Award winning Director, Animator and Illustrator and Storyboard Artist Robert Castillo discovered his passion for art and illustration at the tender age of five. Nicknamed "Sketch", Castillo would draw his way through his difficult transition of returning to the US from the Dominican Republic, mastering English, and acclimating to the mostly white environment of Chelsea, Massachusetts. It was here in Chelsea, Massachusetts that Robert learned what it meant to be a Special Person In Chelsea; the racist taunt that would inform his Student Academy Award Gold winning short, S.P.I.C. The Storyboard of My Life. S.P.I.C, his 2004 thesis project for the School for Visual Arts is now eligible for Oscar consideration. S.P.I.C. is a collection of poignant life stories, told with alacrity and a sometimes self-deprecating humor. The stories unfold organically with wit and innovation bringing viewers into his experience. These defining moments; his trip to America, getting suspended, standing up for himself, an ill suited job at a bread factory, and a trip to Cuba are sketched for viewers to see, allowing Robert to utilize the skills he's honed as an animator and storyboard artist to embark on a new path as a writer and director. Robert honed his skills in illustration and traditional animation, at the Art Institute of Boston where he graduated with honors and was recognized with the Illustrator of the Year Award, in 2001. He has given back by teaching in their pre-college animation program over the past two years. As a storyboard artist, Robert has created boards for feature films including Latifah's The Cookout, the Christopher Reeves directed animation Yankee Irving, award winning cable television program The Sopranos, music videos for Alicia Keys, Ja Rule, Kid Rock, and Trick Daddy, commercials for Phat Farm, Adidas, And 1, as well as promo work for VH1 and Court TV. Robert's talent has been recognized with various awards, and honors including The Scholastic Achievement Award in 1979. He's been privileged to create portraits of civil rights luminaries including a portrait of Malcolm X, for his daughter Attalah Shabazz and a portrait of Nelson Mandela which is hangs in Amherst College. Robert is currently adapting S.P.I.C. into a long form feature, as well as developing several animation projects for television.
