Meet Mark
Imagine if you mixed the voice of Andy Griffith, the laugh of Mister Rogers, a book lover, a storyteller, a puppeteer, a magician, a dad, with a bit of folksiness and whimsy, then shook it a bit, out would come Mark Daniel!
10 Interesting Things about Mark
1. He is Left-handed.
2. Has twin sons who are Eagle Scouts.
3. Mark was invited Twice to perform at the White House Easter Egg Roll.
4. He has loved dinosaurs, comic books, reading, and magic tricks since he was a kid. (Read an amazing article on kids with intense interests here.)
5. An awesome children's librarian guided him for years as a kid.
6. His first performance on the tiny porch landing of his dad's workshop at age 11, as "Professor Mystic" was for kids from the neighborhood. The appearance grossed the princely sum of one dollar and twenty five cents in nickels, dimes, and quarters. His wordly sounding stage persona was a nod to Sid Fleischman's Mr. Mysterious and Company. Eleven was a big year, he also did his first library performance!
7. He writes in the early morning, and again in early evening.
8. Tami and he produce and direct Two Conferences for Performers who gather from all over the world, one in Atlanta- KIDabra and the other in LA - KAX.
9. Mark has long mentored, taught, and helped launch an entire industry of performers.
10. So far, over three million kids have seen him at schools, libraries, and reading festivals.
Bonus Things for Folks who Love Stuff Like That:
11. Mark was invited and presented for The Imagination Library Homecoming in Pigeon Forge. (And missed meeting Dolly by minutes.)
12. Yes, he has awards, but he is much more impressed that his brother Andrew's partner Kenneth has 3 Emmy nominations!
13. Mark's dad had an antique shop in their little town, and a frequent visitor and friend was the Number 1 Storyteller in the World at the time, Jackie Torrence, a children's librarian from High Point, NC. (Mark also missed meeting her because of his travels.)
15. Mark always knew his grandfather was a fiddle player. Astoundingly, he didn't discover until a few years ago that he was in a band named
The Piedmont Ramblers which traveled around central NC, and played country music shows. Coming on the heels of the advent of country music, they toured for several years in the early 30s. In between sets they even had comic relief from a circus clown and his Jack Russell terrier.
Apparently, he got the performing gene honest! Thanks Grandpa!
14. During his second trip to the White House Egg Roll, he ducked into the Green Room tent which was warm, and dry on a rainy spring morning. He sat and chatted over bagels and hot chocolate with a very nice fellow whose name he never asked. Only afterwards, would he realize he had spent time with the second man on the moon,
Buzz Aldrin!