WHAT ABOUT BOB?

Thrill to this puffy excerpt from SourceEcreative.com on Bob the Director


“For many directors, dealing with actors can be as fun as swallowing drain cleaner. But for director Robert Richter, it’s one of the most rewarding aspects of his work. In fact, it’s one of the things for which he’s best known. ‘I love working with kids and other real people. Celebrities, athletes, and other animals are fun. Actors are gifts.’ 


Richter is known for strong performances and his 'real people' style, evident in his work for State Farm Insurance, Campbell Soup and S.C. Johnson, and his award-winning success with kids for Kraft and McDonald's. Father of 6 and foster father of 16, Robert knows kids. Pro or amateur, Richter finds the best way to get a great performance is to leave room for improvisation and have fun.


Despite his success, those who work with Richter find him pleasantly lacking a huge ego. In fact, he’s known as a nice guy, what some might call a rarity in the business.” 


Robert suggests they may have him confused with someone else.

CAREER - Now playing in the arts in LA, Bob played 35+ years in film/music production at Robert Richter & Friends in Chicago. 

Former VP/Creative Director, Needham, Harper & Steers Chicago (now DDB Worldwide) and earlier Writer/Producer, Leo Burnett Co. 

in Chicago, London, and Copenhagen. He started as Pup Copywriter at Young & Rubicam Detroit.


CLIENTS - ABC-TV, Campbell Soup, Coors, John Deere, General Mills, Honda, S.C. Johnson, KFC, Kellogg's, Kraft, McDonald's, Oscar Mayer, Pillsbury, Quaker, Ralston-Purina, State Farm Insurance, Walgreen's, their ad agencies, and gratefully a few hundred more.


MEMBERSHIPS - Directors Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, American Federation of Musicians, ASCAP, the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, the United Auto Workers, Teamsters Unions. The Hoovies, a covert organization dedicated to silliness.


TEACHING - Columbia College, Chicago, Part-Time Instructor “Life in Commercial Film - Emphasis on Life.”

Northwestern University Graduate School Guest Lecturer “Producing/Directing Commercials.” 

Food Marketing Association featured speaker  - “Kids in Food Commercials.”


EDUCATION - Michigan State University, BA in Communication Arts. Post-Graduate study in Film, Columbia College, Chicago. 

French study, five years, Beverly Hills Lingual Institute - Il a beaucoup oublié.


PERSONAL - Youth in St. Louis, high school in Detroit, college in Michigan, career in Chicago, lives in Los Angeles. 

Semi-retired, 6 kids, 12 grandkids, 16 foster kids. Leads a Writer Circle in LA.

ROBERT RICHTER - Multi-award-winning writer, director, composer, artist. 

WRITER - Novels, short stories, memoir, screenplays, commercials, songs, children’s books. 

DIRECTOR - Films, documentaries, hundreds of commercials for major brands and their ad agencies. 

COMPOSER - Commercials, documentaries, films, songs.  

ARTIST - Walls, websites, greeting cards, books. 

AWARDS - Chicago International Film Festival, Clio, Emmy, Addy, Telly, Möbius, Kraft Ad Campaign of the Year.

Chicago’s Best Director - Screen Magazine. 

HONORS - Emeritus Trustee - Children’s Home & Aid Society of Illinois for his work for families and kids.




Major Miracles with Minors

Actors Activated

Animals Animated

Real People Found and Shot

All rights reserved © Robert Richter