Black Mark explores the riveting story of former NBA star Matt Barnes who was the target of a hate crime while a senior in high school. The film - which features appearances by Snoop Dogg, former UCLA teammate and Earl Watson, among others - explores how a man of mixed-race, who was never white enough for his Italian heritage, or Black enough for his African American side, struggled to understand his identity. It looks at how Barnes' interpersonal conflict epitomized by his Black Mark both hindered and helped shape the man, the basketball player, and ultimately the powerful media voice he is today.
ABOUT NATHAN ELLIOTT
Nathan Elliott is Canadian entrepreneur, technologist, advertising executive, filmmaker and philanthropist. He is currently the Founder and CEO of FrontRunner Technologies, one of the most disruptive forces in immersive media, retail, and commercial real estate today - the company has brought literal window shopping to life. He also recently co-founded Love-Hate Productions to write and executive produce “Black Mark,” a documentary film and podcast project examining the Black experience in sport.
Nathan Elliott is Canadian entrepreneur, technologist, advertising executive, filmmaker and philanthropist. He is currently the Founder and CEO of FrontRunner Technologies, one of the most disruptive forces in immersive media, retail, and commercial real estate today - the company has brought literal window shopping to life. He also recently co-founded Love-Hate Productions to write and executive produce “Black Mark,” a documentary film and podcast project examining the Black experience in sport.
The film was featured at Tribeca Film Festival and won the HolllyShorts Festival for Best Sports Documentary. His recent short film, “With Love, Charlie,” - currently on Samsung TB+ was selected by the HollyShorts Film Festival for inclusion opening night, and went on to win several international film awards. He has several other films set for production in 2025, focused on brand entertainment and sports. Nathan writes and speaks regularly on exponential technology, new age content creation, disruptive innovation, brand entertainment, and the future of public space. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg, Crain's Business, The Globe and Mail, and Women's Wear Daily.
He is a frequent podcast guest and host, known for his energy and depth of conversation. He was chosen by the CBC as a Top 40 Under 40. Prior to his work as a futurist, Nathan wrote extensively on the topics of social justice, economic development, and energy policy for the Indigenous peoples of North America through his consultancy Insightwest.
Notably, he was also a Clerk at the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan after graduation. Nathan’s work as founder of Huddle Up Foundation charity outfitted thousands of deserving children with winter coats and sports equipment in his home province of Saskatchewan over several years.
Continuing his passion for philanthropy, Nathan co-founded Re:Store in 2021, a non-profit helping Black owned businesses recover post-pandemic, providing no cost content creation, ad strategy, and online promotion. Nathan currently splits time between Toronto and Venice, CA, where he enjoys writing, golfing and weightlifting.
