WRITER/DIRECTOR PROFILE
In 1991, Robert Bontrager graduated from
Biola University in Southern California and was awarded as the
university’s most outstanding film & video student. During his
3-year education he produced and directed several short independent
films. His accomplishments include a dramatic feature titled No Compromise; the first ever Biola Video Yearbook – featuring a
comedic short, Biola Bob is Late for
Class; for 3 consecutive years he produced and directed a live
multi-camera shoot of the music department’s variety show titled Third Half; an action comedy short,
Mike Callahan meets Dr. Faymar;
and a 16mm short film titled Sublevel
134.
After graduation Robert worked as a
production assistant for Wild Eye Pictures and on the game show, Born Lucky by Stone Stanley
Productions which aired on Lifetime Television Network and
PAX-TV. Robert also independently produced an industrial film for a
missionary organization titled Project
Barnabas, along with a humorous short, Pastor 2000.
In 1995 he came to work at Stillwater
Productions as the Executive in Charge of Production for the award
winning animation series Adventures
In Odyssey for Focus on the Family. Here he produced five
half-hour episodes, Someone to Watch
Over Me, In Harm's Way, A Twist in Time, A Stranger Among Us, and Baby Daze. He also produced the
hour long, direct to video feature for UAV titled, The Secret of the Hunchback.
With his free time at Stillwater, Robert
produced and directed an independent feature length 16mm film titled, Split Second. The 83 minute film
cost a little over $6,000 and took about a week to film.
In 1998 Focus on the Family put the Adventure In Odyssey on hiatus, and
Robert worked freelance briefly at several places including Studio C
Productions, and Phil Cooke Pictures.
In 1999 Robert came to work as the Media
Producer for the non-profit organization, Reasons
To Believe. Here he launched
and co-produced the radio show, titled Creation Update. He also directed
and produced the documentary video, The
rUFO Hypothesis and the award winning video documentary, Journey Toward Creation, which has
been an international bestseller for Reasons To Believe. In 2008 Robert finished Reasons To Believe's second documentary, Dual Revelation. The documentary went on
to win the audience award in the 2008 Faith and Film Festival.
Currently, Robert is actively developing
ideas for television, features and documentary films. He lives in Upland CA, with
his wife and two daughters.
