Biography
Mark Obenhaus is a leading producer, director and writer of documentary television and film. He recently directed and wrote Steep, a feature documentary about the world of big mountain skiing that was presented at the 2007 Tribeca and Telluride Film Festivals and is being distributed theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics. Since 1991, he has been associated with ABC News. He joined ABC in 1991 as senior producer of the primetime magazine show, Day One. In 1997, he was executive producer of Dangerous World: The Kennedy Years, a two-hour special based in part on the reporting of Seymour Hersh. In 1998, he became senior producer of the twelve-hour ABC series, The Century with Peter Jennings. In 2002, he produced two prime time hours for the ABC series In Search Of America. In 2003, he was executive producer, director and writer of a two-hour co-production between ABC and the BBC entitled The Kennedy Assassination: Beyond Conspiracy. In 2005, he was executive producer, director and writer of a two-hour primetime special with Peter Jennings entitled UFOs: Seeing Is Believing.
Prior to working with ABC, Mr. Obenhaus produced and directed documentaries and commercials for many clients, including the three major networks and public television. He produced six programs for the public television series, Frontline, two of which - Abortion Clinic and Living Below the Line - won Emmy Awards. He produced and directed films about music and performers: Miles Ahead: the music of Miles Davis and Einstein on the Beach, both for Great Performances. He has produced and directed historical films such as The World that Moses Built, Mr. Sears Catalog, and JFK: A Time Remembered for the PBS series The American Experience.
During the 1970s, he produced and photographed commercials in association with Bob Fosse, wrote and directed two independent dramatic films, and produced and photographed cinema verite documentaries for Westinghouse Broadcasting.
Obenhaus' work has been recognized by five national Emmys, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, two Robert Kennedy Journalism awards, the Gabriel Award, the Ohio State Award, the Writers Guild of America Award, four American Film Festival Awards and numerous other honors.
