Meet the interviewer:

Bob Giraldi

Bob Giraldi is a director of commercials, music videos, dramatic shorts, and feature films. Among Giraldi’s most prominent commercial campaigns are those for Pepsi–Cola featuring Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and for the Miller Brewing Company featuring celebrities like John Madden and Rodney Dangerfield. Other noteworthy work includes his 1991 spot for the "Ads against AIDS" Campaign, which received recognition from the London International Film Festival, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, and Mobius and Addy Awards. In 1979, Giraldi was nominated for a DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for his McDonald’s and Miller Lite commercials. The following year, he received a DGA Award nomination for his commercials for the Broadway musical Evita and Miller Lite. To date he has directed more than 4,000 commercials.

Giraldi made his short film directing debut for NBC in 1983 with My Hometown, a fictional account about the origin of the World Series commissioned to celebrate the Series 50th Anniversary. The film is now housed in the Baseball Hall of Fame's permanent collection. He made his feature film directorial debut in 1987 with Hiding Out and in 2000, he directed Dinner Rush, which garnered critical acclaim and Audience Awards at several film festivals. Giraldi's commercial work has received numerous CLIO Advertising Awards, and in 2011 he was honored with the New York Festivals International Advertising Living Legend Award.