MARK'S FIRST JOB IN ADVERTISING WAS TAKING MESSAGES FOR

GWEN STEFANI'S DAD.

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Mark's first advertising gig was answering phones at Chiat/Day/Mojo. Part of the job was writing down missed calls for Dennis Stefani, who was Head of Research and Strategy AND whose daughter is Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and "The Voice" fame! 

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WHEN MARK WAS A PRE-MED STUDENT, HE BECAME A HYPOCHONDRIAC.​

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Mark is the son of parents who were in the medical profession; dad was a pathologist and mom was an operating nurse, so medicine ran in his veins (pun, intended). During his 1st year as a pre-med student, Mark began to think he had every disease, ailment and affliction he read about in classes. By his junior year, he changed majors to communications and was able to enjoy his last 2 years of college in good health. 

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HE WON 3RD PLACE IN A WRESTLING TOURNAMENT BY LISTENING TO

HIS OPPONENT'S COACH.​

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As a 105 pound scrawny grappler on his high school team, he was trying to ward off his opponent's takedown attempt and kept hearing someone yelling "Half Nelson! Half Nelson!!", so Mark threw the guy in a Half Nelson and ended up pinning him to win 3rd place in the Conference Tournament. When his teammates asked "What move was that??" Mark said, "The Half Nelson you were telling me to do!" Turns out, it wasn't Mark's coach but the other team's coach yelling to his own wrestler! More important than. the bronze medal he got was the lesson that: "You never know where good advice will come from, so when you hear it, take it!"

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