Bob Sly

Executive Producer

Once upon a time, there was a kid named, Bobby Sly, who wanted to be a sports “meat puppet.” I could talk a blue streak about sports, but in college, I realized I couldn’t talk and smile at the same time, so the insecurity of life in front of the camera chased me behind it. I also realized that the rest of the world didn’t compost or recycle like my father (go figure). Something had to be done. So after a swing-and-a-miss as a baseball announcer, I turned to the documentary world hoping to save the rest of the world. I started a video production business to pay the bills: “Bigsly Media” – using my college nickname derived from Big Sly (very funny joke on the short sportscaster guy). Over 30 years later, after honing myriad skills as a “production Swiss Army Knife,” I humbly consider myself a proficient producer, director, storyteller, writer, editor, shooter, and production manager. I’ve held virtually every role on the set of virtually every genre of production. But most importantly, I see how the world should be.

With visions of my dad stuffing a milk carton full of organic “waste” and then feeding it to his tomato and strawberry plants; the family trips to the Kiwanis kiosk with bundles of newspaper; and bike rides to the grocery store to return bottles, I reeled in horror every time I saw someone throw “away” a banana peel or an aluminum can. My college-aged kids have to live in this world. And so do yours. I HAD to save the world, teach them. So I became a ‘zero waste’ advocate, joining organizations, attending seminars, interviewing experts, shooting b-roll. And I produced numerous videos and posted loads of presentations. Educating. But no one was listening. Blah, blah, blah. No one seemed to even care. After getting a part time teaching gig (video production, not zero waste), I realized people needed a much deeper change than my videos and powerpoint regurgitations were offering. They needed a paradigm shift.

So, with my history of environmental programming and activism; award-winning documentaries, TV shows, commercials, and promotional videos; a thirst for lifelong learning; and an expertise layered far beyond – and within – the capacities of the production roles for which I’ve been hired, I turned my attention to The OneEarth Project. Crafting the responses to the conditions in which we find the ecosphere will be a grand challenge. I’m up for tackling it from any angle, in any job and with whatever tools are necessary.