Writing
Marcus has written scripts for award-winning theatre and short films alongside successful corporate work. He has a flair for crafting witty dialogue, loveable characters and strong story structure. Marcus’ experience as a writer and TV producer also make him a skilled script editor, with a reputation for providing clear and constructive feedback on scripts and treatments.
Highly Flammable Love (comedy play, Melbourne 2018 & Adelaide Fringe 2019)
Co-written by Marcus Doherty & Zara Sengstock, this hilarious and heartwarming theatre production received rave reviews by audiences and critics alike in Melbourne and Adelaide.
After naively following his heart to the small country town of Shilungatta, not-so-nice-guy Dennis finds himself in a state of disillusion when the girl of his dreams breaks up with him out of the blue. What follows is a messy one night stand with the mysterious and unpredictable Zoe, throwing Dennis' sheltered world into a chaotic head spin. Featuring a live band, wild physical comedy and a show-stopping car chase, Highly Flammable Love is a one-of-a-kind romantic comedy set against the backdrop of a vengeful bushfire.
“Highly Flammable Love is highly loveable…Combines comedy, dance, live music, pathos and drama to present a very funny play which also has some powerful messages. ★★★★½” - Glam Adelaide
“Embraces the Australian identity in an original and funny way.” - Weekend Notes
"A physically entertaining and endearing blend of slapstick, drama and sketch comedy. ★★★★" - Channel 44
Limited Time Only (short comedy/drama film, 2016)
A darkly funny exploration of the self-help industry starring Michala Banas (McLeod’s Daughters, Upper Middle Bogan). Karen grows increasingly reliant on the wisdom of daytime infomercials to battle her growing depression, leading to a bizarre public encounter with motivational speaker Dr Leslie Taurus (Chris Connelly).
Recipient of a Writing Grant by Matchbox Pictures (2015)
Official Selection at St Kilda Film Festival (2016)
Silver Remi Award Winner, Worldfest Houston (2017)
Written & Directed by Marcus Doherty. Producer: Amy Booth. DOP: Samuel Broeren. Editor: Courtney Broad.
The Zombie’s Guide to Not Growing Up (Kids treatment & scripts, 2019)
In 2019 Marcus completed a treatment and 4x 20-minute spec scripts for this live-action series aimed at 10-14 year olds, receiving industry support from a number of children’s entertainers and educators. Zombie’s Guide is a fast-paced school-based comedy with relatable ‘growing up’ conflicts and fun low-budget supernatural elements.
Mildred and Oscar are just like any other teenage siblings - they bicker with each other, they hate homework, they’re confused by their own bodies and they can’t understand why adults always talk down to them. There’s just one tiny little difference: they’re zombies who haven’t aged for thirty years. These eternal high-schoolers are total experts on never growing up…but this semester, things are going to change.
To check out the treatment and writing samples for this project, please get in touch.
(Illustrations by Alex Smith, 2018)
Chris & Imo’s Footy Show (AFL Media webseries, 2018-19)
As Kids Content Producer for the AFL, Marcus wrote, directed and produced this popular scripted webseries aimed at kids aged 8-12 as promotional material for the 2018 AFL Finals and the 2019 AFLW season. Each week from their own bedroom, footy-loving siblings Chris & Imo present a wildly imaginative and silly recap of the latest AFL news…with the help of their trusty goldfish sidekick Patrick Dangerfish.
Each episode of Chris & Imo’s Footy Show was viewed by an average of 20,000 young viewers.
Kids Marketing/Corporate Work
MILO® Backyard Champs (Nestlé MILO® webseries, Tandem Media 2019)
Chris & Imo’s Footy Show proved so popular with younger viewers that Nestle MILO® asked Marcus to write and direct more content starring the siblings in this 3-part series promoting the new MILO® Champ Band fitness tracker. Chris and Imo compete in an epic backyard fitness competition featuring step count challenges, burp-a-thons and a trampoline-loving cat.
Backyard Champs was viewed on YouTube by over 600,000 young viewers.
Alopecia Areata: Why Does My Hair Fall Out? (AAAF educational video, 2016)
This educational video aimed at kids aged 5-12 has been screened to countless families and classrooms in Australia and beyond, even being redubbed into other languages by international charities. When Jamie the puppet loses his hair, he searches everywhere to find it…until a friendly doctor teaches him about alopecia.
“This video has made a huge difference to our son who is 4 years old. We've watched it dozens of times and refer to Jamie and his doctor often when discussing alopecia with him. We quote many of the lines and always have a good laugh. Thanks for making a big difference in our family's life with this great video.” - Jason, father
