Steve Markle is a Canadian filmmaker, actor, writer, editor and producer best known for '' Shoot To Marry'' (2020), ''

Testees ''Testees'' is a Canadian television series created by Kenny Hotz, and written and produced by Kenny Hotz and Derek Harvie. It originally aired on FX and ran from October 9, 2008, to January 1, 2009. It debuted on October 14, 2008, on Showcase i ...

'' (2008), and ''Camp Hollywood'' (2004). Markle won a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

for his documentary ''Camp Hollywood'' in 2005, and won the

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival is held in Los Angeles in late February and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization. The organization ...

Audience Award for Breakout Features for his documentary ''Shoot To Marry'' in 2020.

Early life and education

Markle was born and raised in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. His father, Jack Markle, and uncle, Sam Markle, are pioneers of neon art. They created the iconic three-story neon record for

Sam The Record Man Sam the Record Man was a Canadian Record shop, record store chain that, at one time, was Canada's largest music recording retailer. In 1982, its ads proclaimed that it had "140 locations, coast to coast". Its iconic flagship store was located a ...

and ran The Electric Gallery in Yorkville from 1970 to 1979. In 1993, Markle graduated from

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District in downtown Toronto, although i ...

as recipient of the

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (July 21, 1926 – January 20, 2024) was a Canadian filmmaker. He was known for directing films which addressed topical Social issue, social and political issues, often making controversial or complicated subjects acces ...

Filmmaking Award.

Career

Markle directed TV commercials and music videos before taking a

creative director A creative director is a person who makes high-level creative decisions; oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos; and directs and translates the creative people who produce the end results. Creat ...

position at Showcase, a Canadian TV network, in 1997. That same year, Markle ran for Mayor of Toronto in the

1997 Toronto municipal election The 1997 Toronto municipal election was the first election held for offices in the amalgamated "megacity" of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The elections were administered by the old City of Toronto and its five suburbs within Metropolitan Toronto. Th ...

promising

origami ) is the Japanese art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a ...

parking tickets, and magical elves to handle road construction. Markle received 1,244 votes. In 2003, Markle moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He performed at The Hollywood Improv and filmed comedy videos at the

Playboy Mansion The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who lived there from 1971 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby H ...

and the

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...

before taking the starring role in '' You’ve Got A Friend'', a hidden camera show produced by

Ashton Kutcher Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer and entrepreneur. His accolades include a People's Choice Award and fifteen Teen Choice Awards, in addition to a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. K ...

for MTV in 2004.

''Camp Hollywood''

In 2004, Markle wrote, directed, edited and produced the documentary ''Camp Hollywood'' which had its American broadcast premiere on

Sundance TV Sundance TV (formerly known as Sundance Channel) is an American pay television channel owned by AMC Networks that launched on February 1, 1996. The channel is named after Robert Redford's character in ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' and, w ...

. ''Camp Hollywood'' won a Gemini Award in Canada where it aired on IFC and

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

Television. ''Camp Hollywood'' follows aspiring actors, comedians and musicians residing at the Highland Gardens hotel, in Los Angeles, then a seedy hotel living on past associations with The Rat Pack, Janis Joplin and other rock stars. The documentary, which sees Markle trying to live at the hotel for 60 days in order to become a stand-up star, is considered a cult classic and features cameos by

Mark Margolis Mark Margolis (, ; November 26, 1939 – August 3, 2023) was an American actor known for his portrayal of the character Hector Salamanca in ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011) and '' Better Call Saul'' (2016–2022). His performance in ''Breaking Ba ...

and Malin Åkerman.

''Testees''

In 2008, Markle starred in the FX comedy series ''Testees''. Markle plays a slacker who works as a human guinea pig. ''Testees'' aired on FX in the U.S., the TV network Showcase in Canada, and on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.'

''Shoot To Marry''

In 2020, Markle’s documentary '' Shoot To Marry'' had its world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival winning the Audience Award for Breakout Features. Shoot To Marry had its European premiere at the

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove ...

and its Canadian premiere at the Canadian Film Festival where it won the award for Best Feature. Written, directed, edited and produced by Markle, the documentary follows the filmmaker, heartbroken from a failed Christmas proposal, as he films interesting women on a search for enlightenment and love. ''Shoot To Marry'' was released by Gravitas Ventures in the U.S. and by Northern Banner Releasing in Canada where it premiered on Super Channel.

Selected awards and nominations

* 2005

for Best Performing Arts Program or Series or Arts Documentary Program or Series: ''Camp Hollywood'' (2004) * 2005 nomination, Gemini Award for Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Series: ''Camp Hollywood'' (2004) * 2009 nomination,

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...

for Best Comedy Series: ''Testees (2008)'' * 2020

Audience Award for Breakout Features: ''Shoot To Marry'' * 2020 Canadian Film Festival Award for Best Feature: ''Shoot To Marry''

Selected filmography

* ''Camp Hollywood'' (2004) (Writer/Director/Editor/Producer) * ''Shoot To Marry'' (2020) (Writer/Director/Editor/Producer)

Television

* '' You’ve Got A Friend'' (2004) (Actor) * ''

'' (2008) (Actor) * '' Razzberry Jazzberry Jam'' (2008-2011) (Actor) * '' Kenny vs. Spenny Christmas Special'' (2010) (Actor) * '' Breakout Kings'' (2011) (Actor)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Markle, Steve Film directors from Toronto Film producers from Ontario Canadian male screenwriters Canadian male television writers Canadian television writers Screenwriters from Toronto 21st-century Canadian screenwriters Year of birth missing (living people) Living people