ROB HARDY
DIRECTOR, WRITER, PRODUCER
Rob Hardy is co-founder of the Atlanta based production company, Rainforest Films. Along with his business partner, Will Packer, Hardy has catapulted Rainforest Films into mainstream success earning numerous honors and recognitions.
2011 was another monumental year for Rainforest Films. In addition to executive producing and wrapping production on the film adaptation of Steve Harvey’s best selling book, Act Like A Lady, Think Like a Man, (opening in theaters early 2012), Hardy, with his business partner Packer, joined forces with Ambassador Andrew Young and Martin Luther King III to launch BOUNCE TV, the first ever over-the-air broadcast television network targeting the African-American audience.
Hardy began his career, during his Senior-year in high school, with the camcorder-shot movie G-Man. While pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida A & M University, he made the leap to film with the low-budget motion picture Chocolate City. This experience earned him the institution’s highest honor, the Bernard Hendricks Student Leadership Award, and shortly thereafter partnered with Will Packer to launch Rainforest Films. The underground buzz on Chocolate City led to his controversial film Trois. Hardy not only directed and co-wrote the thriller, he was also instrumental in self-distributing the project to be the fastest Independent African-American film to pass the $1million dollar mark. In 2003, after directing the critically acclaimed thriller Pandora’s Box, he added the role of “Producer” to his credits by collaborating with business partner Will Packer, to produce Motives. 2004 saw Hardy Executive Producing Trois: The Escort, and penning an “untitled Usher” project for MTV Films. Hardy then wrote and directed the spiritually themed drama entitled The Gospel, and produced the companion Gospel Live!. Executive producing Mekhi Phifer’s directorial film debut Puff Puff Pass, soon followed, before serving as Executive Producer of Stomp The Yard, which held the #1 position at the box office for two weekends in January of 2007 and received the 2007 Movie of the Year Award from the BET Hip Hop awards. Afterwards came Motives: Retribution and Three Can Play that Game.
Hardy’s hard-earned success has garnered a 2006 “Best Screenplay” (Black Movie Awards) nomination for The Gospel. The Hollywood Reporter (December 2002) listed him amongst the New Establishment of Black Power Brokers. Florida A&M University awarded him with the Meritorious Achievement Award, which is the highest honor bestowed on an alumnus. After which he received the inaugural Woody Strode / Paul Robeson Award of Excellence from his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
As a Director, Hardy broke into network television with his January 2008 directorial debut of the Emmy Award winning show ER. Soon after, Black Enterprise Magazine listed him among the Top 40 Entertainers under 40 (2008). After wrapping production on Stomp the Yard: Homecoming for Sony Pictures, Hardy returned to television with a directing stint on the CBS series Criminal Minds and subsequently the spin off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. In 2010 Hardy began directing episodes of Vampire Diaries and 90210 for the CW Network and Bones for FOX Television. Once again, his undeniable talent earned him another prestigious recognition, HBO’s Director to Watch Award.
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WILL PACKER
PRODUCER
Among many recognitions, Hardy was included on Black Enterprise’s 2007 Hot List of young change agents and then again on their 2008 list of Top 25 Money Makers in Entertainment. Most recently, Ebony magazine listed the dynamic duo among their Power 100 (January, 2011).
Hardy continues his network episodic directing with Criminal Minds and NBC’s Heroes (the webisodes). This year, Hardy continued directing episodes of Criminal Minds, 90210 and added the wildly popular Single Ladies (VH1) to his list of projects. With several studio projects in development Hardy has also broken into reality television with his creating Sprite Step Off for MTV2. With several exciting projects in various phases of planning and production, there are still more great things to come from Hardy.
Hardy completed studies at the New York Film Academy, and has begun directing commercial projects for clients, including: CNN, TBS (Turner Broadcasting), American Honda, Coca-Cola, Georgia Lottery and The National Cancer Institute. He serves on the Advisory Board for the International Feature Project (IFP) Film Lab series.
Three years ago, Daily Variety magazine was on the right track when they selected Will Packer as one of their “10 Producers to Watch. ” Since then, Packer has produced four films for theatrical release, 3 of which have opened at #1. Packer has also been acknowledged on several high profile lists including; Black Enterprise’s “Most Powerful Players Under 40”, JET Magazine’s “Who’s Hot To Watch” and Giant magazine’s “The Giant 100”. In March of 2008, Packer and his business partner Rob Hardy were honored by Black Enterprise as one of the “Top 25 Money Makers in Hollywood” and early 2011 Ebony magazine recognized Packer and his business partner, Rob Hardy, on their prestigious list of “Power 100.”
2011 was another monumental year for Packer. In addition to wrapping production on the film adaptation of Steve Harvey’s best selling book, Act Like A Lady, Think Like a Man, opening in theaters early 2012, Packer joined forces with Ambassador Andrew Young and Martin Luther King III to launch BOUNCE TV, the first ever over-the-air broadcast television network targeting the African-American audience.
As Co-Founder and Chairman of the Atlanta based production company, Rainforest Films, Packer is responsible for producing and overseeing the company’s studio financed and self-financed films and distribution projects. He co-founded Rainforest Films with his partner Rob Hardy in the summer of 1994 while both were engineering students at Florida A & M University. After graduating magna cum laude from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1996, Packer decided to forego lucrative job offers in the field of engineering to capitalize on his entrepreneurial instincts and his passion for filmmaking.
Packer recently shook up of the box office charts with his heist film Takers (2010) and continued his impressive string of movies taking the #1 spot. Packer’s other number one films under the Rainforest Films’ umbrella include: Stomp The Yard (2007) and Obsessed (2009) both held #1 positions at the box office. Additionally, Stomp The Yard held #1 for two weekends and received the 2007 Movie of the Year honors from the BET Hip Hop Awards while Obsessed was Sony/Screen Gems second highest opening in company history and holds the title of the biggest opening ever for a last-week-of-April release. Shortly after, Packer enjoyed the success of his holiday film This Christmas, which grossed over $50 Million worldwide. With several exciting projects in various phases of planning and production, there are still more great things to come from Packer. Packer will soon produce the yet to be titled Kemba Smith story, a dramatic true story about young girl who made headlines after President Bill Clinton granted her clemency from a 24.5-year prison sentence for conspiracy to sell drugs.
Under the Rainforest Films umbrella, Packer and Rob Hardy, partnered with Sprite to produce Sprite Step Off. One of MTV2′s highest rated shows of 2010.
Mr. Packer is a dynamic and inspiring speaker (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SgH8kTsPJQ) who delivers educational and motivational speeches to industry groups, as well as youth and community groups nationwide. He has been honored with the key to the city of St. Petersburg, FL, and “Will Packer Day” has been proclaimed in the cities of Chattanooga, TN and Fort Lauderdale, FL. Packer has also been honored with the Meritorious Achievement Award from his alma mater Florida A&M University, the highest honor the University bestows.
