Award-winning film and commercial director, Bob Giraldi brings an independent hand to everything he touches. From Michael Jackson’s music video "Beat It,” Lionel Richie's "Hello," Jackson and Paul McCartney’s “Say Say Say,” Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield,”-- to the original Lite Beer from Miller campaign and the Pepsi extravaganzas starring Jackson and Richie of the 80s --to the 2001 feature film “Dinner Rush,” Giraldi has produced and directed over 4,000 unique visual masterpieces.
One of the original "Mad Men,” Giraldi was a creative director at the legendary Y&R Ad Agency in the middle of the advertising creative revolution of the 70s. He left the agency DellaFemina & Partners in 1970, and started an incredible run of directing successful TV commercials; he has won every major award possible in that industry—earning him the distinction of being named as one of “101 Stars Behind 100 Years of Advertising.”
In 2011, Giraldi was honored with the New York International Film Festival’s first ever “Living Legend Award,” which further recognized him as a prominent industry luminary.
His feature film, “Dinner Rush” with Danny Aiello, John Corbett and Sandra Bernhard, appeared on a number of 2001’s Top 10 lists and was selected for the prestigious New Directors/New Films Series at MoMa.
Always hungry for something new, Giraldi threw his hat into the New York culinary scene by opening Jean Georges Vongerichten’s namesake NYTimes 4-star restaurant, ‘Jean Georges,' NYTimes 3-star 'Mercer Kitchen' as well as the original 'Jo Jo' & 'Vong' in NY; with its London and Hong Kong outposts. His Tuscan fare 'BREADTribeca' has earned 2 stars from The New York Times-- and 'Diablo Royale' has remained the popular taqueria among young people in the West Village. Both 'Gigino Trattoria' and 'Gigino at Wagner Park' have remained Italian favorites in Tribeca for over 17 years.
In 1995, Giraldi and his executive producer, Patti Greaney, created the original website; StarChefs.com, featuring celebrity chefs and cookbook authors. StarChefs.com continues to be the foremost website used by professionals and food aficionados.
Giraldi has been on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts cumulatively for over twenty years and is currently the Chair of SVA's MPS Live Action Short Film Program. The graduate program celebrates the true independent art of filmmaking, honoring first-time filmmakers, instructing them about the history of short film, and outfitting them with the creative, technical, and critical tools needed to impart their artistic visions.
Currently, Giraldi is in pre-production on the feature film, "Sustenance" written by Constance Mortell-- about the “farming wars” that deals with a young girl who becomes an obsessive activist, fighting against large-scale Agribusiness.
Never slowing down, he just wrapped a commercial shoot for Toyota featuring Raphael Saadiq and is slated to produce and direct a TV series for PBS in the Spring of 2013.
Giraldi lives in Manhattan and Montauk with his wife and daughter.