Mark C. Could Use A Little Help ...well, ok, a lot

Hello and Thank You!

My name is Mark Cirillo, an actor and artist, and I'm fundraising to pay for the new roof on my 100 year-old home in Los Angeles. Did you know my Farmer's home insurance doesn't cover roofs damaged by rain (unless a foreign object hits the house, causing the damage)? Honestly, painfully honestly, even if my "career" hadn't been devastated by a pandemic followed by 2 strikes, there are other factors; my previous low income due to exactly the crappy streaming contract one of those strikes was over, working mostly in independent films, and possibly a few terrible pre-pandemic auditions due to a bit of undealt with ADHD & PTSD), and this out of control post-pandemic gouging called "inflation."

I got 6 estimates, plus 4 companies who replied they don't work on flat or tile roofs (I have both!). The 2 most highly rated companies who responded on the Better Business Bureau website, who could start quickly and are the most capable (solar panels must also be removed and reattached), came in at about $27,000! That's double what I've paid the previous 2x I've had to replace it in the past. You see, flat roofs suck and generally need replacement every 5-10 years, and when they go, they really go ...as evidenced by the multiple leaks and damage caused to my home by the recent rainstorms in LA. I will be posting photos and videos of my (formally?) beautiful home and somewhat decent art & design work, which I've dedicated most all of the past 20 years of my life and all of my money into restoring.

If you know me, you know me and you know I'm not great at asking for help ...and I'm still not (this stream of conscious writing is proof of that). It was much easier raising funds in the past for (and working for) many non-profit charitable organizations like Project Angel Food, the spcaLA, and ConnPIRG, but it definitely made it more difficult.

If you know who I am, but maybe don't know me personally: Wow! Thank you! You must be a big fan of bad gay indie movies ...and I'm the lead in quite a few of them. You should see PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW, it's the one that's not bad.

If you don't know me at all, you're probably not a fan of bad gay movies and you probably blink while watching television ...which can dramatically increase your chances of not seeing me in commercials or episodes of wonderfully scripted shows such as Netflix's WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER series, WILL&GRACE, or HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.

Here's the thing; I had to higher one of the companies because this is an emergency but if I don't raise this money, I will most likely need to sell my home of 20 years and I will probably no longer be able to afford to live in LA ...which would make it considerably harder for me to continue acting (some of you may actually prefer that, but please don't let that keep you from contributing).

I'm trying to raise the full cost of the roof plus the GoFundMe fees, which may not prevent me from declaring bankruptcy for those same reasons listed above, but it will allow me to keep my home. Please help if you can with whatever you can. Thank you so so so much in advance.

xoMark