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Mark Haapala

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Mark Haapala
Born
Mark Thomas Casey Haapala

Irvine, CA, U.S.A
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Film director, writer, and producer
AwardsHollywood Reel Independent Film Festival
2012 Dog It Down
New York Television Festival
2014 Pinky and the Fangirls
Websitehttp://www.filmmakermark.com/

Mark Thomas Casey Haapala[1][2] is an American producer, screenwriter, and director. He directed the award-winning short film Dog It Down,[3] winner of the 2012 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival (HRIFF).[4] Haapala also served as executive producer and head writer for the TV pilots Off The Record, The Groom Whisperer, and Pinky and the Fan Girls,[5] which was optioned by the Lifetime channel and was a winner at the New York Television Festival as "Best Unscripted TV show" in 2014.[6][7]

Early life

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Haapala was born in Irvine, California to parents Susan (née Casey) and Thomas Haapala, a VP at Black & Decker Corporation.[8] He graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in theatre[9] in 2002. One of Haapala's first jobs in entertainment was as Jerry Ferrara (Turtle's) stand-in on the HBO show Entourage.[10]

Career

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Crafty[11][user-generated source] is an original web series created in 2009 by writer and director Mark Haapala. The series starred comedian Andrew Santino[12][user-generated source] in one of his earliest on-screen roles. Set behind the scenes of a fictional film set, Crafty offered a comedic glimpse into the world of craft services and the often-chaotic production environment.

The show garnered attention for its celebrity cameos, featuring appearances by Keith Coogan,[13][user-generated source] Adrian Grenier,[14][user-generated source] Kevin Connolly,[15][user-generated source] and Jerry Ferrara.[16][user-generated source] The series was noted for its satirical tone and served as an early showcase for Haapala’s comedic voice as well as Santino's talent before his rise to mainstream success.

Dog It Down  [d], Haapala's first short film was based on the true story of three US Navy Sailors who were trapped under water for 17 days in an airtight compartment aboard the USS West Virginia during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Dog It Down was partially funded and executive produced by Entourage actor Kevin Connolly. The short film would go on to win the 2012 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, and was screened and received accolades at: the GI Film Festival, The Newport Beach Film Festival, and would later air on both PBS and the Military channel.[17]

He appeared as "The Clapper" in the Season 5 episode 11 of Entourage entitled "Play’n With Fire".[3]

In 2010, Haapala was accepted into the Directors Guild of America Trainee program as an assistant director trainee.[18][9]

He is a member of the Producers Guild of America.[19][9]

Haapala and writing partner, Stewart Gold penned an original romantic comedy, The Groom Whisperer,[20] for Larry Levinson Productions in 2013. The duo also created the reality show Pinky and the Fangirls which was optioned by the Lifetime Channel in 2014.[9] It starred actor Keith Coogan and his wife, Kristen "Pinky" Coogan.[21]

Haapala co-wrote and directed the 2014 Independent TV pilot Off The Record.[22][23] This was screened at Tribeca Cinemas as part of the 2014 New York Television Festival.[24]

Awards and nominations

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Awards

References

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  1. ^ "Crafty – A web comedy". www.thefilmmakerlifestyle.com. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  2. ^ "Actor Mark Haapala. Biography and Filmography Mark Haapala. Buy movies Mark Haapala". movie-like.com. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "The Making of Dog It Down with Mark Haapala". GI Film Festival – Reel Stories! Real Heroes!. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  4. ^ KevinJolley. "HRIFF – Dec 5th 2012 Film Schedule". hollywoodreelindependentfilmfestival.com. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  5. ^ "Winners of development deals at the 2014 New York Television Festival". The Comic's Comic. October 27, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  6. ^ Team, The Deadline (October 26, 2014). "New York Television Festival Announces 2014 Winners". Deadline. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  7. ^ Opar, Josephine (October 27, 2014). "New York Television Festival Announces Independent Pilot Competition Winners and Development Deal Recipients". Indiewire. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  8. ^ "Mark Haapala : Actor – Films, episodes and roles on digiguide.tv". digiguide.tv. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Mark Haapala". Harvest Theatre Company. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  10. ^ "Mark Haapala – 13 images". celebrityimages.org. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  11. ^ Crafty (Comedy), Jon Donahue, Morgan Mead, Andrew Santino, November 1, 2009, retrieved April 11, 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. ^ "Andrew Santino | Actor, Producer, Additional Crew". IMDb. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  13. ^ "Keith Coogan | Actor". IMDb. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  14. ^ "Adrian Grenier | Actor, Producer, Director". IMDb. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  15. ^ "Kevin Connolly | Actor, Director, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  16. ^ "Jerry Ferrara | Actor, Producer, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  17. ^ Military.com (March 28, 2013). "'Dog it Down' Trailer: GIFF". Military.com. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  18. ^ Wakelee-Lynch, Joseph (September 1, 2011). "Dispatches Summer 2011 – LMU Magazine". LMU Magazine. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  19. ^ "Mark Haapala was an Actor in Films and Series: Watch list of Movies online: Entourage". Season 8, Entourage. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  20. ^ "Announcing The 2014 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship Semifinalists". ScreenCraft. January 26, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  21. ^ PINKY AND THE FANGIRLS - TEASER on YouTube
  22. ^ "Films directed by Mark Haapala". Letterboxd • Social film discovery. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  23. ^ "Off the Record (2014)". Filmweb (in Polish). May 5, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  24. ^ Sharf, Zack (August 15, 2014). "New York Television Festival Announces 62 Official Selections to the 2014 Independent Pilot Competition". IndieWire. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  25. ^ "Dec 5th 2012 Film Schedule". HRIFF. December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  26. ^ "New York TV Festival Unveils Winners of 20 Development Deals". The Hollywood Reporter. October 25, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
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