WTF is on my Mind?!
Author, Speaker, Whistleblower and award-winning Director Mark Vicente was behind the sleeper hit “What The Bleep Do We Know?!” Several books have been written about the film’s remarkable grassroots marketing campaign, which led to its unprecedented success.
Mark was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1965. Taking his first photograph at age four, he quickly discovered his passion for being behind the camera. After attending film and drama school in South Africa, he began working his way up the ranks of the camera department, from Assistant to Operator to Cinematographer. His first big break came as Director of Photography on the musical “SARAFINA,” starring Whoopi Goldberg. In 1992, he set his sights on Hollywood and relocated to Los Angeles to shoot his first studio picture for Disney; “FATHERHOOD,” starring Patrick Swayze and Halle Berry. At the age of 26, he became one of the youngest cinematographers to shoot a big-budget studio picture.
Over the next few decades, he went on to shoot an additional 14 feature films and numerous documentaries, music videos and commercials. Mark soon found there were in him, untold stories he desperately wanted to express as a Director. He was driven by the conviction that tales of greatness, nobility and introspection could be exciting and financially successful.
Perhaps because of the very obvious race and class iniquities in South Africa, he found himself propelled to question certain fundamental assumptions at a very young age. Beliefs about human behavior, cosmology, religion, existentialism and mysticism. Along the way, he stumbled into a few situations where leaders with malignant pathologies (masquerading as saintly philosophers) spoke the talk of self-improvement but did untold damage to their followers... and him.
Looking back, he can now say he has been in at least two cults. His last foray into personal growth and his defection from NXIVM was chronicled in the HBO series “The Vow”. Mark and a few plucky whistleblowers exposed the criminal activities of the organization, resulting in multiple arrests and indictments. He doesn’t consider himself a cult expert, but by his own admission, “I’m an expert in being screwed over, waking up, and knowing how to spot them.” He’s got a pretty salty approach to most things and is fascinated by the myriad patterns in the human psychodynamic that create the best and the worst in civilization.
Join Mark as he unpacks a whole range of topics to do with: Psychology, Consciousness, Morality, Narcissistic Abuse, Spirituality, Cults, Propaganda, Science, Filmmaking, and Philosophy.You never quite know what you’re going to get, as it really does depend on… WTF is on his mind?!
Episodes
109 episodes
Inst@Guru: Bentinho Massaro - Keilan Part 2 "Closer to God"
This is part of my ongoing deep-dive investigation into the world of Bentinho Massaro - a Dutch spiritual influencer with millions of followers and a story that goes far beyond what's visible on his carefully curated social media. I've been doc...
Inst@Guru: Bentinho Massaro - Ivo van Woerden "The Journalist"
A note before you listen: this episode was recorded before I left for the Netherlands. I just spent seven days there shooting with the Three Amigos, Jacqueline Graham, Keilan McNeil, Jade Alectra and Ivo van Woerden, along with a number of othe...
Inst@Guru: Bentinho Massaro - Keilan Part 1 "The Mission"
For over four years I've been documenting the world of Bentinho Massaro - a Dutch spiritual influencer with millions of followers and a very dark story behind the public image. This is my deep dive investigation. We've heard from Jacqueline Gra...
Inst@Guru: Bentinho Massaro - Jacqueline Part 2 "All In"
In Part One, we met Jacqueline Graham, a Canadian mother of three, a lifelong spiritual seeker, and the woman who would become Bentinho Massaro's girlfriend. We watched her get drawn in: the love bombing, the pedestaling, the first cruelties, t...
Inst@Guru: Bentinho Massaro - Jacqueline Part 1 'The Seeker'
I've seen this before. Not something like this. Not a similar version of this. This. The same playbook. The same psychological architecture. Just a different face.For the video version of this podcast, head over to
Corey Feldman's Angels...in HELL - Part 2
THIS IS PART 2. In Part 1, I sat down with Margot Lane and Mara Moon - two former bandmates of Corey Feldman's Corey's Angels - to hear how they were drawn in: the love bombing, the false promises, the body shaming, and the slow erosion o...
Corey Feldman's Angels... in HELL - Part 1
In this first part of a two-part episode, I sit down with Margot Lane and Mara Moon; two former bandmates of Corey Feldman who were part of his group, 'Corey's Angels'. Both women were subjects of the documentary film Corey Feldman vs. The Worl...
What the Hell Is Going On?! (And What Do We Do Next) w/ Africa Brooke & Mark Vicente
Africa Brooke and I did an Instagram Live right after the Epstein files dropped, and we didn't hold back. Africa is one of my closest friends, one of the most honest thinkers I know, and someone who has never been afraid to ask the questions mo...
Adrenaline, Predators & Documentaries w/ @thatdocumentarygirl
She watches up to fourteen documentaries a week! Not for school. Not for work. Because she’s obsessed.In this episode of WTF Is On My Mind?, I sit down with Christie Boschman, known online as That Documentary Girl. Her platform has grow...
Is Free Speech Evil? w/ Dr. Chloe Carmichael
If you’re deeply committed to ideological purity or easily offended by nuance, this episode may be uncomfortable. And honestly, that might be the point. But if you’re a freethinker; someone who values truth over trend and curiosity over conform...
When Reality Breaks: Reclaiming Yourself After Psychological Abuse w/ Dr. Jaime Zuckerman
Psychological abuse, narcissistic abuse, and gaslighting can completely distort your sense of reality and self-trust.In this episode, I talk with Dr. Jaime Zuckerman about what survivors actually experience after emotional and psycholog...
Corey Feldman vs. the World: A Cult or Just Complicated? w/ Director Marcie Hume
I just watched the documentary Corey Feldman vs. the World and—holy S H I T. It’s hard to describe the experience. It’s messy, mesmerizing, disturbing, and somehow still deeply human.So I had to talk to the woman behind the lens.
War, Dating & Sex w/ Carina Eriksson
Carina Eriksson is an international matchmaker and dating consultant with over 20 years of experience. She runs Atlas International, a boutique firm helping accomplished individuals build meaningful relationships through her signature approach ...
Mainstream Media behaves like a Cult
I was at the gym when I looked up at the TV and saw my local weather duo doing their usual performative dance—fake smiles, scripted banter, corporate personas. That's when it hit me: this isn't just bad television, it's cult-like behavior.<...
MK Ultra: Cults, Trance States, and the Weaponization of Trauma w/ Richard Grannon & Adam Simon
In this episode, I delve into one of the most controversial and misunderstood programs in modern history: MK Ultra. Joined by Richard Grannon and screenwriter Adam Simon, we explore the reality versus the fiction of government mind control expe...
Is Politics Culty?
To De-Cult your news feed, sign up for GROUND NEWS using my affiliate link. 40% off the normal price. https://ground.news/checkout/all?fpr=mark93After spending over 10 years in a ...
NXIVM & the Psychology of Self-Pity w/ Richard Grannon
To De-Cult your news feed, sign up for GROUND NEWS using my affiliate link. 40% off the normal price. https://ground.news/checkout/all?fpr=mark93In this episode of WTF is on M...
Radical Self-Respect After Narcissistic Abuse w/ Jared Mello
What does it really take to stop repeating toxic patterns? To finally choose yourself after trauma, addiction, and emotional chaos?In this episode of WTF is on My Mind?!, I sit down with Jared Mello — aka The Wizard of Radical S...
Borderline or Narcissist? w/ Richard Grannon
In this episode, I sit down with Richard Grannon to ask the question that’s been on my mind for a while: What is Borderline Personality Disorder? And when you're trying to figure out someone's irrational behavior, is it BPD? Complex PTSD? Or Vu...
Victim Blaming w/ Richard Grannon
This conversation with Richard Grannon covers a topic I’ve been wanting to unpack for a long time: the tension between self-reflection and what often gets labeled as victim blaming. If you’ve experienced narcissistic a...
Narcissistic Abuse is like Radiation Poisoning
To De-Cult your news feed, sign up for Ground News using my affiliate link. 40% off the normal price. https://ground.news/checkout/all?fpr=mark93What if narcissistic abuse doesn’...
Are Narcissists Born or Made? w/ Dr Peter Salerno
In this episode of WTF is on My Mind?!, I sit down with Dr. Peter Salerno — a retired psychotherapist and author who has spent decades studying personality disorders, psychopathy, and complex trauma.Our conversation dives straight into ...
WTF Happened to God in Psychology? w/ Richard Grannon
New Youtube Channel and Podcast - "Remember Your Greatness"Youtube Channel
Bad Vegan Resurrected: Sarma Melngailis Sets the Record Straight
In this follow-up conversation, filmmaker, whistleblower, and podcast host Mark Vicente sits down again with Sarma Melngailis, the woman at the center of Netflix’s Bad Vegan.While the series portrayed her as complicit with Anthony Stran...
Mind Mapping Insanity: How Cults Normalize Madness
In this episode of WTF is On My Mind?!, filmmaker and whistleblower Mark Vicente explores what happens when we try to understand an irrational or dangerous mind. Whether it’s a cult leader, an abuser, or the mainstream media—attempting to “map”...