industry recognition, including placing as a Semifinalist in the 2026 Emerging Screenwriters Drama Competition for his coming-of-age drama, The Lot.
His previous work has been recognized in several competitions:
*IT HAPPENED ALONG THE ROAD: Finalist (Page Turner Screenplay Awards 2022), Semifinalist (Filmmatic Horror 2024, SWN Feature 2023), Quarterfinalist (Outstanding Screenplay 2023, Emerging Screenwriters 2023, Richmond International Film Festival 2023).
*HELP ME, PLEASE: Quarterfinalist (Filmmatic Short Awards Season 7).
*THE TRAIL TO SANTA FE: Quarterfinalist (Golden Script Competition 2023).
Accolades
Honorable Mention
The Finish Line Script Competition · 2023-2024
It Happened Along the Road
Projects
The Night Clerk
After stopping a shakedown, a mild-mannered graveyard clerk is hunted at work by mob enforcers—completely unaware they’ve just locked themselves inside a concrete vault with a retired Marine Corps martial arts instructor.
Feature
The Executioner's Lighthouse
To solve his daughter’s murder, a retired Commander turns a lighthouse into a lethal trap, forcing corrupt detectives to survive mechanical "audits" where the weight of their lies becomes a death sentence.
Short
It Happened Along the Road
A college graduate on the way to her first big-city job is abducted when an infamous serial killer escapes during a prisoner transport—to survive, she must overcome her debilitating fear of confined spaces or become his next victim.
Feature