Mark "Jeff" Reed

Acting

Mark "Jeff" Reed was born Mark Jefferson Reed in Utah in the mid-1960s. A descendant of early Mormon pioneers who helped settle the Western United States, Jeff was raised by a gold exploration geologist father and a watercolor artist mother. His parents were deeply influenced by the 1960s and 1970s "flower power" movement, traveling in a VW Bus and camping for months at a time while Jeff helped prospect for gold. His father's career eventually took the family to Costa Rica, Haiti, Denver, and finally Tucson, Arizona, in 1978.Jeff’s passion for acting, music, and songwriting began early. In elementary school, he attended acting workshops at the University of Utah, starred in regional television commercials for Grand Central Stores, and auditioned for local movie roles. At age nine, he bought his first electric guitar with money earned from mowing lawns and shoveling snow. His creative writing talent caught the attention of teachers and professors alike. At age 12, while living in Denver, he performed with the Colorado Ballet Company in a production of The Nutcracker for the Governor of Colorado.In Tucson, Jeff continued studying acting and music, leading to background acting work. He appeared in five episodes of the television series "Legend" (1995) starring Richard Dean Anderson and John de Lancie. He also worked as an extra in "An Unfinished Affair" (1995) with Jennie Garth and Tim Matheson, "Vanishing Point" (1997) starring Viggo Mortensen, "Hijacked Flight 285" (1996) starring Anthony Michael Hall, and "Tin Cup" (1996) starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo. As a songwriter, Jeff has composed numerous tracks and a radio jingle. He also manages musician Shep Cooke (ShepCooke.com), a former member of The Stone Poneys with Linda Ronstadt. Jeff produced two of Cooke's albums, digitally re-released two more, and had several of his original songs—including "This Old House," "Mr. Greenman," and "Everyday Hero"—featured on Cooke's Everyday Hero album. An active entrepreneur from a young age, Jeff bought and sold hundreds of cars and trucks during high school and college, flipping his first vehicle at age 15. While in college, he founded a PPO dental plan, recruiting local dentists and enrolling hundreds of clients. After college, he transitioned into real estate, ultimately purchasing over 200 homes and rental units, including John Denver’s childhood home (JohnDenverHome.com), which now operates as a vacation rental. As an inventor, Jeff is a co-inventor on 12 U.S. patents in cellular communications (Traxcell.com) and two automotive patents (BimmerFix.com). His cellular inventions include early foundational technology for smartphone navigation systems used globally today to calculate the fastest routes and avoid traffic. Additionally, he co-invented a cellular network tuning system known today as the Self-Optimizing Network (SON). This global technology automatically optimizes wireless networks without physical road testing, significantly reducing dropped calls and improving connectivity worldwide. Jeff holds a Business Degree from the University of Arizona and has been happily married to his wife for over 40 years.