BIOGRAPHY
about me
Mark Ricche is now celebrating his thirty fourth anniversary as a independent filmmaker, theatrical producer, writer, director, actor, arts educator, arts financier, and more recently, podcaster and blogger. He is the CEO of the film studio Cryptic Pictures, owner and Creative Artistic Director of the Washington D.C. based theatrical production companies, Journeymen Productions LLC and IMPERIAL Theatrical Production Services PRESENTS, as well as owner and Chief Creative Director of ZoopStudios.com, and co-owner of the entertainment services company known as Escapist Entertainment.
Cryptic Pictures LLC is an award winning independent film production company founded by Mr. Ricche in 2009. Mr. Ricche's film work has acquired the attention of such organizations as the American Film Institute, where eight of his film projects have been screened. His company's feature film, Mortal Remains, was a major awards winner at film festivals in Philadelphia, Pa., Northern Virginia and Atlanta, Ga. In association with Cryptic Pictures, Mr. Ricche is also the co-host of CryptiCast, a podcast for independent filmmakers and the lead writer for The Walla Group blog, which focuses on the industry and commerce of the modern day independent film industry. He also heads the company's literary division, Cryptic Pictures Management and distribution wing, C.P. Digital Distribution.
IMPERIAL Theatrical Production Services PRESENTS is a Washington D.C. based theatrical production company focused primarily on educating in the classical arts, with a special emphasis on Shakespearean studies. The company is the recipient of the Maryland Theater Citation for Contributions to Educational Theater. The company has also received honorable mention for its service in teaching the dramatic arts to students with special needs in Montgomery County, Md. Through I.T.P.S.P., Mr. Ricche has been commissioned in the adaptation of 15 Shakespearean plays adapted for the youth stage.
Mr. Ricche's work in and around the Washington D.C. theatre community has also included commissions to write and direct for the Kennedy Center (“Fighting Back: Ideological and Theatrical Responses to Oppression”), as well being the commissioned director for the theatrical residency "Sobering Thoughts", a multi-year project funded via grant from the Maryland State Governors Office on Crime Control and Prevention. Regionally Mr. Ricche has performed for the Arena Stage, produced for Olney Theatre and was a resident director and a commissioned writer with Round House Theater (the Heyday Players-- work for which he received an Artistic Commendation from Montgomery County Council Executive Douglas Duncan).
Journeymen Productions LLC is Mr. Ricche's latest venture. He is currently lead producer and writer of the forthcoming Broadway show, Journey: The Musical, based on the life story and music of the arena rock band Journey.
Mr. Ricche is also the winner of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Best Actor Award for two consecutive years. He has produced several award winning productions for the Maryland State Theatre Festival, the National Invitational Theatre Festival as well as the Folger Shakespeare Festival. Mr. Ricche has taught in over fifty instructional institutions in Maryland, D.C. and Northern Virginia in programs involving various performing arts mediums, including: classical theatre studies, film/video production, mime, dance, improv, playwriting and screenwriting.
As owner and Chief Creative Director for ZoopStudios.com, Mr, Ricche is involved in the day to day operations and creative development of one of the internet's newest leaders in online content aggregation. The company's most recent short film "Waiting for Galdot" was selected as a winner for the ScriptDC "Let's Make a Short" contest and is currently engaged on the film festival circuit where it recently won best Screenplay at the Pittsburgh Moving Picture Film Festival.
Mr. Ricche's writing career began in 1995 with his first festival win at the Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum, in which he shared the top spot with his script, "Point Imperial". Mr. Ricche's work as an author has since garnered him numerous awards. In 2023 his script "The Congregation" received top accolades as the Winner of the Horror/Thriller category at the Pittsburgh Motion Picture Festival. The same script was awarded fellowship status in the WIFV Narrative Screenplay Fellowship. Mr. Ricche's most recent female driven Script, "Daredevil", was recently selected as one of the Top 10 Scripts in the Family Category at the Page International Screenwriting Contest. and won the First Look Screenwriting Contest hosted by thge Vigrinia Screenwriters Forum. In 2016, Mr. Ricche's feature film "Mortal Remains" received the Best Screenplay Award at the NOVA Film Festival. Mr. Ricche is also the author of the "children's book for adults", entitled "The Precious Princess", released in 2022 by I.PT.P.S. Publishing Company, and author of numerous Shakespearian youth theatre adaptations..
Mr. Ricche is also co-owner of Escapist Entertainment, an entertainment services company that has been hired by such major nation wide corporations as T-mobile.com and Glatfelter Industries. The company has performed coast to coast, from Los Angeles, California, to Boston, Massachusetts.