About The Filmmakers

Rob Hill, Director

Rob Hill majored in Motion Picture and Television Production at the University of Southern Colorado. He founded Common Sense Films, the company behind his most recent documentary, The Fort Fisher Hermit: The Life and Death of Robert E. Harrill. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the Hollywood Digital Film Festival and airs on PBS in May 2007. With a grant in 1999, he also produced, directed and edited the non-fiction film Live In It To Win It. Rob has significant experience working with some of today’s most advanced digital video technologies. He brings his technical expertise to Wilmington, North Carolina’s independent film community and is a major participant in the Cucalorus Film Festival. Rob writes, produces and directs independent films, instructional videos and commercials.

 

Richard Sirianni, Producer

An industry veteran with over 26 years of entertainment experience, Richard Sirianni is a co-founder of Common Sense Films and the president of Mulberry Street Entertainment. Both entities are Wilmington, North Carolina-based production companies formed to develop, finance and produce theatrical feature films and projects for television. His entertainment experience encompasses story development, budgeting, casting, talent representation, post-production, satellite broadcasting, home video and live event production. Richard served as Executive Producer on Reception to Follow, one of the first independent films broadcast on The Sundance Channel. He joined the Wilmington film community when he produced the independent feature, The Chester Story. The film stared Teri Hatcher and premiered theatrically in 2003, with international exposure in over 20 countries under the title, A Touch of Fate. His work has taken across the country, working on feature films such as Bonfire of the Vanities, The Freshman, and Hudson Hawk, as well as television series including Miami Vice. He has worked with such producers and directors as Mike Nichols, Michael Mann, Brian DePalma, Gordon Parks and Fred Caruso. Presently playing on public television is the award-winning documentary feature, The Fort Fisher Hermit: The Life and Death of Robert E. Harrill, on which he served as Executive Producer.