Marcus Stokes began his artistic career in the field of Architectural Design, in which he holds a Master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Drawn to the world of cinema, he soon transitioned into the digital realm as a computer graphics artist at George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). While at ILM, Stokes created groundbreaking visual effects for blockbuster films, including Star Wars Episode I, Minority Report, and The Mummy. He then moved to Los Angeles and supervised visual effects for The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, I Robot, and Serenity. 

Stokes officially began his directorial career when he joined the Director's Guild of America as a commercial director and created ads for clients including GMC, Nissan, and Walt Disney Pictures. Soon after, he realized his true passion in narrative filmmaking and began creating his own content. His very first film as writer/director, The Catalyst, was acquired by HBO and aired on their networks for two years. Stokes continued to develop his unique blend of storytelling and visual skills by working closely with veteran directors Tim Story and F. Gary Gray. This combination of talents is most evident in his VFX short film, The Signal, executive produced by Tim Story and starring Michael Ealy and Grace Phipps. 

Today, Stokes is focused on continuing his narrative filmmaking career. He successfully completed the directing programs at ABC, CBS, Fox, Sony, Warner Brothers, Ryan Murphy Television, and the DGA. He was also recently chosen as one of the Los Angeles Times' Diverse 100 for his cinematic and visual effects achievements. In September of 2017, he directed the CBS hit show Criminal Minds and quickly followed with episodes of Life in Pieces and Blindspot.