We were lucky to catch up with Mark Raines recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mark, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When I was in the first grade, my teacher took us on a tour of a local newspaper. I already knew I loved to write and tell stories, but that day I decided I wanted to be a journalist. As I continued my education in multiple schools in multiple states due to my father’s Navy career, I also developed a passion for acting and performing in the theater, plus I loved television and movies. In high school, I realized a great combination of these artistic endeavors would be to pursue broadcast journalism to become a television reporter and anchor. After attending the University of Florida, majoring in telecommunication (news), I worked as a reporter and anchor for various local television affiliates for almost ten years. While working in television news, I began volunteering in youth ministry, which is what led me to leave the TV news business to become a television and film production teacher. I now teach students how to tell creative and compelling stories through video, television and film.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a television and film production teacher for more than 20 years, I have experienced some of the most amazing opportunities for myself and my students around the world. It’s honestly unbelievable the places I have been and the accomplishments I have been blessed to be a part of as a high school teacher, after leaving my television news career. I have executive-produced daily, weekly, and monthly student-created school television shows, building four separate local, state, and national award-winning school programs, serving seven different schools in three school districts and two states. I have seen my students’ films screened in the most visited theaters in America in New York and LA, and even on an IMAX screen. I have fought and advocated for just about every opportunity at every level of public education for my students and myself.

I have also worked and taught through some life-changing and personally challenging times, including teaching for a year with impaired speech and the last 12 years on Parkinson’s medication which now controls my neurological speech problem and leaves me drowsy much of the time. I have given two TEDx talks about that experience (both posted here: californiathor.com) That year I struggled to speak on a daily basis and spent five months re-learning to say simple words in speech therapy, as I was still teaching my classes with the help of others, I gained an even bigger appreciation for all forms of communication, when one of my primary forms was impaired. I went on to share my story and how fitness helped me fight the drowsy-side effects of Parkinson’s medication through my Instagram page, @california_thor.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My mom was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer in 2013, and for five years I traveled back and forth between my home in San Diego and my parents’ home in North Carolina to help my dad care for my mom. In 2018, I went on sabbatical leave for a year from my teaching position to work on my master’s degree in communications and move in with my parents to help out while my mom continued cancer treatments. My father died unexpectedly, and I ended up resigning my job in San Diego to stay and care for my mom full-time in North Carolina. She passed away in June 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic, and I was left stranded in my parents’ home for a year, before finding a new teaching position at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts in the fall of 2021. Stepping out of my career, for what turned out to be three years, resulted in a loss in pay, loss of tenure and leaving my favorite job, but I will never regret that decision. I am so thankful I was with my parents for their final years.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My Christian faith and devotion to my family and friends drive everything I do, and the underlying theme of all my jobs, passions and pursuits is telling stories that inform, inspire, entertain, and encourage others. As a teacher, I have greatly enjoyed helping students find their voices through storytelling through all communication mediums.

Contact Info:

• Website: californiathor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/california_thor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markraines
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-raines-22628721/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/markaraines
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/californiathor
• Other: Blog: https://medium.com/@markraines

Image Credits
Kremer Johnson (classroom shot) Jason Lee Segal (Tedx talk shots) c2_mediaandphotograhy (beach shot)