Robert Caruso is a director of commercials, music video, film, and online content.

Caruso grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The city's population was 46,121 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Cleveland Heights is located at ....

, where he attended the School on Magnolia

School on Magnolia

The School on Magnolia was an alternative high school in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1971 as the Friends School in Cleveland, and its association with the Religious Society of Friends continued through 1975, at which point the local Friends meeting decided that the school was no longer...

, an early Cleveland-area alternative high school. He was active as a musician, and was one of the founding members of the band the Suburban White Boys. Later, he formed part of a duo known as the Stretch Links, which released two full-length cassettes and has recently produced a series of podcast

Podcast

A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...

s. He left the Cleveland area for San Francisco, where he attended San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...

 and began working as an independent video director.

Early in his career, Caruso co-founded Commotion Pictures, a San Francisco-based film production company, with Andrew Linsk. There, he directed nearly fifty music videos and began his commercial career. In addition, he represented a roster of directors and shared Executive Producer responsibilities. His music industry clients and artists included Warner's Green Day

Green Day

Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...

, A&M's Soundgarden

Soundgarden

Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...

, Virgin's John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...

, Columbia's Public Enemy, and Island's PJ Harvey

PJ Harvey

Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...

. He directed commercial spots for: Sega

Sega

, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

, Time Warner

Time Warner

Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...

, Taco Bell

Taco Bell

Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...

, and Levi Strauss

Levi Strauss

Levi Strauss was a German-Jewish immigrant to the United States who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm, Levi Strauss & Co., began in 1853 in San Francisco, California.-Origins:...

. Commotion produced marketing films for Pacific Bell, Sega, Crystal Dynamics and others.

After leaving Commotion Pictures, Caruso was recruited to Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), George Lucas

George Lucas

George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...

's special effects company. With ILM's Commercial Production (ILMCP) division, he directed spots for Coors

Coors Brewing Company

The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...

, DirecTV

DirecTV

DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...

, Disney, Kraft

Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...

, Motorola

Motorola

Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...

, and Sprint

Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...

 He directed music video titles for actor/musician Will Smith, winning awards for "Men In Black" and "Will2K". In collaboration with ILM's Academy Award winning animators and special effects artists, he directed several character animation projects. Robert garnered many industry honors at ILMCP including a Clio, London International Advertising Award, Anicom Animation award, MTV Award, Billboard Magazine Award and Grammy nomination.

Caruso has garnered praise and success for his comic approach, innovation, and animation. His off-beat perspective and wry humor have brought acclaim to client's commercial spots, music videos, and film. Recently, he directed commercial productions for Clorox

Clorox

The Clorox Company is a US-based manufacturer of various food and chemical products based in Oakland, California, which is best known for its bleach product, Clorox.- History :...

, Nestlé

Nestlé

Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...

, Sprint

Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...

, and Verizon. His collaboration includes film, music, and sports talent - creating memorable work with celebrities, as varied as actors James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...

, Will Smith

Will Smith

Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...

, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....

, and Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx

Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...

 or sports figures, such as skateboarder Tony Hawk

Tony Hawk

Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...

, basketball star Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...

, and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

.

Awards

• Grammy Award Nomination Will Smith's "Will2K" music video
• 1st Place at Anicomm Awards: Hefty "Gingerbread Man" Animation
• Finalist Australian Effects & Animation Festival: "Gingerbread Man"
• Bronze from Clio Awards: Visual Effects for Hefty "Gingerbread Man"
• Gold from London Effects & Animation Festival (LEAF): Hefty "Gingerbread Man"
• Best Commercial from London International Advertising Awards: Hefty "Eskimo"
• MTV Awards: for Will Smith's Men In Black, music video

Video

• Web site of Robert Caruso, [JustHappy.com http://www.JustHappy.com
• Early Green Day music video Co-Executive Producer by Robert Caruso, "Longview"
  Longview (song)
  "Longview" is a song and the first major-label single by the American punk rock band Green Day. It is the fourth track on the band's third album, Dookie . The song was the band's first single to top the Modern Rock chart in the U.S...
  
  
• "Men In Black"
  Men in Black (song)
  "Men in Black" is a song by Will Smith from the movie Men in Black, in which he also starred. The song plays during the movie's closing credits...
  
   music video (director)
• "Just Cruisin'
  Just Cruisin'
  "Just Cruisin" is a single by Will Smith that appeared on Men in Black: The Album and the UK release of his debut album, Big Willie Style.-History:...
  
  " music video, starring Will Smith
  Will Smith
  Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
  
  , (director)