Super Mario at the intersection of tech, the arts and entrepreneurship. “Let’s make a show!”

Last I checked, Mario “Super Mario” Armstrong was the go-to guy for advice on everything tech and a champion of careers in the digital universe.

Now, as I report in my weekend Sun column, he’s on a very different mission, an effort to revive and champion the creative class, the one most threatened by technology, and existentially so by AI. He wants to do this by producing a weekly, high-quality national television show that inspires young creators and takes them through the process of entrepreneurship. In fact, the working title is “The Process,” and Mario wants to produce it in his hometown, Baltimore.

This is especially important given the potential for AI to further diminish the creative class.

Mario has good instincts for reaching audiences; he and his team won a regional Emmy in New York, a tough market, for a live show, called “Never Settle,” that streamed via Facebook Live for three seasons before the pandemic put an end to it.

Now, Mario and his wife and business partner, Nicole, are working toward establishing “The Process.” That itself, of course, is a process.

“We are still seeking corporate brand sponsors for the show and live tapings,” Mario says. “Plus, state and local government funding and investors for an ed-tech app platform. And we have partnered up with ‘Baltimore Homecomings Signature Event’ happening in the Spring 2025 to launch the series and invite the Baltimore community to the live taping of the inaugural episode.”

Mario has put together a team behind “The Process” that includes Daymond John of “Shark Tank” fame.

“We really have never in my memory had anything like this in Baltimore, a weekly, nationally broadcast production that shines a spotlight on the incredible talent and creativity coming out of our city,” Mario says. “It will also bring well-known guests from LA to New York who will experience Baltimore’s unique energy firsthand and carry that message back to their own communities. 

“I get that I may sound overly optimistic, but the vision is crystal clear to me. I can see how this consistent, high-level production with a live audience, featuring inspiring guests from across the country, will not only captivate viewers but also transform the narrative of where this show is created.

“On top of that, we’re committed to locally hiring and giving Baltimore’s youth a chance to shadow our production team, with pay, building valuable skills and inspiring future careers. That’s why the project is kind of a big deal in my eyes because it isn’t just about entertainment, it’s a boost to our city’s economic development, tourism, arts and culture showing audiences a positive, vibrant, creative side of Baltimore they haven’t seen before.”

While we were talking over coffee, I asked Mario about the future for the arts, with AI and the post-pandemic lifestyles of Americans. Given how much we’ve grown used to home entertainment — listening and viewing all forms of art on screens large and small — what’s the future look like for live theater and music, museums and the performing arts generally?

“I think there’s a profound shift happening,” Mario said. “Tech and AI is evolving so quickly that it’s creating a new craving — like a hunger, really — for genuine, human connection. Many people are already struggling to know what is real or fake with online video, they’re looking for that unmistakable, irreplaceable energy you can only feel when you’re there, in person. Whether it’s a live theater performance, where every note, every move is unrepeatable, or the energetic atmosphere of being in the flock at a Ravens game, those experiences can’t be duplicated or manufactured by any AI or screen. 

“Humans will always be drawn to moments that remind us we’re alive, in community, feeling something real together. That’s what’s bringing people back. No tech can replace the thrill of real connection. We’re wired for moments that make us feel alive. This is also why I’m also hoping to shoot “The Process” with a live audience, so Marylanders can come to a national production happening in Baltimore and be a part of the human experience. I could more easily tape this production but I’m doubling-down on bringing the city and state of Maryland a live amenity that they’ll enjoy in person.” 

I asked Mario to finish this sentence: Mario Armstrong wants to . . .

“ . .  wants to create the next generation of artists — not starving — with a spotlight. on the arts, culture and innovation that’s happening in Baltimore. Maryland.”