We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Robert Greenwald. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Robert below.

Hi Robert, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope after I’m gone, people will remember the fun times & good memories, either on-set or just hanging out. I want to build a legacy off of positivity and laughter. There’s a lot that goes on daily for people, positively & negatively. I would like to be one of the positive moments in people’s lives. I want people who want to forget about their real world struggles to come to me when they want me to show them how funny & unserious life is, but also to come to me when they want me to just listen about their serious issues. I also would like my art & films to outlive me, and make an impact on others in the future as well.

Robert, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an independent filmmaker & freelance videographer/video editor whose journey started back in 2015 when I took an Intro to Film class for fun, but fell in love with filmmaking immediately. From then on, I started producing short films & comedic videos with my friends under the name, ROB Productions, and it quickly took over my life. Once we won a national competition in Los Angeles, CA, we all realized we might be able to do this long-term. So, I went to film school at Penn State University where I was able to learn more techniques, meet some amazing creatives, and produce more projects. Recently, those same friends from high school, who I made short films with, moved to Atlanta, GA. With the growing film industry and creative culture (and warmer weather), I decided to take a chance and move down from Pennsylvania. Now, I do freelance video editing for weddings & businesses, and have recently gotten back into doing passion projects – which is really where my love for filmmaking all began.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In high school, after I realized that filmmaking wasn’t just a hobby, but a career I wanted to pursue, I did everything I could to build up a portfolio to get into film school & then more opportunities from there. Once I got into Penn State University, they have a Penn State Hollywood Program that you can apply for & if accepted, you can intern in Los Angeles, CA and make connections before officially graduating. And I had worked tirelessly to get into this program, and once I got accepted, I thought everything was going to work out just as planned. And then COVID-19 happened… Due to the pandemic, the Hollywood Program was cancelled my year. Then, upon graduation, I didn’t have the money nor connections to make a move to Los Angeles. Plus with the pandemic and looming strikes, I wasn’t confident to make a cross country move & felt stuck, unsure what to do. I wound up taking a remote 9-5 insurance job that allowed me to save up & give me the flexibility to eventually move. First, I moved from my county town of Lancaster, PA to Pittsburgh, PA for more videography & video-editing freelance opportunities, while I saved up for a bigger move. Recently, I made the move to Atlanta, and am immersing myself in the filmmaking and creative scene here. Two years ago, I was a confused graduate who lost their drive to create because I was focused on dilemmas & planning. Now, I’m producing content again with fellow creatives & doing what truly makes me happy.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect as an artist/filmmaker is having someone tell me how the work made an impact on them. When someone messages me saying how much they could relate to a project I’ve worked on, that drives my passion to create even more. For example, we produced this low-budget short film in college called “The Last Night”, about these two guys last night together before the one moved to Los Angeles the next day (and how it’s a happy/sad moment). And this girl, Emily, messaged me after watching it and said it made her tear up because it reminded her of her friend who had moved away. I’ve won awards for my work before, but it’s those moments that are the most rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://greenwaldrj.wixsite.com/robproductions
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rob_greenw?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjgreenwald?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rob_productions?si=XRtRbdDtyEqrtxE6