My name is Mark Kuroda, I’m a director and writer. I was a commercial photographer in the advertising space for 15 years, and I’m currently moving into video advertising and film. I was born in Los Angeles and grew up in a seaside town called Palos Verdes. I’m a proud 4th generation Japanese-American. This is a piece of my identity that hasn’t always been easy, but I continue to explore it through my projects whenever I can.

 I earned a BA from Westmont College in Communication Studies and studied Commercial Photography at Brooks Institute of Photography. I feel like I often pull from both disciplines, especially within a project’s ideation and visual execution phases.

As a kid, I often wished there was someone who looked like me on tv or in movies. I realized as a photographer there was something I could do. I could influence representation, but I couldn’t explore ideas in the same way that cinema allows. This is what sparked my interest in filmmaking. I’m very interested in representing Japanese-American stories in an honest way from my own point of view. For me, telling stories within narrative fiction seems to be the format that allows for the most freedom. I hope that one day my films allow young Asian-American people to see themselves amidst the complexities of life. I’m also deeply interested in reframing stereotypes of Asian-American men and women. I very much admire what Spike Lee did for African-American people--how he so clearly showed where he is from, the thoughts, triumphs, and struggles of his community. Currently, I really like the work of Hirokazu Kore-eda: “Like Father, Like Son” and “Shoplifters” being my current favorite movies. 

Aside from cinema, I am recently married and love cars, racing, and the ocean. My favorite places in the world that I visit often are Italy and the Hawaiian Islands.