Faith and Film Making

Mark A. Cummings is the founder and creator of Awalkonwater Entertainment, an independent film production company located in Columbus, Ohio. He wears many hats within the company, which showcase his talents as an actor, writer, producer, and director. As a native of Toledo and graduate of Macomber-Whitney Vocational Technical High School, his focus of studies was in Printing and Commercial Arts. He was also very athletic and well-known as a street football player. However, he gained true recognition as an outstanding basketball player during his high school years. Although he loved sports, deep down in his soul, Mark’s passion and desire were to be creative. 

After high school, Mark enlisted in the United States Army. He was stationed in Columbus, Georgia for three years at Fort Benning as an Infantryman. The Infantry is the branch of the military that fights on foot, primarily engaging in close-range combat. The Infantry is the backbone of the army’s ground forces. The Infantry is also known for its high physical and psychological demands—which explains a few of Mark’s capabilities as a critical thinker and protector who loves helping others. He credits his time serving in the military as a powerful learning experience that taught him tenacity, discipline, and maturity. It’s a part of his life he cherishes. He met lifelong friends from around the world, with whom he still holds close relationships with today. The men call themselves “The Fugitives.” The crew that was once his boys are now grown men—brothers with a common bond that cannot be broken.

Mark returned home to Toledo after the Army and spent the next four years working what he felt were dead-end odd jobs. He was feeling a bit unsatisfied in his life and wanted to do more. So he and a close friend, Tim Thornton, decided to create Operation Christian Youth Outreach (OCYO). OCYO was an organization dedicated to giving back to its community by keeping young teenage boys off the streets, teaching them the word of God and basketball skills. OCYO inspired local youth to concentrate on the positive forces in their lives. Members of OCYO traveled around the city, playing at different neighborhood parks and recreation centers, eventually creating a city league. It was a successful program for about two years, until the boys playing started to make the team for their prospective high schools. They switched their focus and commitment from OCYO to the opportunities they found. Mark eventually did the same when he was offered a position as Assistant Coach under Coach Verdis Cheers. He co-managed the freshman basketball team at Scott High School for the season of 1993. 

Setting his sights on new heights at the end of 1993, Mark relocated to Columbus, Ohio. He took his life lessons, basketball skills, and the willingness to protect and help others with him to create a new life. It’s where he uncovered his deep-rooted passion for creating art. He started out modeling and acting. He has performed in stage plays and displayed his winning smile in print ads for his local newspaper, The Columbus Dispatch. His face appeared on billboards across Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana, advertising for many clients—The Casino, Ohio Tourism, Ohio Health and Smoking Cessations, to name a few. He was also a spokesman for 1-800-pay-cash. 

Mark has written three books—an urban fiction novel and two poetry books. After writing books, modeling, and acting, he found himself fascinated and drawn to the lights, cameras and behind-the-scenes production of it all. He wanted to write more and expand on his talents, so he enrolled in a screenwriting class. He acquired a wealth of knowledge and enjoyed the class so much that he took it twice. He continued to research and study the film industry on his own. Mark soon established Awalkonwater Entertainment in 2007. He wrote his first movie script, Best Supporting Daddy, in 2008. He had an offer from someone who wanted to buy and produce it as a screenplay in Los Angeles, but felt in his heart he really wanted to do it himself. 

Although Mark had doubts at first, he finally made the decision to go for it. Thereafter, with no real experience, he stepped out on faith by doing pre-production and casting calls to find actors. By the end of 2009, he had his team in place and started filming. Mark had written, produced, and starred in his first movie with on-the-job training in one year! 

To date, Mark has written a total of six movies, produced a total of seven, and directed and starred in four. In addition to “Best Supporting Daddy”, his films include “The Buyout”, “Premeditated”, “Holy Hustle”, “A Family Affair”, “Hopeless Hills” and “When Three Become One”. All are award-winning films at various regional film festivals. Mark also won the Best Ohio Lead Actor award for his role in “Premeditated”. You can find his films “Holy Hustle” and “Premeditated” streaming on Tubi, and his most recent film “When Three Become One” on Amazon Prime, released in June 2024. 

Awalkonwater Entertainment’s vision and mission are to be the Midwest’s leading film and entertainment television production studio. The company is dedicated to engineering superior and original stories to entertain the world through the visual media of film and television while educating and equipping future generations with knowledge and experience of the film and television industry. 

Mark A. Cummings, has proven, demonstrated, and is a true testament to the phrase “anything is possible” if you believe in yourself and have faith. His viewpoint is summed up in a tagline for Awalkonwater Entertainment: “It’s Possible”. 

Angela M. Smith is a Realtor and flight attendant who resides in Atlanta, Georgia. As a native of Toledo, she is passionate about connecting others to achieve a common goal. Her focus is on writing the untold stories of people who thrive in our communities.