Mario Pagano is a Venezuelan Director, Writer, Producer, Photographer, Musician and Artist. He began to tell stories from the age of 15, with the video 8 camera that his parents gave him.

His genetic mix combines the aestheticism of his Italian part from his father and the exuberance of Venezuela -his mother, in a family environment where Art and Music were protagonist. At the age of 18, Mario began to work in front of the cameras in commercials and T.V. programs. At the same time he studied Advertising.

He lived a brief season in Paris, where he expanded his connection with Art through Fashion and returned to Caracas to study the acting career, with the firm goal of understanding the actor’s methodology and making his way to directing film.

In 1998, he dedicated himself to photography in a self-taught way and stands out with his photographic style, full of color and strength, building a narrative through the images that he created. He worked with important fashion magazines and advertising agencies in Latin America.

At the age of 27, he received the “Best Fashion Photographer of Latin America” award for the “Vogue Latin Fashion Awards”. After, Mario settled in New York to study at the New York Film Academy.

In 2003, he moved to Spain (Madrid), where he continued his audiovisual career working in different film projects, TV Series, music videos and commercials. In his search for new ways of storytelling, Mario also experimented with Theater, directing and producing two plays: “Do not ask me to return” and “Paco the Butcher”. In Madrid he also shot his next four short films, among them: “Shock” won the “Special mention Calle 13” at the Spanish film festival: “Notodo Film Fest”, also the short film was selected in a wide variety of international film festivals.

In 2016 he premiered his first feature film titled: “Backseat Fighter” in which he is the Scriptwriter, Director, Producer and Cinematographer. The film is and independent production, shot in english & has been premiered in theaters in Europe, Latin America & USA. The film has obtained the “Official selection” in different international film festivals as the and won three awards at the “International Action Film Festival of Spain 2018” including: “Best Picture”

In 2020 he won an “Honorable Mention” at the prestigious “International Photography Awards” and published his first book: “Monitor”.

In 2021 he won another “Honorable Mention” at the IPA Awards. 

In 2023 he began to coordinate the group of Video Art in The Visual Artists Association of Madrid (AVAM), presenting his Video-Art “Deformed Beauty” while he continues working on the Series and won another “Honorable Mention” at the IPA Awards Nude in the section Fine Arts Photography. 

In 2024 Mario won “Honorable Mention” at the Monochrome Photography Awards and a “Nomination Award at the “Fine Art Photography Awards” in London. Mario will premier his second Feature Film: New Earth / “Nueva Tierra”  a Fantasy Thriller in which apart from directing, writing, producing and made the cinematography also he composed the Original Soundtrack.