Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Pettit
Hi Mark, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My life-story can best be described as a three-act rollercoaster ride. I started out in TV News and worked in Chattanooga, Omaha and finally Atlanta. I was an anchorman and investigative reporter and won three Emmy Awards for my work. I went on to write a best-selling book (“A Need to Kill”) about a serial child killer in Nebraska.
For the first eight years of my career everything was perfect. At least on TV.
However, I was hiding a deep secret. I was a gay man in a not-so-gay-friendly-industry (at least at the time). Unfortunately, I lost my career in TV news in 1991 when it was revealed I was gay. At the time it was a crushing blow made even worse when my first boyfriend died of AIDS. My world was shattered and for a while I spiraled out of control.
I turned my life around and started a new career in Marketing and PR. I founded my own agency called Creaxion in 1998 and since then we’ve worked for some of the best-known brands in the world.
And then, in 2018, I made another life-alerting decision when I became a professional actor. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and has opened a brand new chapter in my life. I’m pleased to say that I’m happier today than I’ve ever been.
My life story is chronicled in my new memoir “ANKRBOY” which I’m also pleased to report that my book is an official entry into the 2025 Pulitzer Prize competition. I’m currently on a national media tour promoting the book.
If you want to buy an autographed copy of either of my books or to purchase the ANKRBOY audiobook visit www. ANKRBOY.com.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As I write in my new book, ANKRBOY, all I ever wanted to be in life was an anchorman. I grew up watching Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw on the evening news and wanted to be just like them.
My ultimate dream was to work at CBS News and to sit in that famous chair on 60 Minutes.
But, as a closeted gay man, my professional life and my personal life were about to have a head-on collision and there would be no survivors. Losing my career in TV News left me rudderless. I went off the deep end, partying like crazy, which almost ended very badly as I write in the book.
What I didn’t realize at the time, was that my life was just beginning and there were much greater things awaiting me. I just had to be broken to understand my new path in life and to be patient with the process. Not easy for us Virgos!
Writing my new book has given me renewed passion and purpose. I’m hearing from mothers all across the country who are telling me they bought ANKRBOY for their gay children. A woman in Austin told me her son was 18 years old and about to head off to college. She said he wanted to be a writer like me but was really struggling with his sexual identity. She asked me if I would send him words of encouragement along with the book, which of course I did.
I wrote ANKRBOY for two reasons: To heal myself and to help others–like that teenager in Austin. Living an honest, authentic life is what we all deserve and what I wish for everyone who reads my book–or reads this article.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I started acting in 2018 and since then have appeared in more than 30 TV shows and movies including True Detective, Mindhunter, Mr. Mercedes, Reprisal, Women of The Movement, The Game, Reptile (Justin Timberlake) and They Cloned Tyrone (Jamie Foxx). Most recently I secured a co-starring role in the new Peacock series “Hysteria!”–and next summer I’m scheduled to appear in what I hope will be two blockbuster movies.
Ironically, millions more people have now watched me play an anchorman in Hollywood than ever watched me as one in real life. I’ve also become good at playing really bad guys. Most actors will tell you they love playing characters that are polar opposites of their actual personalities.
It’s what makes acting really fun.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
In my view, risk-taking is the only way to experience true growth.
I took a major risk in 1998 when I decided to open my own Marketing and PR firm called Creaxion. 26 years later, I’m proud to say we’re still going strong. Today, we only work with 3-4 clients at a time so that we can give them what I call “Conierge-like” service and so I can also pursue my acting and writing. Our current key clients include Segpay (online payment processing), Exhibition Hub (traveling immersive entertainment) and Buckley, Bala, Wilson and Mew (law firm).
Creaxion specializes in consumer, business-to-business, entertainment and cause-related marketing.
I took another big risk–when during COVID–we made the decision to produce the horror film, “The Curse of La Patasola.” We raised the money to make the film from friends and family and spent 21 days in a swamp in Florida shooting the movie. It’s really good and now available in North America on STARZ and moves to Tubi this fall. We just launched the movie worldwide via pay-per-view. You can find it on Amazon, iTunes and Google around the globe.
My next big bet will be on turning my new book, ANKRBOY, into TV series or a feature film. I hope to see you on HBO, Netflix or in theaters sometime over the next few years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ankrboy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark_pettit/
- Other: https://www.creaxion.com
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Marcelo Galvao
(Mark with Emmy Award Photo)
