Robert Allan Black
Robert Allan Black | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Writer, director |
| Years active | 1970–present |
Robert Allan Black is an American writer and director. He wrote and directed the documentary Loving Henri (2017), which follows the life of Henri Landwirth (1927–2018), a concentration camp survivor who later became a philanthropist.[1][2]
Early life
Black lived on various Army bases across the United States and Japan. After graduating from San Jose State University, he wrote two scripts: Remember The Thrill, which was loosely based on his years playing college football, and Austin City Limits, a love story set between Washington, D.C., and a Texas honky-tonk.[3]
Career
In 1970, Black began working as a copywriter at Foote, Cone & Belding Advertising (FCB) in San Francisco, California. Throughout the 1970s, he worked as a copywriter at several advertising agencies, including Honig-Cooper & Harrington which merged with Foote, Cone & Belding, Ketchum Advertising, and Bozell & Jacobs. From 1976 to 1979, Black worked as a freelancer under the name Robert Allan Black Productions for Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. During this period, he developed the entertainment segment and named the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theater concept.[4][5][6]
During the late 1970s and 1980s, Black developed a series of commercial campaigns that had character development, character arcs, turning points, and cliffhangers.[7][8]
In November 1988, after receiving offers from several film companies to direct, [9] he left FCB and joined Travisano, DiGiacomo, and Black Films. Backstage Shoot magazine printed an article on its front page about his departure from advertising, noting that he "launched a new genre of broadcast advertising - the serialized commercial for Pacific Bell."[10] Black remained on retainer with FCB as creative director for Holland America Cruise Line and Westours through 1989.[11]
Black received the Mercury Award for his work on Holland American Cruise Line/Westours.[12] His work has won Clios, Cannes Lions, Mobius Gold, Andys, Addys, and Best of Show awards.[3] He was nominated by the Directors' Guild of America for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials".[13][14]
In 1992, Black wrote and directed Let Them Run Free (1992) for the Starbright Children's Foundation to benefit terminally ill children.[15]
In 1999, Black directed episode 7 during season 1 of the ABC television drama Once and Again, titled "The Ex-Files," starring Sela Ward and Billy Campbell.[16]
In 2000, Black began filming a documentary titled Borrowing Time which he partially funded.[17][18][19] This project later evolved into a feature documentary titled Loving Henri (2017).
References
- ^ Boedeker, Hal (October 20, 2016). "'Loving Henri' arrives after 14 years". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Nashville Jewish Film Festival: Loving Henri". The Belcourt: Nashville's Nonprofit Film Center. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Robert Black - Black Gold, Texas Tea". Directors - A Supplement to SHOOT. Spring Edition: 26. 1998.
- ^ Copyright Law Decisions: Robert Allan Black v. Pizza Time Theatres, Inc., et al. Commerce Clearing House. 1985. p. 17971. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Chuck E Cheese Characters". Chuckecheesehistory.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Jasper T. Jowls". ShowbizPizza.com. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ Alsop, Michael (November 13, 1986). "Tune In Next Month To Learn How These Commercials End". Wall Street Journal: 31.
- ^ Stevenson, Richard W. (February 22, 1988). "Advertising; Pacific Bell's Mini-Series Campaigns". The New York Times: Section D, 9. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Onward and Upward…FCB star joins Travisano as Director". Adweek (HP12): 17. November 7, 1988.
- ^ Miller, Richard (November 4, 1988). "Robert Black Exits FCB/S.F. To Join Travisano Digiacomo". BackStage/Shoot.
- ^ Desalvo, Kathy (November 10, 2000). "Dir. Robert Black Goes Into Orbit". SHOOTonline. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Flashback: 5 Years / 10 Years". SHOOTonline. July 21, 2000. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "DGA Announces 1997 Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials". Directors Guild of America. February 5, 1998. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ Madigan, Nick (February 5, 1998). "DGA names commercial noms: Winners to be named at 50th awards dinner March 7". Variety. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ Haspel, David K. (2015-07-31). Starbright Film 1992. Retrieved 2025-11-01 – via Vimeo.
- ^ "Robert Allan Black | Writer, Director, Camera and Electrical Department". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ "Street Talk". SHOOTonline. April 5, 2002. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Borrowing time". WorldCat. OCLC 86118228.
- ^ Robert, Goldrich (May 3, 2002). "Coppos Films Signs Dir. Robert Black". SHOOT Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2019.