Rob Hardy Explained

Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Spouse:Shaun Hardy[1]
Occupation:Filmmaker, businessman
Education:George School
Alma Mater:Florida A&M University

Robert Hardy, Jr. is a film director, film producer, screenwriter, and television director.

With partner Will Packer, he founded the production company Rainforest Films in 1994.[2] Hardy's film credits include The Gospel, Trois, and . His television credits include ER, Criminal Minds, Arrow, and The Game.

Film career

Hardy shot his first substantive video on camcorder, G-Man, while a high school senior at the George School. He shot his first work on film, Chocolate City, while at Florida A&M University, for which he earned the university's Bernard Hendricks Student Leadership Award. The success of Chocolate City helped Hardy and his film partner Will Packer launch Rainforest Films. Hardy's next film, the erotic thriller Trois, saw him as director, co-writer, and self-distributor. Trois became the fastest Independent African-American film to pass the mark. A critically acclaimed sequel, , followed.[3] [4] In 2003, Hardy produced his first film, Motives, followed by the third in the Trois franchise, the direct-to-video .

Hardy then wrote and directed the spiritually-themed drama The Gospel, and produced the companion concert film The Gospel Live. He then was the executive producer on Mekhi Phifer's directorial film debut Puff, Puff, Pass, followed by Stomp The Yard, which held the No. 1 position at the box office for two weekends in January 2007 and was named Best Movie at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards. Subsequent projects included and Think Like a Man.

Hardy and Packer mutually dissolved Rainforest Films in June 2014. They were subsequently sued by business partner Bernard Bronner for mismanagement and misappropriation of corporate assets.

In March 2015, Hardy launched Rainforest Entertainment. He announced that the new production company will focus on developing scripted and non-scripted content for film, television and digital platforms. Hardy hired Mitzi Miller to serve as Head of Development for the film, television and digital media production company and her offices will be based in Los Angeles.[5]

Television career

Since his 2008 dive into TV directing with ER, Hardy has worked on a variety of hit TV shows like Bones, Criminal Minds, The Vampire Diaries, 90210, The Game and The Flash and has begun directing commercial projects for clients, including CNN, TBS, American Honda, Coca-Cola, Georgia Lottery and The National Cancer Institute.

Along with Andrew Young, Martin Luther King III, and Rainforest Films partner Will Packer, Hardy is co-founder of Bounce TV, a United States television network airing on digital terrestrial television stations. Promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multicast broadcast network created exclusively for African Americans," Bounce TV launched on September 26, 2011, and features programming geared toward blacks and African Americans in the 25–54 age range.[6]

Hardy was nominated on January 9, 2014, for the 45th NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series for his work on Criminal Minds.[7] More recently, he signed a deal with Lionsgate.[8]

Personal life

Hardy grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from George School in 1991.[9]

Hardy resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, Shaun, and their sons. Hardy dedicated his 2000 film Trois to his father, Robert, an investor in the movie and Rainforest Films, who died on Labor Day 1999 before the completion of the film.[10] Hardy is a graduate of Florida A&M University and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Hardy has completed studies at the New York Film Academy[11] and has earned many nominations and accolades, including the Bernard Hendricks Student Leadership Award from FAMU, which is the highest honor bestowed on a student; the Meritorious Achievement Award from FAMU, which is the highest honor bestowed on an alumnus[12] [13] and the inaugural Woody Strode/Paul Robeson Award of Excellence from his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorWriter
1994Chocolate City
2000Trois
2002
2005The Gospel
2010

Producer

Executive producer

Television

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Getty Images . January 9, 2007 . Getty Images . 2015-05-16.
  2. Web site: The Company - Rainforest Films. https://web.archive.org/web/20131230011901/http://rainforestfilms.com/company/. December 30, 2013. rainforestfilms.com.
  3. http://abff.com/festival/press/press-releases/2002/070802.php The 6th Annual "American Black Film Festival" Announces 2002 Award Winners
  4. Web site: Monica Calhoun. IMDb.
  5. Web site: Rob Hardy Launches Rainforest Entertainment + Taps Mitzi | Shadow and Act . Blogs.indiewire.com . 2015-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150607000448/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/rob-hardy-launches-rainforest-entertainment-taps-mitzi-miller-for-head-of-development-at-new-company-20150320. 2015-06-07.
  6. Web site: Tim Molloy . Black-Oriented Bounce TV Begins, Betting on Classic Movies . Thewrap.com . 2011-09-25 . 2015-05-16.
  7. Web site: The '45TH NAACP Image Awards' Nominees Announced . News One . 2014-01-09 . 2015-05-16.
  8. Web site: Patten. Dominic. 2021-04-19. 'Power' Director Rob Hardy Inks First-Look Deal With Lionsgate & Courtney Kemp's End of Episode. 2021-04-20. Deadline. en-US.
  9. Web site: Alumni Weekend a Huge Success . George School . 2016-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160924145905/https://www.georgeschool.org/alumni-weekend-huge-success/. 2016-09-24.
  10. Web site: Campus Campaign To Sell His Movie Rob Hardy And Buddies From Florida A&m Made The Circuit Of African American Colleges Plugging His Erotic Thriller, "Trois." - philly-archives . Articles.philly.com . 2000-03-14 . 2015-05-16.
  11. Web site: New York Film Academy - Alumni . Nyfa.edu . 2015-05-16.
  12. Web site: News Headlines - Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University 2015 . Famu.edu . 2015-05-16.
  13. Web site: Florida Monthly: Intriguing Floridians . Floridamagazine.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025110/http://floridamagazine.com/articles/intriguing3.html. 2016-03-04.
  14. Web site: Heroes - Watch Webisodes Online - Heroes TV Show on NBC - Heroes - NBC Official Site. https://web.archive.org/web/20081219185648/http://www.nbc.com/heroes/The-Recruit/credits/. December 19, 2008. NBC.com.
  15. Web site: Upfront . Bet.com . 2016-05-19.
  16. Web site: FAMU Alumni Rob Hardy and Anika Rose collaborate for BET's new series 'The Yard' . thefamuanonline . 2016-04-28 . 2016-05-19.

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