Mark Johnson (Playing for Change)

Mark Johnson is a Grammy Award Winning Producer/ Engineer and Award Winning Film Director. For the past decade Mark has worked with some of the most renowned musicians and producers in the music, film and television industries. As the co-founder of the Playing For Change Documentaries, Mark has been perfecting an innovative, mobile technique for recording musicians outside all over the world, and combining them together to create Songs Around The World. Mark is also the Chairman of the Board for the Playing For Change Foundation, and has dedicated his life to connecting the world through music.

Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. Mark has set out to share this truth with the world.

It all began about seven years ago as Mark and his producing partner, Whitney Kroenke Burditt, assembled a group of like-minded people with cameras and a mobile recording studio. They embarked on a journey across the globe in search of music and human connections. As technology changed, power demands were downsized from golf cart batteries to car batteries, and finally to laptops. Similarly, the quality with which they were able to film and document the project was gradually upgraded from a variety of formats-- each the best they could attain at the timefinally to full HD.

One thing that never changed throughout the process was the commitment to create an environment for the musicians in which they could create freely and that placed no barriers between them and those who would eventually experience their music. By leading with that energy and intent everywhere they traveled, they were freely given access to musicians and locations that are usually inaccessible. In this respect, the inspiration that originally set them on this path became a co-creator of the project along with them!

Over the course of the project, it was decided that it was not enough for the crew just to record and share this music with the world; they wanted to create a way to give back to the musicians and their communities that had shared so much. And so in 2007 they created the Playing for Change Foundation, a separate 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation whose mission is to do just that. In early 2008, they established Timeless Media, a for-profit entity that funds and extends the work of Playing for Change. Later that year, Timeless Media entered into a joint venture with the Concord Music Group through the support of label co-owner and entertainment legend Norman Lear and Concord Music Group executive vice president of A&R John Burk. The goal is to bring PFCs music, videos and message to the widest possible audience.

Now, musicians from all over the world are brought together to perform benefit concerts that build music and art schools in communities that are in need of inspiration and hope. In addition to benefit concerts, the Playing for Change band also performs shows around the world. When audiences see and hear musicians who have traveled thousands of miles from their homes, united in purpose and chorus on one stage, everyone is touched by music's unifying power.

And now, everyone can participate in this transformative experience by joining the Playing for Change Movement. People are hosting screenings, musicians are holding benefit concerts of every size, fans are spreading the message of Playing for Change through our media, and this is only the beginning. Together, we will connect the world through music! Learn more about Playing For Change (www.playingforchange.com), and together we can accomplish much more than we ever can apart.

The Agency Group