Mark Obenhaus is a renowned producer, director, and writer in the documentary television and film industry. His most recent project, Steep, a feature documentary about big mountain skiing, premiered at the 2007 Tribeca and Telluride Film Festivals and is being distributed theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics.
Throughout his career, Obenhaus has been associated with ABC News since 1991. He began as a senior producer for the primetime magazine show, Day One, before becoming an executive producer for the two-hour special, Dangerous World: The Kennedy Years, in 1997. In 1998, he took on the role of senior producer for the twelve-hour series, The Century with Peter Jennings.
In 2002, Obenhaus produced two prime time hours for the ABC series, In Search Of America. He then went on to executive produce, direct, and write the two-hour co-production between ABC and the BBC, The Kennedy Assassination: Beyond Conspiracy, in 2003. The following year, he executive produced, directed, and wrote the two-hour primetime special, UFOs: Seeing Is Believing, with Peter Jennings.
Prior to his work with ABC, Obenhaus produced and directed documentaries and commercials for various clients, including the three major networks and public television. He produced six programs for the public television series, Frontline, two of which won Emmy Awards. He also produced and directed films about music and performers, such as Miles Ahead: the music of Miles Davis and Einstein on the Beach, for Great Performances.
In addition to his work in documentary television, Obenhaus has produced and directed historical films, including 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 with Bob Fosse, wrote and directed two independent dramatic films, and produced and photographed cinema verite documentaries for Westinghouse Broadcasting.
Throughout his career, Obenhaus has received numerous awards and honors, including 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, and four American Film Festival Awards.
