From sleeping on a park bench to millionaire - former Buxton resident hoping to inspire others

Marco Robinson is now a filmmaker with his debut film making it to number four in the Netflix charts. Following on from that success he has secured deals to make ten more films and now he wants to inspire people in the High Peak to believe in themselves.

The 54-year-old said: “If I can do it anyone can do it.

"I started out with nothing, literally nothing. At times I slept on a bench as me and my mum had no home for a while. I was the kid who was always bullied but I decided to stand up for myself and turn my life around.”

He started his career selling time shares in the late 1980s and then moved to Malaysia where he became a millionaire. At the age of 32 he had a heart attack due to stress and lost all his money on the stock market.

But Marco managed to turn things around. He stayed in Malaysia, opened a restaurant and was also given the honorary title of Dato' Seri, a Commonwealth knighthood, for his charity work.

He said: “I made a documentary which caused the country to change its laws and allow guide dogs in buildings. They were not previously allowed in due to religious beliefs but the film highlighted the struggle for 350,000 blind people in the country.”

Marco has previously starred in a TV show in the UK where he gave away homes to people in need to address the social housing situation but more recently his attention has been focused on film making.

He said: “My first film, Legacy of Lies, took years to get off the ground but I didn’t give up.”

The film was planned for a cinema release but the pandemic changed everything and even saw Marco return to live with his mum in Buxton, although he now lives in Manchester.

It was released instead on Netflix and became a huge success. His next production A Beautiful Break Up, a romantic-horror, is released on October 31.

The bestselling author, who has twice been named Entrepreneur of the Year, added: “It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your background is, anyone can be anything if they want it enough.”

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