Robert Nicholas Giraldi (born January 17, 1939) is an American filmmaker, music video and commercial director,
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
, and
restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...
. He is known for directing the film '' Dinner Rush'' (2000) and the music video for
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
's "
Beat It
"Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to ...
" (1983). Giraldi has been inducted into the Art Director's Hall of Fame, one of the few film directors to be honored; and, in 2014, was the first director ever to be inducted to the Advertising Hall of Fame. His work has garnered several London International Awards, Cannes Advertising Awards, NY International Awards, Addy Awards, Chicago Film Festival Awards, and dozens of
Clio Awards
The Clio Awards, also simply known as The Clios, is an annual award program that recognizes innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design, and communication, as judged by an international panel of advertising professionals. The award ...
. He has been named one of the 101 Stars Behind 100 Years of Advertising.
Early life
Giraldi was born on January 17, 1939, in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. to a working-class Italian-American family. He attended Eastside High School. Giraldi attended
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...
in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, graduating with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA).
Background ...
degree in 1960. He was a student of Herschel Levit.
In 1960, he worked as a graphic designer at General Motors in Detroit, then spent the next nine years as an art director and creative supervisor at the advertising agency
Young & Rubicam
VMLY&R was an American marketing and Marketing communications, communications company specializing in advertising, Digital media, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting, formed from the 2020 mer ...
and Della Femina & Partners.
In 1965, Giraldi began teaching advertising at
the School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by Sil ...
in New York and later became the chairman of the Advertising Department. In 1968, President Silas Rhodes appointed him the assistant director of the school. During the Vietnam War, Giraldi stepped down and remained on the school's board of directors. In 1981 he directed and produced ''Burnt Umber'', a film featuring a then-unknown
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
for SVA's recruitment program.
In 1970, Giraldi left his career at the advertising agency Della Femina & Partners to form his production company Giraldi Productions, which has produced and directed close to 5,000 commercials, music videos and short films.
Career
Advertising
Bob Giraldi has produced and directed over 5,000 unique visual marketing and advertising pieces.
Directing his first commercials at the ad agency Della Femina in the late 1960s before moving on to form his own company with Phil Suarez in the 1970s, Giraldi has had success as a commercial director over the years, picking up numerous awards along the way.
Although there have been several feature and short films, music videos, and restaurants to distract Giraldi from his commercial work down the years, he has never strayed far from the medium and the business that he owes it all to. Still working and producing fine work to this day, Giraldi runs his own production company, Giraldi Media, out of New York and Los Angeles, with a network of other commercial directors connected through the company.
Michael Jackson Pepsi Incident
Bob Giraldi was the director of the Michael Jackson: Pepsi New Generation ad that was released in 1984. During the shooting of the commercial, an accident with the pyrotechnics caused Jackson's hair to light on fire and caused second-degree burns to his scalp. Michael Jackson's autobiography states that Giraldi told Jackson to stay under the sparks for a longer period of time. "Michael, you're going down too early. We want to see you up there, up on the stairs. When the lights come on, we want to reveal that you're there, so wait."
In a 2014 interview, Giraldi reflected back on the event, "I don't have fond memories of that shoot," he tells Yahoo Music, "It's not a moment that I like to remember. I've put it out of my repertoire when I think of working and being around Michael in his genius."
Music videos
His narrative and musical storytelling abilities were first seen in Michael Jackson's "Beat It" (1983) music video. The video swept the country and won numerous awards including that year's American Music Award, the Billboard Music Award and the People's Choice Award. Originally the "Beat It" video was to be directed by
Steve Barron
Steven Barron (born 4 May 1956) is an Irish-British filmmaker and music video director. Among the music videos he has directed are "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, " Burning Up (Madonna song), Burnin Up" by Madonna, "Summer of '69" and "Run t ...
, however his theme for the video was rejected. Giraldi was hand-picked by Jackson himself after the singer saw an Eye Witness News commercial directed by Giraldi, about an elderly blind couple holding a block party for their new Black and Hispanic neighbors, the "Beat It" video featured cast members that were real life members of the
Bloods
The Bloods are a primarily African Americans, African American street gang which was founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for Crips–Bloods gang war, its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn ...
and the
Crips
The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips ...
.
Next up was making the first music video to ever feature dialogue, as Giraldi directed
Pat Benatar
Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; formerly and still professionally Benatar ; born January 10, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, and 15 US ''Billboa ...
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...
's "
Hello
Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826.
Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich Cou ...
". He directed Michael Jackson again, this time with
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
, for their song "
Say Say Say
"Say Say Say" is a song by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, released in October 1983 as the lead single from McCartney's 1983 album '' Pipes of Peace''. Produced by George Martin, it was recorded during production of McCartney's 1982 '' Tu ...
". He went on to work with musicians such as
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
,
Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...
,
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...
,
Hall & Oates
Daryl Hall & John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1970. Daryl Hall was generally the lead vocalist, while John Oates primarily supplied electric guitar and ba ...
,
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
,
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...
, and
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...
.
Films
Giraldi made three feature films in the 1980s, directing
Jon Cryer
Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor. Born into a show business family, he made his film debut with a lead role in ''No Small Affair'' (1984); his breakout role was as Duckie in the John Hughes (filmmaker), John Hughe ...
's ''
Hiding Out
''Hiding Out'' is a 1987 American romantic thriller comedy-drama film starring Jon Cryer as a state's witness who disguises himself as a high school student in order to avoid being killed by the mob.
Plot
Andrew Morenski and two others, all ...
'' (1987) as well as '' National Lampoon's Movie Madness'' (1983) and ''Club Med'' (1985), before directing his fourth and most critically acclaimed feature film '' Dinner Rush'' a decade later.
'' Dinner Rush'' (2000) starring
Danny Aiello
Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. () (June 20, 1933 – December 12, 2019) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974), ''The Front'' (1976), ''Once Upon a Time in America'' (1984), ''Hide in ...
Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is also well kn ...
was filmed at the Tribeca restaurant ''Gigino'', which is partially owned by Giraldi. The film appeared on a number of 2001's 'Top 10 Lists' and was selected for the 'New Directors/New Films Series' at
MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
as "One of the Best 100 Films in the Last 10 Years".
Giraldi's short film ''The Routine'' premiered at The Sundance Film Festival, won Best Drama at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, and is in the MoMA's permanent collection. Another short, ''My Hometown'', is in the Baseball Hall of Fame's permanent collection and two others; ''Dream Begins'' and ''A Peculiar City'', both integral parts of New York's national Olympic bid, are also now part of MoMA's permanent collection.
His 2008 film ''Second Guessing Grandma'' with Kathleen Chalfant, examining the coming out of a twenty-something to his 83-year-old grandmother, received the Jury Award for Short Narrative at the 27th Annual Chicago International Film Festival and won the Audience Award for Best Short at the Fresno Reel Pride Festival. It was also selected to be in the new Google YouTube Screening Room after it was the #3 most viewed video of the 2008 holiday season.
Giraldi directed the short film ''A Poet Long Ago'' (2014) based on a short story written by
Pete Hamill
William Peter Hamill (June 24, 1935August 5, 2020) was an American journalist, novelist, essayist and editor. During his career as a New York City journalist, he was described as "the author of columns that sought to capture the particular flavo ...
and starring
Steve Schirripa
Steven Ralph Schirripa ( ; born September 3, 1957) is an American actor. He is regularly credited as Steven R. Schirripa, including his total of over 300 total appearances in three long running series, playing: Bobby Bacala on ''The Sopranos''; ...
and Boris McGiver. His films ''A Conversational Place'' (2015) with Emmy winner Marilyn Sokol, ''New Year's Eve @ Sunny's'' (2016), ''Superfriends'' (2017), and ''The Whisperer'' (2018) played at various festivals.
Culinary
Giraldi has been a partial owner of many restaurants in New York City, including ''Positano'', ''European Union'', ''Patria'' (opened 1994), ''Jo–Jo'' , ''Vong'', ''Mercer Kitchen, Butcher Bay'' (opened 2009), ''BREADTribeca'' (opened 2003), ''Prime'' (in Las Vegas''), Vongerichten'' (opened 1999), ''Jean Georges'' (opened 1997), and ''Gigino'' (opened 1994), working alongside executive chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Douglas Rodriquez, Luigi Celentano, and Jason Hennings.
It started in the 1990s, when Bob Giraldi opened the New York City restaurant Jo-Jo with his then film partner Phil Suarez and the fresh to New York City chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Jo-Jo was a new business model for Vongerichten offering French cuisine at affordable prices.
In 1995, Giraldi and Executive Producer Patti Greaney created the original website StarChefs.com, featuring celebrity chefs and cookbook authors.
In 2014 Giraldi appeared on the TV series ''Celebrity Taste Makers'' with Danny Aiello, discussing his experience in the restaurant business as well as the making of '' Dinner Rush'' and its influence on later food shows, both reality and fictional.
Educator
In 1965, Giraldi became the chair of the Advertising Department at
the School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by Sil ...
in New York City. In 1968, President Silas Rhodes appointed him the assistant director of the school. During the Vietnam War, Giraldi stepped down and remained on the school's board of directors.
In 1981 he directed and produced "Burnt Umber", a film featuring a then-unknown
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
for SVA's recruitment program.
Since 2010, Giraldi has been the founding chair of the Masters in Film Directing department at the School of Visual Arts.