Robert Allan Black
Robert Allan Black is an American writer and director. He wrote and directed the documentary Loving Henri, which follows the life of Henri Landwirth, a concentration camp survivor who later became a philanthropist.
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.Career
In 1970, Black began working as a copywriter at Foote, Cone & Belding Advertising 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.During the late 1970s and 1980s, Black developed a series of commercial campaigns that had character development, character arcs, turning points, and cliffhangers.
In November 1988, after receiving offers from several film companies to direct, 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." Black remained on retainer with FCB as creative director for Holland America Cruise Line and Westours through 1989.
Black received the Mercury Award for his work on Holland America Cruise Line/Westours. His work has won Clios, Cannes Lions, Mobius Gold, Andys, Addys, and Best of Show awards. He was nominated by the Directors' Guild of America for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials".
In 1992, Black wrote and directed Let Them Run Free for the Starbright Children's Foundation to benefit terminally ill children.
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.
In 2000, Black began filming a documentary titled Borrowing Time which he partially funded. This project later evolved into a feature documentary titled Loving Henri.