MARK ARBITRARIO
AWARD-WINNING TELEVISION DIRECTOR, PRODUCER & EDITOR | AI-INTEGRATED CONTENT CREATOR | USA & ASIA
Mark Arbitrario is an award-winning television director, producer, and editor with two decades of experience across US and Asian markets — and a skillset that now spans from Emmy-winning broadcast television to AI-generated animation and vertical-first social content. He is the recipient of a 2026 Telly Award in Directing for Outstanding Television for the Manila International Film Festival, and blends traditional production craft with emerging tools, giving companies a partner who can deliver a network gala broadcast and a scroll-stopping Reel with the same level of polish.
MODERN & EMERGING MEDIA
Mark has expanded his practice to meet where audiences and platforms are headed: he directs vertical dramas for activewear and lifestyle brands, produces corporate vertical video content for social media, and creates longer-form YouTube content for brand and entertainment clients. He has also integrated AI animation using Higgsfield into his workflow, giving productions a faster, more cost-efficient path to stylized visual content without sacrificing cinematic quality. Mark also shares his craft directly with a global audience through his instructional YouTube channel, teaching cinematic film production techniques using cinematic and FPV drones and 360 cameras to over 33,000 followers.
TELEVISION & BROADCAST
Mark served as Executive Producer and Director of Asia's Next Top Model 4 and Show Director for Character Media's Unforgettable Gala Awards. He began his career editing Emmy-winning American series The Voice, Survivor, and The Contender, and has since worked across every major broadcast and cable network as well as Netflix, Amazon Prime Studios, Hulu, Peacock, and YouTube.
INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION
During his tenure with Fremantle Media Asia in Singapore, Mark directed How Do I Look Asia? featuring Jeannie Mai and Canon Photo Face-Off, and produced Asia's Got Talent, winner of Best Format Adaptation at the 20th Asian Television Awards.
In China, he directed Elite New Face: China for Elite Model Management, documenting the Elite Model Look World Final in Shanghai, and directed Look of the Year for Star China, an international modeling competition held in Xi'an that incorporated musicians from the popular hit show, Sing China. In Macau, Mark was the Supervising Producer for the documentary, The House of Dancing Water: Uncovered which told the story of the production of the world famous show at the City of Dreams.
In Korea, for CJ Entertainment/Mnet, he created and executive produced Short Notice, spotlighting independent Asian-American filmmakers, directed music videos for Korean rock legends Boohwal, and directed Money Game for Naver Webtoon, co-produced by Transparent Arts and Jubilee Media. Most recently, in 2025, he directed the inaugural Manila International Film Festival Gala Awards and won a Telly Award in Directing for Outstanding Television.
COMMUNITY & ADVOCACY
Mark founded the San Diego Asian American Film Foundation and served as Artist in Residence and Festival Programmer for Visual Communications. He also was the Director and Show Caller for the Unforgettable Gala Awards show from 2016-2021. In 2021, Mark also edited Recipe for Change, an Emmy-nominated documentary spotlighting Asian American celebrities, chefs, and activists addressing anti-API violence.
AFFILIATIONS
Producers Guild of America • Motion Picture Editors Guild • NABET • Television Academy • FAA Part 107 Licensed Drone & FPV Pilot