His feature film, Dinner Rush, appeared on a number of 2001's Top 10 lists and was selected for the prestigious New Directors/New Films Series presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the MoMa. This film clearly has had an influence on several present day reality restaurant series. Giraldi’s independent films have also garnered numerous awards and have found their way into collections as diverse as the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Museum of Modern Art. He has been inducted into the Art Director’s Hall of Fame, one of the few film directors to be honored. His short film, "The Routine", premiered at Sundance and won Best Drama at the 6th Annual Los Angeles International Short Film Festival. Another short, My Hometown, is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame’s permanent collection, and Dream Begins, an integral part of New York’s national Olympic bid, now resides with MoMA.
Giraldi’s latest short film, Honey Trap starring Debbie Harry, won a Gold Remi Award at the 39th Annual WorldFest Houston and screened at Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, San Diego Film Festival, Raindance in the UK, and Hamptons International Film Festival.
In 1983, Giraldi began setting the tone for music videos. His unique visual and musical storytelling ability were first seen in Michael Jackson's "Beat It". The video swept the country and won numerous awards including the coveted American Music Award, the Billboard Music Award, and the People’s Choice Award. Working with music luminaries such as Pat Benatar, Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie, and Stevie Wonder, he continued to win, acclaim, and define the future of the medium with videos like "Say, Say, Say", "Love is a Battlefield", "Running with the Night", and "Hello".
Giraldi's production company GIRALDI is currently casting the feature film, The Lion's Share, written by playwright Tom Donaghy. This drama centers on a close-knit suburban community and the secrets of one family that are finally exposed. Steven Siebert and Patti Greaney are producers and Bob Giraldi will direct.
GIRALDI has joined forces with prolific producer Ed Pressman to develop the romantic drama Isola Delle Femmine, which centers on the anticipated visit of Joe DiMaggio to the Italian birthplace of his parents and the enthusiastic director of tourism there who is determined to revive his village, but perhaps at the cost of the love of his life. Pressman and GIRALDI are also developing Movie House, a thriller in which a middle-aged man kills time in a majestic movie house and soon finds as the events on the screen and in the theatre intertwine, his own sense of right and wrong slipping away. Mr. Giraldi will direct both pictures.
Mr. Giraldi and Ms. Greaney are working with the School of Visual Arts President David Rhodes to create the Out of Hand International Festival- an international competition for content created by students devoted to the new art & technology of wireless systems.
Mr. Giraldi is also a member of the Executive Board of Hamptons International Film Festival. For the past five years, he has written and directed the official trailers that preceded every film at the festival.
Giraldi partnered with Carlos “Hari” Sama’s Mexico City based Catatonia Films to create the multinational production/media company CATATONIA-GIRALDI, representing international directors for commercial and long form content. Katya Meyer is the company’s Managing Director in New York.
Though his experience in film and music videos is copious, his roots are in advertising. Giraldi, a New Yorker through and through, started his career as an art director/creative supervisor at Young & Rubicam. Eventually, he created his own production company and has since produced and directed numerous award-winning commercials – several London International Awards, Cannes Advertising Awards, NY International Awards, Addy Awards, Chicago Film Festival Awards and hundreds of Clio Awards have honored his commercial work. He has also been named one of the "101 Stars Behind 100 Years of Advertising".
In 1995, Giraldi and Patti Greaney created the original website StarChefs featuring celebrity chefs and cookbook authors. StarChefs continues to be the foremost website used by professionals and food afficiandos.
In the early ‘90’s, hungry for something new, Giraldi, threw his hat into the New York restaurant ring, opening Jo-Jo with Jean Georges Vongerichten. Giraldi then helped start the Jean-Georges 4-star namesake restaurant as well as Vong and its London and Hong Kong outposts. Giraldi was also involved in Patria, which received the New York Times 3 Stars. His Tuscan fare eatery BREADTribeca earned 2 Stars from The Times, and Diablo Royale has become a popular taqueria in the West Vilage. His restaurant credentials continue to grow with the October 2006 opening of The E.U., serving meals inspired by delicious and healthy casual fare from the mother countries of Europe.
