Shores of a New Blood
Mark Schmitz is committed to rewriting parts of his own story as an entrepreneur through film and other works in an effort to shape the path of American entrepreneurs to come. A 11-time award-winning filmmaker and four-time award-winning songwriter, Schmitz has had a storied career as an entrepreneur in music and a writer in screen and song.
Schmitz has written two short films, one feature-length film, and one TV show pilot– endeavors largely inspired by learning of his relationship to world-famous essayist and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. His most recent (and third) film, SHORES OF A NEW BLOOD, was honored at the 2020 Beverly Hills Film Festival with the Golden Palm Award grand prize as well as being an Official Selection. The feature-length screenplay explores how the opioid epidemic evolves from outsourcing small-town manufacturing jobs told through the story of a Boomer executive who offshores thousands of jobs while his unemployed Millennial son battles opioid addiction. Schmitz hopes to use the film as a catalyst for change around addiction and job destruction.
In 2016, Schmitz’s first film, SKIN IN THE GAME, debuted. Currently streaming on Amazon, this five-minute short is based on Schmitz’s experience in the music industry. It addresses how Schmitz, and entrepreneurs like him, lost everything during the crash of 2008 and how the general economic narrative largely excludes the role of entrepreneur. Schmitz argues that entrepreneurs are the job creators based on his experience of doing just that, and that their plight is our true economic dilemma. SKIN IN THE GAME brings that theme to life using Schmitz’s story. The film received recognition as an Official Selection for Dramatic Short Films at the 2017 Burbank International Film Festival and an Official Selection for Narrative Short at the 2019 Los Angeles Film Awards, among others.
Schmitz’s efforts in film have been further fueled by The Wall Street Journal declaring young entrepreneurs an “endangered species” at risk of going extinct. So, through these films, Schmitz aims to write a different ending to his story in music, and the story of so many others, by characterizing the role of entrepreneur as an economic hero. He believes most people owe their jobs and wealth to an entrepreneur, and he seeks to resurrect the role of entrepreneur through his creative works.
In line with that, a portion of Schmitz’s screenwriting earnings will go toward helping young entrepreneurs create jobs. Eventually, this will be done through a 501(c)(6) called Poverty Clique, the same name seen in the opening titles of Schmitz’s films and under which all of his work is created. With Poverty Clique, Schmitz seeks to create a group, or a “clique,” that creates jobs and lifts others out of poverty, just as Schmitz has done through his endeavors.
Similarly, Schmitz has also created a petition calling for the creation of a Small Business Savings Account (available now at www.change.org) in an effort to help finance tomorrow’s innovators. The petition outlines Schmitz’s plan that, if passed as a bill, expands the scope of the 529 college savings plan while simultaneously duplicating its legislation by incentivizing people – through a tax-advantaged model – to invest funds that alleviate startup business costs for a designated beneficiary; thus, fueling entrepreneurship and the creation of jobs.
Showcasing different thematic elements, Schmitz’s second short film, COME DIE WITH ME, was featured at the 2020 Burbank International Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the 2019 Ojai Film Festival. In this film, a young man who has fallen on hard times finds an unpublished manuscript about an undercover narcotics agent in 1950s Texas, and the agent returns to help the youngster in the present day. Currently, Schmitz is creating a series based on the story found in the manuscript.
Before his career in filmmaking, Schmitz founded Grid Records in 2005, an independent record label that produced original songs for artists including Chris Brown, Keri Hilson, Lloyd, Natasha Bedingfield, and LeToya. Milestones for the label included making the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and earning a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America as well as having music featured in films and licensed by the MLB, the NBA and NBC. Schmitz himself has earned songwriting accolades at the Hollywood Songwriting Contest and American Songwriting Awards. Prior to this, Schmitz got his start during college as a marketing rep for Atlantic Records.
In addition to his creative pursuits, Schmitz has had a successful career as a financial advisor, engineer and, most recently, inventor – he’s created a new automation technology with a patent pending. Schmitz resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is currently working on a few projects including: shopping the script of SHORES OF A NEW BLOOD, a new screenplay about a cross-cultural romance, and writing new music.
