Biography

Born and raised in northwestern Connecticut, the third son of cartoonist Bill Sakren and special education teacher Marjorie Sakren, Marko has spent his life since ten years old exploring the arts and sciences of motion picture production. In 1968 he purchased his first movie camera (from his brother Jared) and became inspired by music (from his brother Paul). Since his prolific high school years at Kent School and college years at McGill University, Marko has become an accomplished writer, producer, director and designer with decades of experience in the Arts, Marketing, Advertising, Business and Movies. His passion for cinematic storytelling ranks high on his list of things that make him happy, along with his wife Kim and daughters Liana and Tia, and extended family. Since entering the business world in 1980, Marko has been the driving force behind the success of a multitude of projects ranging from the branding of national companies to live events that starred celebrity talent to videos that won awards and screened around the world. In recent years, he "hired" himself to focus strictly on motion picture development, production and distribution in the age of social media and do-it-yourself technology, from which has grown his company Glenbrook Studios.
- IMDb mini biography by: M.D.Sakren

William Steig's children's book Shrek, upon which the successful movie franchise was built, was inspired by a few details from Marko Sakren's childhood in the 1970's, namely the swamp and the character of Donkey, as Sakren and Steig were next door neighbors on adjacent farmland in Connecticut, and Sakren's donkey would often trespass onto Steig's property. Sakren and friends would frequent the swamp, and were once scared away by Steig. Just upstream from the swamp was a rocky grotto befitting a fairy kingdom. In the mid-nineties, Steig called Sakren to get advice about a movie company that wanted to make a movie from his children's book. Sakren shared his advice and Steig let Sakren know he would recognize a few familiar details from the story. Sakren forgot about that conversation until he was in the movie theatre with his eight-year-old daughter Liana, and then he instantly recalled his conversation when the "Based upon a book by William Steig" appeared on the screen. This trivia was big news in the Sakren household.

Happiness is the antidote to depression.

Life depends on how you view it.