Rob Hardy facts for kids

Robert Hardy, Jr. is an American filmmaker who directs and produces movies and television shows. He is also a screenwriter and a businessman.

In 1994, he and his partner Will Packer started a production company called Rainforest Films. Some of Hardy's most well-known movies include The Gospel and Trois. He has also directed episodes for many popular TV shows, such as ER, Criminal Minds, Arrow, and The Flash.

Film Career

Rob Hardy's passion for filmmaking started early. As a high school student at the George School, he made his first major video, called G-Man, using a camcorder. Later, while studying at Florida A&M University, he created his first film, Chocolate City. This film was so successful that it won him the university's Bernard Hendricks Student Leadership Award.

Rainforest Films

The success of Chocolate City gave Hardy and his friend Will Packer the confidence to start their own company, Rainforest Films. Their next movie was a thriller called Trois, which Hardy directed, co-wrote, and even helped distribute. Trois was a big hit and became the fastest independent African-American movie to earn over $1 million. This led to a popular sequel, Trois 2: Pandora's Box.

Hardy continued to create interesting films. He produced the movie Motives and later directed and wrote The Gospel, a drama with a spiritual theme. He also produced a concert movie called The Gospel Live. One of his biggest hits as a producer was Stomp The Yard, a movie about college step-dancing. It was the #1 movie at the box office for two weekends in January 2007.

In June 2014, Hardy and Packer decided to end their partnership and close Rainforest Films.

A New Chapter

In March 2015, Hardy started a new company called Rainforest Entertainment. This company focuses on creating new movies, TV shows, and digital content. He hired Mitzi Miller to help lead the company's development of new projects.

Television Career

In 2008, Hardy began directing for television, starting with an episode of the famous medical drama ER. Since then, he has directed episodes for many hit shows, including:

• Bones
• Criminal Minds
• The Vampire Diaries
• 90210
• The Flash
• Grey's Anatomy
• Empire
• How To Get Away With Murder
• Black-ish

Hardy has also directed commercials for major companies like Honda, Coca-Cola, and CNN.

Bounce TV

Hardy is one of the founders of Bounce TV, a television network created for African-American audiences. Along with Andrew Young, Martin Luther King III, and Will Packer, he helped launch the network on September 26, 2011. Bounce TV offers a variety of programs for viewers aged 25 to 54.

In 2014, Hardy was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his directing work on the show Criminal Minds. He also has a partnership deal with the movie studio Lionsgate.

Personal Life

Hardy grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the George School in 1991. He now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Shaun, and their sons.

Hardy is a graduate of Florida A&M University and is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He has received many awards for his work and leadership, including the highest honors given to a student and an alumnus from his university.

Selected Works

Here are some of the movies and TV shows Rob Hardy has worked on.

Film

As Producer

• Motives (2004)
• The Gospel Live (2005)
• Three Can Play That Game (2008)

As Executive Producer

• Stomp the Yard (2007)
• Think Like a Man (2012)
• No Good Deed (2014)
• Think Like a Man Too (2014)

Television

Hardy has directed episodes for dozens of popular TV series. Some of the most well-known include:

• All American
• Arrow
• Black Lightning
• Blindspot
• Castle
• Criminal Minds
• Doom Patrol
• Empire
• ER
• The Flash
• Grey's Anatomy
• How To Get Away With Murder
• The Originals
• Power (and its spin-offs)
• Prodigal Son
• Stargirl
• The Vampire Diaries