Energy Advisor and Filmmaker Mark Stansberry Joins OKC Route 66 Roundtable Event

Energy advisor, author and filmmaker Mark A. Stansberry has been added to the lineup for the Route 66 Roundtable and Social Networking Event, set for Thursday, October 8, 2026, at Reagan Smith on Route 66 in Oklahoma City.

Stansberry will appear as a standalone presenter rather than as part of one of the event’s three roundtable panels. He is scheduled to screen his seven-minute mini documentary on “Route 66 Royalty,” walk attendees through the larger documentary series project behind it, and take questions from the audience.

Who is Mark Stansberry

Stansberry is a corporate leader in the energy industry, currently working as a strategic energy strategist, international negotiator and corporate advisor to boards and C-suites. He has served as Chairman/CEO of The GTD Group and as CEO/President of The Oklahoma Royalty Company.

Beyond the energy business, Stansberry is an award-winning film producer (an Emmy nominee), music producer, columnist, podcast host, radio talk show host and the author of six energy-related books.

He co-founded GrayMark Productions in 2001 with Academy Award-winning producer Gray Frederickson; the company has produced five feature films and won an Emmy for a documentary. Stansberry and Frederickson also produced the Emmy-nominated docufilm Sherwood Forest: Top Secret, narrated by actor Barry Corbin.

Stansberry hosts the podcast National Energy Talk, a business-focused show now in its fourth year featuring conversations with leaders across the energy industry.

He has ties to Western Oklahoma, having graduated from Elk City High School in 1974 and landed his first energy-industry job there in 1977. He was later inducted into the Elk City Leadership Hall of Fame, as well as the Western Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Order of the Clock Tower at the University of Central Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Movie Hall of Fame.

He has testified before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and has worked on energy projects internationally, including in Brazil, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Japan, Mexico and Russia.

Stansberry lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.

The Full Lineup

Stansberry’s addition rounds out an afternoon built around three roundtable conversations and informal networking, running 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

2:00–3:00 p.m. — Route 66 at the State Capitol Roundtable: A discussion of Route 66’s role in state government, tourism, economic development and preservation. Panelists include Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz, who is expected to address Oklahoma’s role in Route 66 and how H.R. 5470 — the Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act — could affect taxpayers and property owners; Scott Mitchell, political analyst for News 9 in Oklahoma City and News On 6 in Tulsa; and Oklahoma House District 32 Rep. Jim Shaw.

3:00–4:00 p.m. — Route 66 Energy Roundtable: A conversation on the historic and continuing relationship between Route 66, energy, transportation and infrastructure, including how gas and service stations along the route helped shape the culture around it. Panelists include Matt Kruse of OFS Services, who also hosts the YouTube channel “Cruising Along”; Oklahoma Rep. Brad Boles, chair of the House Energy Committee; and Oklahoma Rep. Nick Archer, a former two-term Mayor of Elk City.

4:00–7:00 p.m. — Social Networking: Informal networking begins, giving attendees the chance to connect, exchange ideas and develop partnerships across Oklahoma and the broader Route 66 corridor.

4:45 p.m. — Mark Stansberry Presentation: Stansberry will screen his “Route 66 Royalty” mini documentary and discuss his documentary series project, followed by audience questions.

5:15–6:15 p.m. — Voices of Route 66 Roundtable: A people-centered conversation highlighting the stories, businesses and communities that give Route 66 its character. Panelists include YouTuber Ken Lee, discussing his book The White Whale: A Route 66 Memoir, Kansas Historical Route 66 Association president Phil Vogel and Mindy Ragan Wood of Yukon Progress.

7:00 p.m. — Event concludes

Event Recap: Route 66 Roundtable and Social Networking Event When: Thursday, October 8, 2026, 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Where: Reagan Smith on Route 66, Oklahoma City

The event is free to Route 66 businesses, community members and Route 66 enthusiasts. Preregistration is encouraged for food and beverage counts. Eventbrite link – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2001251863195?aff=oddtdtcreator

With Stansberry’s addition, the October 8 event now brings together state officials, energy leaders, journalists, authors and filmmakers under one roof — each approaching Route 66 from a different angle, but with a shared stake in its future.

His mini documentary offers a visual complement to the afternoon’s roundtable conversations, another entry point into a road whose story keeps getting told in new ways.

The event is designed to build relationships as much as share information about Route 66’s future, energy’s role in the Mother Road and how community values continue to shape the Main Street of America.

EVENT INFORMATION

Route 66 Roundtable & Social Networking Event
Thursday, October 8, 2026
2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Reagan Smith | Route 66
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Connect. Conversate. Collaborate.

Support Route 66. Support the Journey. Keep the Mother Road Moving Forward.

The Crude Life is a sponsor and supporter of the Route 66 Americana Archive. Click here for more Route 66 stories, features and interviews.