OB Resident in Focus: Mark Bell

Name and Role

Mark Bell, Podcast Producer, Oral Historian/interviewer, Video Editor

Company elevator pitch

My love is audio storytelling. I am a freelance producer for the International Carwash Association. I produce their show: Car Wash the Podcast. I also work for a company called Tales. We make audio recordings of people’s life stories for their loved ones and future generations. I am the interviewer, so I spend time chatting with the elderly.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in 2023 so far?

If you are lighting an outdoor gas fireplace, ensure the gas has been fully turned off from its previous use. That way, gas will not have filled the surrounding area when you click the lighter in your hand.

Do you have any hobbies or interests?

I love to cook. I have also made a hobby of feeling guilty when I get a takeaway instead of cooking. I have an MFA in photography and don’t take many photos anymore but I think about them/buy books/and go to exhibitions frequently. I love music, especially in person, but I also like finding music, recommending music, getting recommended music, reading about music, etc. I have started to learn many many instruments but don’t play any well. I love all sorts of interaction with bodies of water, getting tattoos, walking, and powerlifting. Time and connection with people I care about is perhaps what I value most in this world. I listen to a lot of podcasts.

Really, I am a “phase guy”. I become very interested in something and think about it all the time until one day I wake up and have moved on to something else. Currently (since my 30th birthday) I have found a deep obsession with Sudoku puzzles and as of last week crosswords. Something about getting old.

I would tell people to learn how to ask better questions. We all probably talk too much about ourselves.

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs/companies right now? 

I am so new to self-employment and entrepreneurship, I am not in a place to dole out advice. Generally, however, I would tell people to learn how to ask better questions. We all probably talk too much about ourselves.

Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you?

High School Musical was filmed at my high school while I was there.

If you could pick up a new skill in an instant what would it be?

I would be incredible at the piano. My biggest regret is quitting piano lessons when I was young.

What do you enjoy most about Ormeau Baths?

I moved to Belfast a few months before the first COVID-19 lockdown. I have enjoyed it here, but most of my time here has been isolated. Ormeau Baths has been a place to make excellent friends and feel a tiny bit more woven into the tapestry of the city.

Who is your dream business mentor?

Alex Blumberg

If you could win a lifetime supply of any one thing, what would you choose?

Crunchy Bars

Where can people find out more about you and your business?

Mrkbll.com

@mrkb.ll on Instagram

But, really, I would like it best if you came and said hello in person.