Mark Gordon began his career in performance. As a young man, I discovered a love for singing and followed it into the performing arts, studying acting, music, voice, and dance. My first professional job was at Disneyland, performing with the Kids of the Kingdom. From there, I toured Brazil with a circus, worked on the entertainment staff of Princess Cruises, performed in major production shows in Las Vegas and Reno, and appeared with Long Beach Civic Light Opera, Long Beach Opera, and Los Angeles Opera. That early training shaped my sense of pacing, presence, and what it means to hold an audience.

Years later, while studying Communication Arts at Loyola Marymount University, I needed an elective to graduate. My choices were Geology or Broadcast Announcing. I chose the microphone. That decision led me into the flawed, strange, wildly independent world of KXLU 88.9 FM, a station unlike anything else on the Los Angeles airwaves. KXLU was raw, eclectic, and deeply personal, driven by DJs whose taste and curiosity shaped every hour of programming.

I did not have a large record collection, but I did have a background in theatre and a fascination with conversation. Drawing inspiration from arts interview programs I had loved as a young performer, I created Center Stage, bringing actors, writers, directors, producers, and composers into the studio for long-form conversations about theatre, film, and the creative process. What began as an elective quickly became a calling.

In 1992, I began producing and hosting Center Stage, a weekly radio program devoted to film, theatre, and the people who make it happen. Over the years, I interviewed artists including Danny Boyle, Ben Kingsley, Ridley Scott, Sting, and Quentin Tarantino, gaining a front-row seat to the ways creative people work, struggle, and bring their ideas to life. Those conversations became a long apprenticeship in storytelling, craft, and artistic discipline.

That experience eventually led me into the classroom. After working as a substitute teacher, a principal encouraged me to pursue a CTE credential in Arts, Media, and Entertainment. I went on to teach podcasting and broadcast journalism at the high school level and later worked with adult learners, including adults with learning disabilities. Helping students find their voice, communicate clearly, and take ownership of their work has deepened my belief that communication is not just a creative skill, but a life skill.

What connects all of this work, performance, broadcasting, and education, is a belief that stories matter most when they help people find their voice. Whether I am interviewing an artist or teaching in the classroom, I am interested in the same thing: how people communicate who they are, what they care about, and why it matters.