Mark O’Connell got his start in TV writing for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (including fan favorite “Who Mourns for Morn?”). His comedy crop circle spec’ screenplay Doug and Dave was in development at Disney with the late Bill Paxton attached to direct. Mark’s first book is The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs, a biography of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, famed UFO researcher and inspiration behind the epic film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. His second book, The Year Science Changed Everything, is being published in May, 2025. Mark has served as Co-Executive Producer and/or on-camera expert on paranormal reality shows for TRVL, NatGeoTV and NHK (Japanese Public TV). He currently serves as Co-Executive Producer on The Lost Monster Files, now streaming on max, and will be featured in an upcoming episode of Ancient Aliens. Mark also offered commentary on UFOs in a recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on max.
