WE ARE CAVE Pictures
We believe in artists and authors who want to tell stories that speak to the soul and invite readers to explore new perspectives on life.
“Legends and myths are largely made of 'truth', and indeed present aspects of it that can only be received in this mode … long ago certain truths and modes of this kind were discovered and must always reappear.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien
OUR STORY
Humans have always tried to make sense of their world through stories. We tell each other myths, parables, and poems to interpret our lives and reveal the order and meaning that we only see in hints and shadows out of the corner of our eyes. The earliest evidence of our collective myth making can be found on the cave walls of Lascaux and El Castillo. We pursued our quest for meaning through pigment and paint long before we could communicate through words and in writing. Whether oral or written, however, questions that could not, and cannot be answered by reason alone have always been explored through myth-making.
Cave Pictures Publishing is a wall for modern myth-telling. We produce content that is excellently crafted, deeply questioning, and spiritually meaningful.
Our projects include wholly original works by acclaimed artists in the comics industry as well as original adaptations of existing public domain and copyrighted works.
We tell stories through different genres like fantasy, supernatural fiction, historic fiction, and science fiction.
Our name is also inspired by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, in which a man who initially only sees reality cast in ill-defined shadows on a cave wall is freed and moves upward and onward toward the source of all goodness and truth. We believe that this journey is universal and fundamentally spiritual, that the one who seeks, finds.
Cave Pictures is committed to creating stories that seek to make sense of our world, that draw us toward the source of goodness, and that uncover what we worship, because as David Foster Wallace wrote,"Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship."
“Everybody worships.
The only choice we get is what to worship.”
— David Foster Wallace
THE TEAM
Mark Rodgers
Publisher
Mark has been involved in the production of graphic novels, young adult fiction, computer games, concerts, documentaries and films. Through his endeavors he has worked closely with artists as diverse as Michael W. Smith, Bono and The Fray. Mark has worked with entertainment companies such as Walden Media, Electronic Arts, Disney and Roadside Attractions, addressing issues including human trafficking, animal cruelty, global poverty and restorative justice. He launched a joint venture called Cave Capital, through which he has served as an executive or associate producer on several films, including Waiting for the Miracle to Come, which stars Willie Nelson and is executive produced by Bono and Wim Wenders. Cave was an investor in Martin Scorsese's Silence, based on a Japanese novel of the persecution of Christians in the early 17th century. Through another startup, More Productions, he served as producer of an off Broadway production of Babette's Feast, and as a producing partner of the only concert held annually in Central Park, Global Citizen.
Shahriar Fouladi
Chief Creative Officer
Shahriar Fouladi received his Ph.D. in Visual Studies from the University of California in Irvine and has taught courses on film, television, comic books, and more. In addition to being a published author on the superhero phenomenon in film and TV, he is the writer of the novella The Scooter Chronicles: A Southern California Modyssey, which was published by IDW and Burger Records. He has edited several comics and graphic novels, including Son of Shaolin, which was optioned as a feature film by Sony Pictures and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He is currently working on his own superhero comic book series and a science fiction screenplay. He resides in Southern California with his wife Laura.
Mandi Hart
President
Mandi Hart is an attorney and filmmaker with a passion for quality storytelling. She holds a JD from George Mason University's Law School and an MFA in Film Production and Direction from UNC-Greensboro.
Matt Hoffman
Editorial Director
Matt Hoffman manages the operations of Erasmus Fox, LLC, a pop-culture consulting and management company. Prior to Erasmus Fox, LLC, Matt was the Manager of Special Projects for Cryptozoic Entertainment where he oversaw Cryptozoic's white-label group, which created comic books, children's books, and games on behalf of Amazon, Google (Niantic Labs), Glu Mobile, Bandai Namco, dhx Media and other companies.
Kirsten Mount
Co-Manager, Social Media
Kirsten has her Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and her Master’s Degree in Education. She lived and worked in China for 5 years, taught math for 8 years, and is the founder of Cong Circle, a company aimed at empowering artists around the world. During her time at More Productions, Kirsten has worked on a variety of tasks and projects, including bringing films to the market, project marketing, distribution, graphic design and project consultation.
Nace Lanier
External Relations
Nace Lanier is the Director of the Washington Airport Interfaith Chapels, which serves the world from Reagan and Dulles Airports (he is presently exploring how to work with Elon Musk to reach the intergalactic community...). Nace is a leadership consultant and coach for Focusing Forward. He is the vicar of the Clapham Group as a side hustle. You gotta have a side hustle, right? Finally, and most importantly, Nace is the resident theologian/philosopher of Cave Pictures Publishing as a champion of truth, justice and the Way.
Board of DIRECTORS
Thomas Williamson Scott Hasenbalg Dale Brown Michael W. Cook
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek”
— Joseph Campbell