Meet Mark Hampton

We recently connected with Mark Hampton and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mark, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?

I’m a professional writer, so I am no stranger to creativity/writer’s block. The common advice for writers who feel stuck is to write what you know. And that’s fine. But I like to go a step further and say write what you FEEL. The point of all art and creativity is to elicit emotion. That’s hard to do if you’re not in touch with what YOU as the artist are feeling. So, no matter what, I approach every piece of work with a strong point of view.

My next step is to define what I’m trying to say. If I’m writing a story, what’s the story? What’s the character’s journey? What’s the genre? What’s the world? Narrowing down my choices allows me to be more creative because I’m not handicapped by infinite choices.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’ve been obsessed with movies from the moment I knew they existed. In fact, even when I was a kid playing in my backyard, I never pretended I was Superman or Batman….I pretended I was playing them in the movie. So, it should come as no surprise that I went into the movie industry. I’ve produced and directed, but my real love is screenwriting.

What I love about screenwriting and movie making, in general, is we create such a huge endeavor simply because someone had an idea. Bob Kane had an idea about a guy dressed as a bat who fights crime and 80-plus years later, we have a trillion Batman movies. And I think that’s the beauty of art. It’s not just that someone has an idea that moves people; it also inspires them.

I’m currently writing a Christmas script that I think has a lot of legs, so hopefully, you’ll see it on Netflix or one of the streamers soon.

I’ve also started teaching. I debuted a course in November called Structure for the Frustrated Screenwriter. One of the things new writers struggle the most with is story structure and how to assemble a fully formed story. Most start with an idea for a concept, character, or plot, but have no idea how to put it all together. My course aims to simplify what seems complicated and give emerging writers a new way of approaching screenwriting.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Early in my career, I adopted the philosophy of ‘being the dumbest guy in the room.’ I never stop listening and learning. Never assume you know everything. You don’t. Most of the time, we don’t know what we don’t know. So, I think being a constant sponge of information is invaluable. It rounded me out as a person and gave me a strong voice and point of view.

Another quality I think I possess is perseverance. I find perseverance to be the most noble of qualities. And I can be like a dog with a bone — when I’ve set my mind on something, I simply will not quit. And in an industry such as the one I work in, you have to be perseverant.

But I think the most important thing to remember in any endeavor is that you are not what you do. You are so much more than that. You are a culmination of everything you’ve experienced. Don’t let one goal define who you are. And the way I maintain that is by not taking anything personally. (Or trying to at least.) Rejection is a part of my industry and frankly, a part of life. But I’m secure in who I am and the choices I’ve made. I can get a million ‘no’s’ in a row and it doesn’t matter, because I don’t confuse a rejection of my work with a rejection of me.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to support me damn near unconditionally. I’ve wanted to be a screenwriter since I saw Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country at my grandmother’s house. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to be a writer or an actor and without skipping a beat, she said, “Writer it is!”

Joking aside, my parents never discouraged me from pursuing what I thought would make me happy. They were honest about the work and training that would be required; they assured me failure was going to be part of the process; and they pushed me to take big risks.

It can’t be understated how important that was. For anyone pursuing an endeavor in the arts, eliminating the stress of not feeling supported is paramount.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: markshampton

Image Credits

All images are credited to me.