About Mark Gentile

My name is Mark Gentile, and Tastebuds is the creative + digital communications practice through which I work with small and midsize organizations and independent professionals. Depending on the project, I may also collaborate with trusted specialists, but I remain closely involved in the thinking, direction, and execution.

My work has evolved across design, publishing, content, web, search, motion/video, and digital communications. That range is not the result of trying to become a one-person agency. It reflects the way client needs have expanded over time — and the fact that communications problems rarely stay confined to one discipline.

How the work evolved

I began my career as a graphic designer in the mid-1990s and later became Creative Director for a niche-magazine publisher in New York City. That experience gave me a strong foundation in visual communication, editorial judgment, and the practical realities of producing work for real audiences.

After moving into independent work, I gradually expanded into web development, content, search, social, and digital strategy. Side projects and entrepreneurial ventures sharpened those skills further, especially where design, publishing, technology, and audience development intersected.

Over time, the work became less about producing isolated deliverables and more about helping clients make sense of broader communications needs: what to say, how to organize it, where it should live, how it should look, how people will find it, and what needs to happen next.

Continuity matters

Much of my work today comes through long-term client relationships, referrals, and projects that expand over time. I may begin with a website, a campaign, a piece of content, or a design need. As I learn the organization, the role often grows because one issue reveals another.

That continuity matters. It allows me to understand the history behind a problem, recognize what is worth changing, and avoid reinventing what already works.

How I tend to work

I combine strategic judgment with hands-on execution. I am comfortable stepping into situations that are incomplete, evolving, or not neatly defined, then helping clarify what matters and carrying the work through.

When a project benefits from outside expertise, I am also comfortable collaborating with developers, writers, photographers, media specialists, or other partners while remaining a consistent point of contact.

~Mark