What’s your full name? 

Marc Edward Richard Vibbert

Were you named after anyone?

Yes, a few actually. To start with for my first name, that was originally intended for my mother before she was born, but when she turned out to be a girl my grandparents named her something else instead, so she chose to then give me the name.

My middle name is the same as my paternal grandfather — was never super close with him but I enjoy having the connection by our shared middle names. Then finally, my confirmation name of Richard was something I chose as it was my maternal grandfather’s name and I was very close with him and I felt it was some small way I could try to honor his memory.

What’s your average day like?

My days usually start around 6am. My wife and I both work the same days of the week and similar shifts at our jobs. The morning is spent as we both get ready and also making sure our son is getting ready for school on time.

Once I get to work I spend the day teching customer’s issues as they call in. After the work day ends I’ll either spend the evening watching whatever tv series my wife and I are catching up on at the moment or a movie either with her or by myself. Then the next it starts all over again.

How far away do you live from where you were born? 

2,310 miles, according to Google Maps.

Is that distance something you think about? Do you have any connection to your place of birth?

All the time. My place of birth was close to my hometown.

What do you consider to be your “home”?

There’s two “places” I consider home. The first is anywhere my wife and son are, I can feel like I’m home anywhere in the world as long as they’re around.

The second is an actual place. My hometown of Auburn, NY. That’s where my parents and sister still live, where my best friend and his family live. And its where the majority of memories I have from my life are located. That city and the people that live there will always hold a very special place in my heart, as schmaltzy as that sounds.

At the moment, what’s something you’re looking forward to?

Something I’m looking forward to currently is an upcoming trip to the Bay Area of California next year. I’ll be touring Pixar, which is an item that’s been on my bucket list for a very long time.

What items do you always take with you when you leave the house?

Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet, & Watch (iPhone) – as well as a plethora of useless pop culture knowledge related mostly to films and television.

When you look in the mirror, what do you notice first about your appearance?

My bald head and the thick beard on my face.

If you could change something about your appearance, what would it be?

To have a thick head of hair. I’ve grown to be used to the baldness, but at the age of 30 I kind of wish it had stuck around a little longer. Makes me so much more appreciative of my thick beard.

I also wish I didn’t have such a fat head, because being bald I need plenty of hats to protect my head from the sun where I live and it’s always tough to find one that actually fits me.

What do you first notice in strangers?

The way they treat other people. Politeness and kindness go a long way, and it’s something I’m glad my family instilled in me so much.  You can usually tell the type of person someone is by the way they treat others.

What do think those that know you say about you?

That I’m quiet/introverted guy, a family man, a dry sense of humor, a dreamer, a walking IMDb source, and a good/loyal friend.

What would you hope they would say?

Hopefully all of the above and maybe some stuff that would surprise me. As I always tend to be the most critical of myself and how I act.

What do you think strangers notice first about you?

The way I carry myself, my reserved personality of a turtle inside of its shell, and then probably my beard.

What is your proudest moment? Biggest victory?

My proudest moment is the birth of my son. To follow up on that I’d like to say my biggest victory was being a good father, but I don’t think that’s for me to say whether or not I’ve done a good job so far being a father to my son.

So if I had to choose something else as victory it would be my animation podcast (Animation Fascination) and the numerous guests I was able to get on it over the years. The best part of which was cultivating friendships with these people I really looked up to.

What is your biggest regret? Biggest failure? 

I sometimes consider moving away from NY to be my biggest regret. We had originally moved out west for me to pursue my film career and live in AZ for 2 years at the most, and 5 years later we’re still here.

That’s what I consider my biggest failure, my film career. Outside the 7 or 8 television production assistant jobs (for a few days to a week at a time) I’ve had over the past 6 years, it really hasn’t amounted to anything.

If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?

That I had a more positive attitude about life and wasn’t always so down on myself. I have a lot going for me and I need to remember that when days go to crap

What makes life worth living?

My wife, my son, my family, close friends, and movies…

…but especially really well-made films can help you escape to another time, another place, and make you feel something.This is why I love movies so much and why I watch so many of them. They inspire me, they help me look at myself and the world around me in a different way. For 90 minutes, to sometimes almost three hours, you can just forget everything and fully immerse yourself in these stories.

This is why I went to school for filmmaking and why I have wanted to plant my foot in the industry in any studio that would take me. Film is my passion and I am grateful for it being an art form that exists and can affect us in the way that it does.

If you could know exactly when and how you would die, would you want to know?  

Only if it was in some horrific manner as I’d want to make sure that none of my family was anywhere nearby when it happened so they wouldn’t have to witness it.

What is the one rule you try to live by? Do you feel successful at following it? 

Treat others the way I’d like to be treated. I believe I’m successful in this and I’ve tried to pass that on to my son as well. After working so many years in customer service it’s often very upsetting to see how a lot of human beings treat one another. So I try to be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem.