Robert Townsend Gives Back to Chicago In Film
- (March 10, 2007) Latest Film Brings Chicago Native Back Home To Show Kids Possibilities. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFOTownsend Gets Honorary Doctorate from GSU
-(December 2006)Georgia State University honored Robert with an Honorary Doctorate for his outstanding contributions as a Filmmaker in Hollywood.Townsend Gets Honorary Doctorate from Columbia College
(July 2005)Columbia College in Hollywood, California presents Robert Townsend with an Honorary Doctorate for outstanding contributions as an entertainer and Filmmaker.Proud Papa Moment
Skye Townsend ‘s DebutIn 2006, I had a proud Papa moment when my youngest daughter Skylar took to the stage to sing at “The First Star Foundation” gala honoring James Bond himself- Mr. Pierce Brosnan (Die Another Day, The World is not Enough, The Law of Attraction). Recording artist Macy Gray was the scheduled entertainment for the event. Gray recruited several students from her music school-The Macy Gray Academy. Macy had a jam session at the event with her students and Skylar-who also happens to attend the school. I glowed as my daughter was called to stage and asked to sing a solo. This was a double whammy for me. My daughter was asked to sing a song by one of my heroes-the Legendary Bob Marley. She sang his Classic song,” No Woman No Cry”. Skylar voice was angelic as she gave the crowd her heart in song. It was definitively a proud moment for me.
CLICK HERE to see Skylar Townsend’s début
Robert Townsend Lends a Hand as MC for IFP Gala and Auction and then Visits Flashpoint Academy
Robert Townsend gave a terrific talk on being an independent film maker and his own background in Chicago and wowed the crowd with impressions, great tales, and some special words of encouragement for folks just starting out.Flashpoint Academy was amply represented (Amy Rising was one of the organizers of the Gala) at the event and bid aggressively on several auction items.
As it happened, Robert knew about Flashpoint and, in the course of the evening asked if he could see the place next time he was in town since he was flying out first thing in the morning. Since we never wait for anything at Flashpoint, we wrapped him up and snuck him out minutes after the raffle ended.
We spent the next two hours with him at Flashpoint's new facility touring the place, chatting about ideas that he has for working closely with Flashpoint on projects and telling him how great it would be for him to come back and give our students a talk like the one he gave tonight and also to just sit and answer questions, etc. He agreed on the spot and he'll be back soon to see us. All and all - a great night.
