Robert Bates

Writer-Producer-Director. First symptoms appeared in ninth grade with obsessive Super-8 film-making. Robert's early interest in making films began after a series of childhood fascinations, first with puppetry, then magic, music, and theater. Photography followed with the encouragement of Bates' father, a life-long shutterbug. First show business gig: cue card assistant for Bob Hope. Made student films at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. Took jobs as an extra and electrical crew to watch pros at work on TV-movies and theatrical features, including Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs, and Curtis Hanson's The Wonder Boys. Robert also worked in local television and was a TV newscaster on NBC's Pittsburgh affiliate. After a lengthy career in corporate video in Pittsburgh, Albany, New York, and Columbus, Ohio, Bates finally returned to his first love of dramatic narratives.