Who is MSM?
The “RC Bug” bit Mark at a young age after his Dad took him into a hobby shop following a dentist appointment. He was fascinated that these RC cars were so complex, advanced, and had the interest of grown adults. It made him realize that these down-scaled vehicles were much deeper than what he had seen and drove from a local Walmart or Kmart. (Yes KMart was around at that time)
Unfortunately at this time, his father did not have the means to get into a potentially expensive hobby. Fast forward almost 20 years, Mark’s draw to the hobby still exists except this time he had the resources to purchase one himself. He purchased a Traxxas Nitro 4tec off of Craigslist and the rest was history. His collection quickly grew and with his competitive nature, Santa Maria found himself at his local RC race track competing often. It did not take long for Mark to realize that RC racing wasn't just driving RC cars, it was a lifestyle and a family.
The friends and memories Santa Maria made in the hobby were not only priceless but funny and entertaining. In late 2015, Mark Santa Maria started the On The Tone podcast. On The Tone focused on the RC racing community with race news, race stories, interviews with industry leaders, and general RC racing banter. Naturally the On The Tone audience became less interested in the news and stories and more interested in the insider drama within the industry. This was against Mark’s original motivation behind starting the podcast.
After 4 great years being a brand in the hobby, Santa Maria put a halt on On The Tone just short of their 100th episode. With On The Tone gone, Mark had a huge void with the inability to share the amazing experiences and stories of the hobby. Santa Maria started shooting videos at RC races capturing the fun and excitement at these events. Between all these large races that Mark attended he still had the passion in building and rebuilding non race cars, BASHERS! His collection of RC Revos never stopped growing! (over 20 Revos) MSM decided to share some of his rebuilds on his favorite social media platforms and was amazed by the feedback and interest of these builds.
In 2018, the Mark Santa Maria Vlog was born and MSM shared his first full build on Youtube. He was blown away with the response and interest it received. It didn't take long for Mark to realize that the public was more interested in his general RC content driving RC cars at the parks, painting bodies, unboxings, repairing RC cars, speed run videos, etc. than any race related content! Things started to fall in place for Mark, his niche in the industry wasn't to be fast and talk about racing, it was to bridge the gap between all the disciplines of RC; hobbyist, bashers, scalers, racers, etc.. He realized the RC racing industry was backwards, although very talented and entertaining, all the value was placed on Pro Racers and very little on the group that supports the hobby the most, the NEW racers!
Mark (with his Wife Melissa) started a race team that was focused on growing the hobby and supporting the racers that need it the most, the beginners! The MSM Race team consists of RC ambassadors and professionals that drive towards 3 goals; growing the hobby, helping others, and most importantly, having FUN! Since winning is a by-product of having fun, it is not uncommon to see MSM drivers on the podium. The MSM Team welcomes everyone into the MSM family and hobby! Look for Mark and the team at your local races for a warm welcome into the hobby.
Check out all the latest on YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/c/MarkSantaMaria/