The son of a graphic designer, Marc Naroska spent a large part of his childhood sitting under his father's desk playing with scraps of paper and Letraset sheets. His natural affinity for typography inspired him to train initially as a typesetter. He then went on to study design at Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. After completing his studies, he joined forces with his professor, Thomas Manss, to set up a Berlin branch of the design office Manss had already successfully established in London.

In 2000, he founded C/O Berlin with photographer Stephan Erfurt and architect Ingo Pott. Now counting a total of 80 exhibitions and over 50 employees, this gallery dedicated to photography has become an established part of Berlin's cultural landscape, a unique institution acclaimed far beyond Germany's borders for its world-class programme of events.