Bob Giraldi

Bob Giraldi
Giraldi at his induction to the Advertising Hall of Fame in May, 2013.
Born	Robert Nicholas Giraldi (1939-01-17) January 17, 1939 (age 78) Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Residence	New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Pratt Institute
Occupation	Film director, Television director
Years active	1962 -
Notable work	Dinner Rush, Beat It
Spouse(s)	Patti Greaney
Children	4
Website	http://www.bob-giraldi.com/

Bob Giraldi (born January 17, 1939) is an American film and television director known for directing the film Dinner Rush and the music video for Michael Jackson's song "Beat It". His work has garnered many accolades, including several London International Awards, Cannes Advertising Awards, NY International Awards, Addy Awards, Chicago Film Festival Awards and hundreds of Clio Awards. He has also been named one of the "101 Stars Behind 100 Years of Advertising."

Giraldi was born in Paterson, New Jersey, to a working-class Italian-American family. He attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York on a basketball and baseball scholarship, graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Upon graduation, in 1960, he worked as a graphic designer at General Motors in Detroit. Shortly thereafter he returned to New York, where he spent the next nine years as an art director and creative supervisor at the advertising agency Young & Rubicam.

1965, he began teaching advertising at The School of Visual Arts in New York, and soon became the Chair of the Advertising Department. In 1968, Silas Rhodes appointed him the Assistant Director of the School. During the Vietnam War, the School was forced to make administrative changes, and Giraldi had to step down. However, he remained on the School's Board of Directors, and in 1981, directed and produced a film, "Burnt Umber", featuring a then-unknown actor Denzel Washington, for SVA's recruitment program.