Who is Madness Maker?
Madness Maker Films is a Full-Service Production Company with a chip on it's shoulder. The brain child of Bradley Pontecore, Madness Maker was conceived as a way to tell the stories of the weird and wonderful.
As a Full-Service Production Company, Madness Maker specializes in Feature Length Filmmaking, Music Videos and Live Concert Film Productions. From concept to completion, we can take your idea and turn it into reality for a price you can afford. No project is too small and no budget has ever stopped us from delivering a piece of work you can be proud of.
In 2018, our first Feature Length Film, PUNK BAND will be shown at festivals, in theaters and available for purchase on Video On Demand and Blu-ray.
MEET THE MADNESS CREW
Bradley Pontecore: Producer, Writer + Director
As a producer, writer and director, Brad brought his love for storytelling to the American Film Institute in 1997. As one of the youngest filmmakers in his class, Brad wrote and produced five films including the thriller TERRA MEA - the story of a man trapped for eternity inside a box with a jealous lover. He also wrote the Hitchcock-inspired film, STALE IDENTITY for director Mitch Levine. While spending a year immersed in the Native American culture of California and Canada, Bradley wrote and produced the 2000 Sundance Film Festival selection, MY BROTHER, starring the film and television actor Adam Beach (FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, WINDTALKERS and SMOKE SIGNALS).
Changing his sights to the advertising world, Brad teamed up with the marketing unit at Miramax for Martin Scorsese's GANGS OF NEW YORK and wrote the tag line, "American Was Born In The Streets", which promoted the film on a world-wide basis on both posters and the theatrical trailer.
For 13 years, Brad became immersed in the advertising and marketing industry, specializing in experiental, online and social media marketing for top agencies in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
In 2015 after a life changing epiphany, Brad picked up the camera again to become The Madness Maker and began making music videos for his friends, the Chicago murder-metal band, Macabre. It was while shooting a video with long-time friend Ian Tomele, that Brad decided to create PUNK BAND (2018). For the film, Brad and Ian's band Voice of Addiction spent four and a half grueling weeks on the road. The tour just happened to take place during the 2016 Presidential Debates and took on an extreme revolutionary feel.
Mitch Levine: Producer + Director
Mitch has written, produced and directed tributes to many of the world's greatest cinema artists and directs the Spirit of Independence Award for Film Independent. He was the founding producer and host of the AFI's Great Filmmakers series and the host of the Producers Forum at the Cannes Film Festival. Mitch moderates the annual Festivals and Markets panel for NALIP and has chaired or participated on panels focusing on almost every aspect of the art and craft of cinema and the performing arts. He regularly presents his workshop, Preparing Your Film for the Global Marketplace, around the world.
Mitch is also the founder of The Film Festival Group, a global consulting firm for festivals and distribution companies. He provides extensive editorial consulting to producers and filmmakers and helps design festival, market, acquisition and distribution strategies for their films. He served as Executive Director and CEO of the Palm Springs International Film Festivals, produced the first Bahamas International Film Festival, the first International Emerging Talent Film Festival in Monaco and served for many years as the Production Director of the LA Film Festival. He recently produced tributes to Nicholas Cage, hosted by Sean Connery, to Clint Eastwood, hosted by Tony Bennett and Dustin Hoffman and to Don Cheadle, hosted by Halle Berry. His theatrical career took him to many of the world’s greatest theatres and opera houses. Before his career in the arts, Mitch could be found trodding the corridors of the United Nations in New York as a Special Representative to the United Nations Disarmament Programs and chairman of the World Conference on Disarmament.
Mark Dannels: Producer
Mark Dannels was born December 6, 1978 in Richmond Virginia but was raised in a suburb of Indianapolis before moving to Chicago in 2002 to peruse a career in radio broadcasting. He attended Illinois Center for Broadcasting and studied both radio and television. His radio career began with an internship at 97.9 The Loop, Chicago’s classic rock radio station, before landing a production Internship with “The Kevin Matthews Show” on Chicago’s 105.9 WCKG. Mark bartended in the evenings and was hired as a weekend board-op on Chicago’s pop country channel US99.5 WUSN. During this time, he was working 7 days a week to make ends meet while having to sleep in the conference room of the radio station some days between shifts. Eventually those internships lead to on-air gigs at each station.
Known to radio listners as “Mark D.”, Mark hosted a Saturday rock show on WCKG as well as co-hosted a Saturday afternoon comedy talk show “The Frankie Show”. He would also occasionally fill in to produce and bord-op the “Howard Stern Show” Chicago broadcast and even once filled in for the legendary Steve Dahl, hosting a New Year’s Day rock show during Steve’s normal show slot. “Mark D.” could also be heard hosting weekend overnights and fill-in on US99.5. Eventually, despite being the top rated show on 2 Saturdays in Chicago, “The Frankie Show” was canceled to make way for new programing hosted by a Chicago media icon that failed to live up to its hype.
Following this decision, Mark left WCKG and increased his roll at WUSN. At the time, US99.5 (WUSN) was the top-rated pop country station in America and the number 4 rated station in Chicago over all. And despite a seething hatred for the genre, (that he kept well-hidden while on-air) “Mark D” remained on-air at US99.5 part time for the next ten years, ultimately leaving to take on the full time General Manager position at the Chicago hard rock bar and music venue, Cobra Lounge.
Cobra Lounge, was the creation of Chicago business mogul and “Riot Fest” owner Sean McKeough. It consisted of a Heavy metal theme bar and restaurant with a 300-capacity music venue in the back room, that hosted primarily heavy metal, punk and hardcore acts. Prior to managing Cobra Lounge, Mark worked for several other Chicago venues and festivals, including the Congress Theatre, City Winery, Riot Fest, as Stage Manager for Motoblot (Chicago’s largest Motorcycle Rally) as well as free-lanced for several others.
Currently, Mark is living in Louisville KY, after moving there in 2016 to become engaged to his fiancé, Natalie. He accepted a job offer from Live Nation that came with the move and worked as House Manager for The Louisville Palace Theatre and The Mercury Ballroom. He recently leftLive Nation and now works as Head of Security at Louisville’s legendary Headliner’s Music Hall.
Falyn Ernst-Bayles: Director of Marketing
A problem solver and compulsive concept thinker. Falyn earned a degree in Graphic and Multimedia Design and is now a creative director and entrepreneur based in Bloomington-Normal, IL. Over the last ten years, she’s built a reputation for herself as the founder of her company Playground 941, through development and branding solutions for a roster of clients including Boys and Girls Club, Easter Seals and National Association of Realtors. To date, she has successfully collaborated with hundreds of small businesses to design and manage a variety of advertising media ranging from print to web design, brand development, coordinating photo shoots and T.V. commercials for national and local clients and lead development designer on client campaigns.
Creativity doesn’t stop at five o’clock. Outside Madness Maker Films and Playground 941, Falyn loves all things art, DIY and crafts. When she is not creating, she can be found in the kitchen making up new vegan recipes, writing her graphic novel, practicing yoga, watching classic films, reading books and listening to records.