Imagination Films and Corgan Pictures present the untold story of the prolific art educator behind the beloved 80’s and 90’s TV shows The Secret City, Draw Squad, and Imagination Station. Mark Kistler became a well-known face on classic PBS alongside Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, Bob Ross, and Reading Rainbow. He helped shape a pivotal era of instructional programming for children in the pre-YouTube world, teaching 3D drawing before CGI. With over one-million books sold, the Emmy-award-winning host continues to inspire audiences through his elaborate hand-drawn worlds and unique teaching philosophies. The original 1985 TV series, The Secret City, was broadcast nationwide and was produced by flagship PBS station, Maryland Public Television. The world premiere screening will take place Thursday July 20th, 2023 at the San Diego Comic-Con.

The Secret Cities of Mark Kistler is directed and produced by Jason Corgan Brown through his Corgan Pictures banner in collaboration with Robert Neustadt and Kenneth Welch. “Mark is a gifted art communicator who generates highly original, creative worlds in the process. His work’s unique design aesthetic captured the zeitgeist of an era. This is what inspired me to bring the story of Commander Mark to the screen.” stated Brown, who received an Art Directors Guild award for Amazon’s 2022 Lord of the Rings series “Rings of Power.”

Mark Kistler Global Chairman, Kenneth Welch, said, “This bold project has completed post production and we are excited to share Mark’s story with fans around world.”

As a co-producer of TV episodes with Kistler, Neustadt states, “Mark Kistler is a high-energy force of nature, and this film quenches the curiosity of what ever happened to that guy. It’s incredible that when only 21 years old, Mark hosted his own TV show that inspired kids to become filmmakers, designers, artists, animators and engineers.”

The feature documentary features guests such as Joel Gori (actor who played Zebtron), Dan Fraga (Superman, Spiderman Comic Book Artist), Tim Decker (Simpsons Animator, former head of interactive at Disney), Jack Moore (NASA), and more.

Mark Kistler aka “Commander Mark”

Over the past 44 years, Mark Kistler has taught millions of children how-to-draw on his Public Television Series The Secret City in the 1980’s and The Imagination Station in the 1990’s.

He has presented thousands of K-12 Visual Arts School Assemblies around the world including; Australia, Germany, England, Scotland, Mexico, Japan, Spain, Brazil, Dubai, India, France, Ireland, Tonga, and the United States.

With over 1 million books sold and translated into various languages, Mark’s Simon & Schuster titles include “Learn to Draw with Commander Mark,” “Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad,” “Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station” and “Drawing in 3-D with Mark Kistler.” His four books series with Scholastic Publishers is titled “Dare-to-Draw in 3-D!” More recent books published by Da Capo Press include “You Can Draw in 30-Days” and “You Can Draw in 30-Minutes.” His August 2022 release is from Hachete publishers, entitled “Half Hour Of Pencil Power!”

As a result of his television series, drawing books, and school appearances Mark Kistler has generated over one million fan letters and emails containing 3-D drawings from children around the world. Mark is based in Texas where he teaches virtually three times a week, but also appears live at camps, schools and Comicon-type conventions.

Jason Corgan Brown Director / Producer

Jason Corgan Brown is an award-winning filmmaker and consultant who has contributed to the world’s most successful, design-centric film franchises including Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Tron, G.I. Joe, and Captain America. He forged new fields in creative world-building with distinguished clients such as Disney, Universal, Paramount, Lucasfilm, Amblin, ImageMovers, and more. Jason has also written numerous screenplays, directed independent films and develops unique projects each year with a host of partners across multiple industries. He is certified by the Producers Guild of America and a member of the Art Directors Guild.

Robert Neustadt Producer

Robert Neustadt produced 19 half-hours of Dr. Know for Discovery Health Channel and also produced for A&E’s American Justice with Bill Curtis. He is Co-creator and Executive Producer of the Emmy award-winning series, Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station, 94 half hours based on the Simon & Schuster books distributed on-line to 150 PTV stations and six countries. Robert also co-created and produced the award-winning series, Maryland Farm & Harvest for Maryland Public Television, which reintroduced the public to how their food is raised. He worked on two syndicated DIY shows, Ron Hazelton’s House Calls and Better Homes & Gardens (Meredith Publishing). He has received two regional Emmy Awards.

Previous non-broadcast clients include Cardinal Health, Abbott, Leo Burnett, United Airlines, Swift Media, Hyatt, Motorola, McDonalds, Baxter, The American Academy of Pediatrics, Dermatologists, Family Physicians, National Association of Urban Debate Leagues, The American Liver Foundation and others.