Mark Rosman

Mark Rosman brings a unique perspective to the conversation around drug addiction. Not just another therapist, scientist, or drug counselor, Mark is an award-winning Hollywood director, a professor at a top university, and most importantly the father of a daughter who struggled and then overcame her substance use disorder. Mark brings to his talks what he’s learned from his exciting career directing well known family feature films, his decades of teaching experience, and the personal insights he’s gleaned from his family’s success story with his daughter.

Mark shares the concrete steps of his personal journey: how he went from denial to acceptance, from being afraid to set boundaries to being able to say no, and from focusing intently on his daughter's feelings to being able to put his own feelings first. By getting the support his wife and he needed from counselors, parent group meetings, and parent workshops, he and his wife began looking at their own behavior and changing.  They were able to clean up "their side of the street". Today, their daughter is over five years substance free, thriving, and she just got married!

Being a filmmaker, Mark is doing what he knows best by harnessing the power of film to get this important and healing message out to the public. You will get a sneak peak into his latest film project that is about to start shooting. It’s called “Keep Coming Back” and it will be the first ever narrative feature film to focus on the crucial role families play in recovery.

Hear from the award-winning director of such films as “A Cinderella Story” starring Hilary Duff and Jennifer Coolidge, “The Perfect Man” with Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff, “Life-Size” with Lindsay Lohan and Tyra Banks, and TV shows like “Ghost Whisperer”, “Even Stevens”, and “Lizzie McGuire”. Mark’s been a professor at top film schools like USC and UCLA, is a published author, and has given keynote addresses at big addiction conferences like Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL), spoken at addiction related events in Phoenix and Santa Monica, presented at a Hazelden Betty Ford thought leader summit, headlined seven podcasts, and has been featured in several articles about addiction.

Mark’s talk will give parents and caregivers of those struggling with addiction the hope, help, and healing they seek to live out their most joyful and successful lives.