After working as a director in the New York and Los Angeles Theater, Robert Greenwald established Robert Greenwald Productions (RGP) with the internet to create theatrical films, television movies, miniseries and documentaries with a distinct social and political sensibility. Since its creation, RGP has brought more than 45 films to audiences worldwide. These films have garnered 25 Emmy nominations, four Cable ACE Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, the Peabody Award, the Robert Johnson award, eight Awards of Excellence from the Film Advisory Board, two Golden Halos, two Christopher Awards, the American Bar Association Gavel Award, the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology and the Media Award, a DGA Award for contribution to Diversity, two NAACP Awards, a Prism Award, and a Best Director nomination from the Directors Guild of America. In November 2002, Robert received the AFI Producer of the Year Award. In the last 3 years alone, Robert has executive produced and/or directed over 30 hours of television movies and miniseries, a feature film, and a feature documentary. These have included such prolific projects as The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron (2003)(CBS), a satire based on the true story of the Enron collapse; _"Blonde" (2001) (mini)_ (CBS), a miniseries based on Joyce Carol Oates' best-selling fictional biography of Marilyn Monroe; Our Guys: Outrage at Glen Ridge (1999) (ABC) based on the true story of rape in a small town for ABC; Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story (2000) (NBC) based on the singer's life story; Redeemer (2002) (USA), based on the true story of a convicted felon's road to forgiveness with the sister of his victim; and Le poids du secret (2000) (CBS) - which won the Peabody Award.
Robert's first feature documentary, Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election (2002), tracking the way George W. Bush campaign team "won" the US Election of 2000, has recently been accepted to over 12 film festivals, including the AFI Film Festival. When he's not directing movies such as the legendary telefilm Autopsie d'un crime (1984) starring Farrah Fawcett as an abused housewife, and features such as Steal This Movie (2000) starring Vincent D'Onofrio as Abbie Hoffman, Robert has engaged such directing and writing talents as John Herzfeld, Michael Cristofer and Joyce Chopra. He has also developed strong relationships with prolific authors such as James Ellroy, Susan Faludi. Oscar Hijuelos, and Joyce Carol Oates.
In addition to quality literature, Robert is consistently drawn to issue-oriented projects. His past films and telefilms have tackled such subjects as alcoholism (Shattered Spirits), teenage pregnancy (Daddy), human rights abuse (Forgotten Prisoners), discrimination (Man on Fire), war (Hiroshima), violence in schools (Our Guys), Aids (Our Sons), chemical pollution (Love Canal), and teenagers in prison (In the Custody of Strangers). His present projects deal with a range of issues from CIA complicity in bringing crack cocaine into Southern California (Dark Alliance), to the unconstitutional profiling of black drivers by police officers (Profile).
The pedigree of Robert's work has consistently attracted star actors in his projects, including: Jane Alexander, Patricia Arquette, Lauren Bacall, Russell Crowe, Ossie Davis, Brian Dennehy, Vincent D'Onofrio, Charles S. Dutton, Shannon Elizabeth, Sally Field, Brenda Fricker, Janeane Garofalo, Hugh Grant, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Love Hewitt, William Holden, Helen Hunt, Matthew Modine, Dermot Mulroney, Gregory Peck, Natasha Richardson, Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen, Alicia Silverstone, and Max Von Sydow.
While his creative vision and commitment to quality product has remained steadfast since he began his career, Robert has consistently kept one step ahead of changes in the business side of the industry. He was a founding member of the ACI conglomerate of television movie producers, who worked together to create an international distribution deal for their new films, and continues to be an innovator for new models for doing business today.
In 2002, Robert began two new enterprises. He formed a publishing company with Danny Goldberg and Victor Goldberg. RDV Books, in association with Akashic Books, released its first publication "It's A Free Country" on September 11th, 2002. The book is a collection of writings on the eroding state of civil liberties since 9/11. Robert also established Public Interest productions - a shingle devoted to advocacy videos - which produced videos for A Place Called Home (giving children from South Central Los Angeles a safe place to go to after school); Venice Community Housing Center (providing low income housing for the increasingly gentrified Venice Beach area); and "The Unusual Suspects" (a theatre/ arts development center for at-risk teens). In his spare time, Robert serves on the board of these organizations as well as Homies Unidos (an intervention program and rehabilitation center for former Los Angeles gang members).
