Dean's Distinguished Speaker Series: Mark Ciardi

Mark is one of Hollywood’s most prolific true-story producers, having spent 12 years under a first-look deal with Walt Disney Studios, where he produced films including The Rookie, Miracle, Invincible, The Game Plan, Secretariat, Million Dollar Arm and McFarland, USA. He later founded Select Films, producing Miracle Season, Disney’s Safety, Lionsgate’s American Underdog, the recently released A Million Miles Away for Amazon Prime starring Michael Peña, and the upcoming film The Senior. In unscripted content, he has produced Netflix’s Miracle: The Boys of ’80, the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Big Shot, 42 to 1, and Peacock’s 72: A Gathering of Champions.

A University of Maryland graduate with a B.S. in business, Mark was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1983 and reached the major leagues in 1987; he is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves on the University of Maryland Board of Trustees.