Mark Freedman is a licensor who eventually was the president and founder of Surge Licensing. He discovered the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book and pitched the idea of licensing the Turtles to Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird for merchandising, specifically as a toy line. Freedman went to Richard Sallis of Playmates Toys and with the C-level executives of Playmates, minted a deal for $150,000 to start a toy line.
As part of the deal once it became an animated series, Freedman was credited as a producer on the 1987 animated series and We Wish You a Turtle Christmas, as well as Street Sharks and Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa.