From film shoots at a U.S. Army base to radio monsters and handmade movie posters, we've done a lot of interesting work. Take a look at a few highlights from a long career.
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In 2012, Mark was tasked with the massive effort to build a new site for the Shrine of Texas Liberty from the ground up, with vastly improved UI, richer content, online donations and greater focus on social media and SEO. Mark designed the interface personally and wrote much of the content. It was implemented through Cascade CMS to allow Alamo staff unprecedented control.
Mark created this ad in 2006 for Victor Carrillo to thank his supporters after his first statewide election victory for the post of Texas Railroad Commissioner. What better way to say thank you than with a "kiss"?
Mark created hundreds of ads for Jerry Patterson during his time as Texas Land Commissioner. Designed for a GOP women's newsletter, this ad shows the Commissioner hard at work late at night in his office. Mark came up with the idea for the photo, staged it and photographed it. He even provided the lamp.
This mailpiece was created for Writ Baese's first run for elected office in 2015. Mark used a baseball theme for all of Writ's mail because Writ coaches kids baseball, Round Rock is home of the Round Rock Express, and baseball makes people think fondly of apple pie and nostalgia. It worked. Writ won with 66%.
Mark created this spot for State Representative Roy Blake's re-election campaign in 2006. At the time, just after the 2004 presidential race, John Kerry was still an easy target for a piece about flip-flopping. And that's Mark's own waffle. Fresh out of the freezer.
In 2006 Jerry Patterson was seeking his second term as Texas Land Commissioner and he had little opposition, so he could take risks. When he picked up the AFL/CIO endorsement it was unheard of for a Republican candidate. Left-leaning union membesr weren't too happy either. Mark created this ad to take advantage of the angst.
Created for Patterson's re-election as Texas Land Commissioner in 2006, this poster tries to build excitement about a race not many found exciting. Mark had cultivated the "maverick" label over the years for Patterson; this mailpiece gave it a visual reinforcement. Mark is also known for his Legislative Movie Posters so this kind of Photoshop work is his forte.
For Commissioner Patterson's run for Lieutenant Governor, Mark needed to create the first mailpiece to re-introduce Patterson to a wider audience and convey that Patterson's experience and personality made him the right person for the job right now. The piece contains lots of Patterson's personal life because openness and honesty are some of his most well-known traits.
Patterson's old truck is well known on the campaign trail and one of his trademarks. Mark seized on this icon and created a fun mailpiece to invite GOP convention-goers to come see the old truck. It was designed to be reminiscent of an actual campaign ad from the 1930's.
While at the Land Office, Mark created a radio show called "This Week In Texas History" to tell the lesser-known stories of Texas history. Mark wrote every script - 7 years worth - and also sound edited some, including this one. This episode focuses on a series of murders in the late 1800's in Austin. Listen for the eerie "breathing" effect contained in the haunting music.
While at the Land Office, Mark created a radio show called "This Week In Texas History" to tell the lesser-known stories of Texas history. Mark wrote every script - 7 years worth - and also sound edited some, including this one. This episode focuses on a strange incident in 1897. Its got eerie theremin sounds and chickens. What more can you want?
Mark created this ad for Patterson's second re-election effort in 2010. The ad tapped into Republican frustration with Obama and Republicans in Washington D.C. while emphasizing Patterson's folksy Texas roots.
Mark created this ad for Patterson's second re-election effort in 2010 to highlight his endorsement by Brigadier General Marc Cisneros. It was targeted to veterans, a key core constituency for Patterson. It also ran heavily in the Valley.
Mark created this ad for Patterson's second re-election effort in 2010 to capitalize on Tea Party hatred of Obama's new taxes -- even though the Land Office has little to do with federal taxes. But nobody likes taxes. FYI, the "holy cow" line was voiced by Patterson's campaign director at the time.
While at the Land Office, Mark served as Communications Director over the Texas Adopt-A-Beach Program, amongst others. For a dozen years, Mark helped create two Adopt-A-Beach ad campaigns a year, for both Spring and Fall beach cleanups. This is one of his ads. He utilized his own staff for all the voices.
While at the Land Office, Mark created a radio show called "This Week In Texas History" to tell the lesser-known stories of Texas history. Mark wrote every script - 7 years worth - and also sound edited a few. This is one of his all time favorites. The voices of the cowboys were the Land Office General Counsel and an asset management staffer.
While at the Land Office, Mark was tasked by agency leadership to rebrand the almost 50-year old Veterans Land Board. In addition to creating a new logo, Mark created several new statewide advertising campaigns using recognizable veterans across a broad spectrum of media including TV, radio, print, web and social media. This ad features Texan and former Marine Barry Corbin, a popular character actor most famous for the Northern Exposure and Lonesome Dove TV shows.
In 2009, Mark had the opportunity to create an ad campaign for the Veterans Land Board featuring the legendary actor R. Lee Ermey, or "Gunny." Gunny first gained notoriety in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket in 1987 and has since become a pop culture icon. This ad was created at Fort Sam Houston near San Antonio.
* This ad won a Hermes Gold Award for a Multi-Regional Television PSA.
Mark created this ad for Patterson's 2014 run for Lieutenant Governor. It again attempts to emphasize Patterson's open and down-to-earth nature while presenting a stark contrast to the typical negative political ad that is so common and so unpopular. Shot in the front parlor of Patterson's campaign consultant.
Created for Mark's Save Texas History program at the Land Office, this ad evokes emotions about the story of Texas as a call-to-action to save the documents in the Land Office archives. The film footage is from a shoot Mark directed years earlier on the set of the 2004 Touchstone movie The Alamo.
* This ad won a Hermes Gold Award for a Multi-Regional Television PSA.
Mark created this poster as part of an advertising effort for his church Christmas program based on the famous teleplay Amahl and the Night Visitor. Mark believes pro bono work is a vital part of our responsiblity to give back to our community.
When Mark took over as Communication Director of the Texas General Land Office, the agency website was outdated, glitchy, visually dead, text heavy and virtually unusuable. Many employees avoided using the site; the public as well. So Mark and his team re-wrote the page from the ground up and personally created a visually stunning, easy-to-use website on the bleeding edge of technology.
The Texas Adopt-A-Beach program of the Texas General Land Office is funded almost entirely by large corporate donations. Mark created this direct mail fundraiser on the 20th anniversary of the program to begin building a small donor foundation and add stability between cleanups.
This ad was created to promote the return of the iconic "Victory or Death" letter penned by William Barret Travis at the beginning of the Alamo siege in 1836. The ad supports the "See The Letter" brand that was created for the event. The event, February 23 to March 6, 2013, saw thousands of visitor waiting hours in line to see the historic letter for this once-in-a-lifetime event. It was one of the most successful events ever held at the Alamo.
Mark and his web team created this simple, clean website for a new window manufacturing startup here in Texas. The owners had never been on the web before and were very happy with the result.
Loeffler Creative designed this simple but impactful pushcard for Justice Debra Lehrmann's re-election effort. The wood background emotes warmth and strength -- attributes found in the candidate as well!
Loeffler Creative crafted this powerful pushcard for Texas Supreme Court Justice Paul Green's re-election effort. The dark area focuses the eye and the mind on Justice Green and the law books that back him up - exactly the message we meant to convey!
Mark worked closely with Congressman Carter's office to design this pushcard specifically for a Fourth of July hometown event. The piece is intented to inspire feelings of home, patriotism and service to country. Does it?
This ad was created for businessman Bill King in his runoff race for Houston Mayor in December 2015. The ad strikes at the stability of Houston property taxes, a key issue with city voters. The mailpiece also had a supporting Website Boost site to expand the impact beyond the mailbox.
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This ad was created for businessman Bill King in his runoff race for Houston Mayor in December 2015. The ad continues to drive home the prevailing message about an increase in property taxes, as illustrated by a hypothetical check to Houston city hall. Again, this mailpiece also had a supporting website to drive the message outside the mailbox.
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