Mark Flood (animator)

Mark Flood (born 1996) is a Scottish animator, film director, producer, writer, voice actor and editor. He runs an animators' group in Glasgow, Scotland, called Mark Flood Animations. His films are known for being animated traditionally, and for often containing mature and dark themes not normally seen in cartoons aimed primarily at a young audience. Flood survived an unexpected stroke at the age of 14, which temporarily destroyed his drawing skills.

Early life
Flood was born in Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. He is of Hebridean, Irish and Lithuanian heritage. His mother's paternal great-grandparents escaped religious persecution in Lithuania and travelled to Scotland en route to America, and never left. His family was Roman Catholic, although he stopped practising in his early teens. He attended St. Cadoc's Primary School and St. Ninian's High School. He and many of his friends, including Jack Morrison and Imraan Ali, were largely involved in their school FILMCLUB. In March 2010, on behalf of the club, he collected an award in Odeon Leicester Square, London for "FILMCLUB of the Year". Stars present included Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Gemma Arterton, Ian McKellen, Sharleen Spiteri, James Corden and Jason Isaacs. Flood attended classes at the Glasgow School of Art, where he was involved in short cartoons, Legend Movie and Legend Movie 2. A third Legend Movie was planned for 2012 but was cancelled after Flood began work on The Freak Next Door. His work was known among the art lecturers for being controversial and material deemed offensive was often edited by the art school.

Career
In October 2011, Flood established an animators' group in Glasgow, called Mark Flood Animations, which uses only traditional hand-drawn animation. The group's first two films The Freak Next Door and Two Women, One Heart have been shown at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, Kids for Kids UK Film Festival and the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Flood also directed, co-wrote and produced two shorts called Mini Neds and Mini Neds: Round 2 in June 2013, and also provided the voice of one of the characters in both films.

In June 2012, Flood was a guest at the European premiere of Brave in Edinburgh Festival Theatre.

Flood is working on several shorts, The Freak Next Door 2, Catman Begins and God's Birthday Cake, and has recently announced a sequel to his film Two Women, One Heart. He is also working on a 30-minute animation Operation Alley Cat which will feature the voices of David Wallace, founder of PACE Theatre Company and his comedy partner Alan Orr. It was also announced that Flood would be helping with the screenplay for upcoming Scottish animated feature film Captain Longtooth and the Curse of the Golden Egg.

Personal life
Flood is a distant relative on his father's side of actor Gerard Butler.

Health
In December 2010, Flood was rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke caused by complications of infective endocarditis due to mitral valve prolapse. Until this point, he had been in full health almost his whole life. He lost the ability to move, write and speak properly, and was temporarily wheelchair bound as a result. Due to the damage his brain had suffered and him being unable to move his arms properly, his drawings skills were severely damaged. He made a full recovery in two months, while also receiving antibiotic treatment for the bacterial infection in his mitral valve, narrowly avoiding heart surgery. The production of Legend Movie 2 was delayed in order for him to recover, and he even managing to complete the film in time for its deadline in March 2011. Flood also caused temporary damage to his vocal chords after performing the grizzly voice of the villainous JFK in Legend Movie 2 in a one day recording session.

Charity work
Flood is a volunteer and fundraiser for the MediCinema charity in Yorkhill Children's Hospital after discovering the charity through his illness.

In October 2012, he was a guest and drew the raffle at the only preview of Skyfall in Scotland. The event was a fund raiser for Yorkhill Children's Hospital in Cineworld Renfrew Street in Glasgow.