Internationally revered and respected, Mark Fennessy is an innovator, entrepreneur and creator of premium content across all facets of the production industry. Having steered independent production label Crackerjack before forming FremantleMedia Australia, to launching the powerhouse Shine with brother Carl and Elisabeth Murdoch, through to overseeing the merger with Endemol to create the juggernaut Endemol Shine Australia, Mark is synonymous with the production pillars of the Australian television industry.
As well as his legendary business acumen, Mark has overseen an extraordinary portfolio of television franchises and super brands which cross genres – from blockbuster unscripted hits to critically acclaimed (and wildly popular) scripted content - which has seen him ranked no 1 in the Australian Financial Review’s Cultural List. Beyond his achievements as a business leader, Mark is an active producer and executive producer of premium dramas with recent and notable credits including RFDS:Royal Flying Doctor Service, Lambs of God, Wake In Fright, Mystify, Sisters, Blue Murder/Killer Cop, Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door, Catching Milat, The Beautiful Lie, Offspring and INXS: Never Tear Us Apart.
Earlier in his career Mark was an EP for Channel Nine before being appointed Head of MTV Australia which combined his entrepreneurial skills with his deep passion for music. As a result, Mark went on to produce some of the most significant music shows, events and broadcasts of the time. Through Crackerjack, Mark also continued a working relationship with MTV International in addition to managing creative campaigns for major labels and promoters such as Sony Music, Mushroom, Virgin Records, Frontier Touring, WEA and the Dainty Corporation amongst others.
HELIUM is the culmination of Mark’s strengths, passions and expertise. Current productions include the highly anticipated drama series inspired by John Ibrahim’s bestselling book Last King of the Cross starring Lincoln Younes, Callan Mulvey, Tess Haubrich, Matt Nable and Tim Roth, the recently announced scripted drama Paper Dolls and the feature film 6 Festivals all for Paramount+, as well as the crime thriller series Sex and Thugs and Rock n Roll which is a joint venture with Richard Lowenstein and his company GHOST.
In 2017 Mark received an Order of Australia in recognition of his significant service to the broadcast industry as an entrepreneur and innovator.