War Zone, is loosely based on Marcos' childhood, growing up in Sao Paulo, Brazil. At the age of 12, he started using drugs and became a drug dealer at 16. When his close friend was tragically murdered at the age of 19, Marcos decided to change his life for the better. He finished high school, got his teaching diploma, and became a teacher at the same school he was expelled from years earlier. In 2015, he founded Projeto Sonhar, The Dream Project Institute, whose mission is to help youth escape from a life of drugs and mend family relationships damaged by drug abuse. Lopes has given lectures throughout Brazil, Germany, and San Francisco.