writer & producer
PRODUCTION NOTES
October 17, 2009: Another InkTip Script Goes to Camera
Director Carlos Ramos Jr. and Executive Producer Carlton Hickman of Tainted Films are shooting a script found through InkTip right now! The script, titled "Kill Katie Malone" by Mark Onspaugh, was discovered by Carlos on InkTip just this past August – less than two months ago – and was financed, packaged and scheduled in just that short amount of time, as principle photography commenced this past weekend. Masiela Lusha (of Sony’s "Blood: The Last Vampire"), Dean Cain (featured on the InkTip Magazine recently for his lead role in "Hidden Camera"), Nick Hogan (of VH1's "Hogan Knows Best"), and Stephen Coletti (of Newline's "Normal Adolescent Behavior") fill out the cast for this picture. And you're probably already familiar with Mark Onspaugh's work; he was a co-writer on the Newline cult zombedy "Flight of the Living Dead," and has had a bevy of options through InkTip already.
August 20, 2009: Tainted Films Options "You Can't Kill Katie Malone"
Tainted Films Options InkTip Scribe's Script
Producer/Director Carlos Ramos Jr. and Executive Producer Carlton Hickman ("Blood Night") of Tainted Films have optioned "Don't Even Try to Kill Katie Malone" by InkTip writer Mark Onspaugh. Carlos currently has several television series in development and just wrapped a series for CBS titled "The Secret Truth." Mark is no stranger to many InkTip members; his name often appears in the InkTip announcements due to optioning several scripts in the past year. He co-wrote the 2007 zombedy classic, "Flight of the Living Dead," which was distributed by New Line Cinema.
March 12 2009: RedBear Entertainment Options “My Secret Santa”
Lindsay Macadam and Jason Riley with Redbear Entertainment have optioned the feature Christmas script “My Secret Santa” from Mark Onspaugh after discovering it on InkTip. Macadam, with over 50 credits to her resume already, including “Personal Effects” (with Ashton Kutcher and Kathy Bates), teamed up with Jason Riley in 2009 to commence their development studio Redbear Entertainment. Mark Onspaugh is no stranger to the business. He wrote “On, Cupid!,” which Masiela Lusha’s Illuminary Pictures discovered on InkTip and recently profiled in The Hollywood Reporter, as well as “Flight of the Living Dead,” which was distributed through New Line Home Video. “My Secret Santa” is Onspaugh’s fourth option through InkTip.
October 9 2008: Epic Level Entertainment Options "The Hatch"
Cindi Rice with Epic Level Entertainment has optioned the feature script "The Hatch" from writer Mark Onspaugh after discovering it on InkTip. This is writer Onspaugh's third option through InkTip; his previous successes include "On, Cupid!," currently in pre-production with Masiela Lusha's Illuminary Pictures, and "My Summer as a Superhero," which is being developed by Greg Feldman's Etosha Entertainment.
Epic Level specializes in fantasy stories and worlds, as evidenced by their previous credits, which include "Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God," "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising," and "Dragonsteel," their upcoming 4-part miniseries for the Sci-Fi Channel.
"Cindi Rice is a writer's dream producer," relates Onspaugh. "She is accessible and her notes are thoughtful and considerate. She doesn't just say ‘this doesn't work' or ‘this needs to be improved,' but she offers concrete suggestions. I am very pleased we are going to be working together and am grateful to Inktip for providing a way to meet such a terrific producer and production company!"
Known to his friends as an accomplished artist, Onspaugh also provided original creature sketches, drawing on his years in special effects makeup.
August 13 2008: Masiela Lusha lights up Illuminary
Masiela Lusha, who played daughter Carmen on the ABC sitcom "The George Lopez Show," has formed a production company dubbed Illuminary Pictures, which already is developing four films and a TV project...
On the film side, Lusha would star in "On, Cupid," a Christmas family comedy written by Mark Onspaugh that centers on Santa's only daughter, Holly (Lusha), who turns 21, (that's 204 in elf years)...
full article from The Hollywood Reporter
June 12 2008: Illuminary Pictures Options Another for Their Slate
Masiela Lusha, founder and president of Illuminary Pictures has optioned the feature script, "On, Cupid!," from InkTip writer Mark Onspaugh. Lusha, who played the beautiful and feisty daughter on "The George Lopez Show," is building a slate of projects to develop and package through her various industry sources and contacts. You can also see Masiela in "Blood: The Last Vampire," and "Time of the Comet," two features that will be released later this year. Mark Onspaugh, one of the writers on the cult favorite, "Flight of the Living Dead," has also written for episodic television (including "X-Men" and "Street Fighter the Animated Series"). This is his second option through InkTip.
See this June 18 ARTICLE in the
May 1 2008: Etosha Entertainment options family film "My Summer As A Superhero"
Greg Feldman at Etosha optioned Mark Onspaugh's script, "My Summer as a Superhero." This is the third Inktip option for Mr. Feldman, who has numerous projects in development and two in pre-production. For this most recent undertaking, Mr. Feldman says he loves the concept of the script. This will be Onspaugh's second option through InkTip.
PROSE
October 2009: Rave Review for Onspaugh's "The Song of Absent Birds
Mark's story "The Song of Absent Birds" appears in the zombie anthology The World Is Dead, edited by Kim Paffenroth. The story received a glowing review from Adicus Ryan Garton of the Susurrus Press and editor of Atomjack magazine, who writes:
"Last in the Love section is the highlight of the anthology, hands down. “The Song of Absent Birds” by Mark Onspaugh is simply astonishing. The story is set against a civilization that has gone hi-tech and moved underground. A doctor, nearly eighty years old, goes to the surface to see his wife, zombified now for sixty years and tracked with a GPS unit. I don’t even want to spoil any more of the story. The descriptions, the consequences, the fact that heartwarming and heartbreaking love exist so completely and honestly in this story was breathtaking."
October, 2009: 5 Star Review for new Oz anthology from Apex Books
Shadows of the Emerald City edited by the talented JW Schnarr for Northern Frights publishing is getting lots of favorable coverage and got a 5 star review from the science fiction/horror blog at Apex Books. Jennifer Brozek said about Mark's story, "Dr Will Price and the Curious Case of Dorothy Gale"
This opening story of psychiatry and finding a place in Oz left me with my mouth hanging open and shaking my head. I turned to my husband, saying, “If all of the stories are like this one, you won’t see me until morning.”
June, 2009: The Horror Fiction Review highlights Nights of Blood 2: More Tales of the Vampire
Christine Morgan singles out Mark's contribution, noting that "the book opens on a strong note with Mark Onspaugh’s "The Night Garden," in which a team of so-called vampire hunters get the expected shock of finding out the hard way that their quarry does exist, but with some unexpected and fun twists and turns along the way." Read the rest of her remarks in praise of the anthology at The Horror Fiction Review.
June 3, 2009: Eposic heaps praise on POW!erful Tales
Eposic's Ken St. Andre writes, "When I first got the book I thought it was merely an anthology of superhero stories, perhaps influenced by role-playing superhero games, and set in a common environment, but reading it ended that notion. POW!erful Tales is a shared world anthology that moves through a series of stories from beginning to understand. Like a well-written mystery, each tale adds one more clue to the puzzle that is superhero life in Beta City." Read more of the review co-authored with Eposic colleague Michael K. Eidson who says of Mark's story,
"Legacy" by Mark Onspaugh (an HWA member and one of my favorite upcoming authors, btw) is a prime example of a story that goes straight for the jugular vein. Onspaugh knows how to unfold a tale, feeding you just enough to pull you curiously along, until you reach the end and learn—the terrifying truth.
May 27, 2009: Tampa Bay Press gives Potter's Field 3 excellent marks!
Lee Clark Zumpe writes, "Like its predecessors, “Potter’s Field 3” digs up some frightfully delightful tales of grave horror unearthed by some of the most promising names in horror fiction today."
She specifically mentions Mark's story, noting that "'Whisper,' by Mark Onspaugh, is a rare weird western that works wonderfully in this themed milieu. A botched bank job leads to an encounter with a supernatural being. The author manages to surprise the reader at several twists in the tale."
See the whole review.
March 24, 2009: HorrorNews.net gives Malpractice a rave review!
Covering all the best horror book releases from all over the globe, online horror news site Horrornews.net reviewer "Anton Cancre" urges his readers to buy the new anthology, saying, "This book is also about as tight as you can possibly get, not allowing for a single wasted page. "
Mark's story "Hospital Diet" is among the "palate cleanser" shorts included in this meaty anthology from the editors of Necrotic Tissue magazine.
August 22 2008: Publishers Weekly gives Blood Lite a positive review
Publishers Weekly is calling The Horror Writers Association's much anticipated anthology "Blood Lite" (Simon & Schuster) "toothsome" and betting the October release "will have comic horror fans grabbing this anthology off the shelves."
Mark's story "Old School" is included, along with the work of a number of literary illuminaries.
FLIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
Mark Onspaugh is the co-writer of the cult zombie action thriller FLIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (previously known as PLANE DEAD) partnering once again with writer/director Scott Thomas.
What happens when a deadly virus is unleashed aboard a 747, changing a group of occupants into "un-dead" killers? A handful of survivors must fight to stay alive on the flight.
US distribution rights acquired by NEW LINE.
"Flight of the Living Dead is exactly what Snakes on a Plane tried and mostly failed to be: A fun, intentional B movie that is designed for a big audience to enjoy together." Bloody-Disgusting.com
"...guaranteed pure midnight movie bliss," said the organizers of BIFFF the Brussels Festival of Fantastic Film. See detailed info on the film's reception in this April 20 2007 coverage from Twitch.
"Without doubt, this is the zombie ... film of the year so far. Other forthcoming
titles - including the much hyped 28 WEEKS LATER - are going to have to work hard
to topple this from the top spot." d3rang3d
paso robles adobe on hwy 46, 2007