ROBERT LEWIS KNECHT, MSU

         ·   Skilled in conceptualizing and directing projects through to successful completion.

                  ·   Proven ability to perform well under high stress and extreme conditions.

                  ·   Detail oriented with strong public relations and communication skills.  

• Experienced author, video producer/director/editor, and photojournalist.

• Developed and directed the Taj Mahal Treasure Project, a multifaceted project featuring Sir Arthur C. Clarke, 1994   Nobel Peace Prize nominee for the invention of satellite communications and Oscar nominee for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1990 – 1995). In 1994, actor Patrick Stewart agreed to host the final docudrama (Arthur C. Clarke: Return to the Reef), and IMAX/Ridefilm Corporation began development of the first underwater educational ridefilm (Waves of Silver) based on the Taj Mahal Treasure Project.

• Served as medical officer and videographer/photographer on the Ocean Research Center of the Arctic (ORCA) Project’s expedition, 250 miles inside the Arctic Circle (Summer, 1988).

• Member of The Balancing Knechts, a professional acrobatic team that traveled the United States, Canada, and Mexico for eleven years. Set the Guinness World Record for pushups on February 2, 1976 (7,026 in 3 hours, 56 minutes) in Ripley’s Believe It or Not for the youngest pushup record holder.

• Skilled SCUBA diver with extensive experience with underwater equipment to depths of 300 feet (PADI Dive Master with 900+ dives); Fellow National, The Explorers Club (1994).

APPEARANCES

• Experienced public speaker with appearances in front of crowds of more than 3,000 people.

• Appeared on Good Morning America, What’s My Line, To Tell the Truth, The Tomorrow Show with Tom Schneider, BBC’s The Record Breakers, and more than 30 local television shows.

• Made presentations at both the 50th and 51st World Sci-Fi Conventions about Arthur C. Clarke.

• Spoke at the American Numismatic Association’s 103rd Convention and the Florida United Numismatists Convention.

• Taught Leading Edge “mini-MBA” classes on the use of video for small business, as well as numerous firefighting, rescue, CPR, and fishing classes.

• Instructed a University of Colorado class on advanced video production.

• Performed 9,000 professional acrobatic, health, and fitness shows seen by more than 20 million people.

MANAGEMENT &  MARKETING

• Managed studio production and post-production for Millennium Productions, including producing, directing, writing, videotaping, and editing client projects (1998 – 1999).

• Developed marketing concepts and public relations campaigns to reach new markets, including press releases, brochures, video projects, etc.

• As a production manager, increased gross income for Affordable Video by 30% in only 18 months (1997).

• Designed and implemented marketing plans and phone/direct mail membership drives for Club Nautico International’s Key Largo operations (1996), increasing profit by 22% in six months.

• Developed a special tackle department data entry system for the Touch ‘n Sell computer cash register inventory system at Bluewater World, Key Largo, Florida (1995).

• Designed and purchased inventory for the tackle department of Bluewater World during the first two months of the store’s operation (1995).

• Managed the operations of a family-owned business for eight years; fully accountable for marketing, inventory, customer service, controlling costs, and monitoring financial performance.

• Conceptualized, planned, and managed the expansion of the facilities, which increased gross income $100,000 in the first year.

• In the process of writing Halfway to Nowhere: One Man’s Journey from Existence to Awareness on the Road from Key West to Point Barrow.

• Wrote The Complete Guide to Florida Keys Fishing (1988), two detailed, satirical how-to books for fishing South Florida waters, including numerous photographs and illustrations. South Florida book distributors sell the guides three-to-one against other fishing guides.

• Journalist for Western & Eastern Treasurers magazine: “Galle Harbor Treasure” (9/92), “World’s First Wheelchair Treasure Hunt” (8/92), “The Faintest Glitter of Gold” (Gold and Silver Special Edition, Summer 1992), “Gold Coin Found off Florida Coast!” (2/92), “The Haskins Capitana Medallion” (Gold and Silver Special Edition, Summer 1991), and “The Treasure Experience” (5/91).

• Wrote articles for Treasure Magazine, including “Record Your Treasure Hunt” (7/92), “Tips for Finding Sunken Treasure” (11/91), “Disabled Divers Find 1733 Treasure!” (9/91), and “Three Mile Limit” (4/91).

• Published in Treasure Diver Magazine (“Everyone’s Favorite Pirate”, 4/90), SCUBA Times Magazine (“PI or VLFBTR? Choosing the Right Metal Detector”, 3/91), and Paraplegia News (“Where Wheelchairs Are Not Allowed”, 5/19).

• Florida Keys Magazine: “The Treasure Experience” (three-part series, April–June 1991); 35 PR pieces.

• The Reporter: 16 special contributions (1988 – 1995) and numerous private PR pieces.

• Florida Keys Keynoter (Knight/Ridder): Adventure Islands Special Edition (four stories), regular Captain’s Column contribution (1992 – 1993, biweekly 1996), developed and hosted fishing seminars series (1996).

• The Free Press: cover stories—“Rescue at the Top of the World” (5/88, 10/88 four-part series), “Lobster Weekend Married by Fatalities” (7/88), “Pennekamp Crawfish Spawn in Captivity” (8/88), and guest columnist—“Of Cigars and Little Boys” (4/88), “Who is Responsible?” (4/88).

• HUMM’s Guide to the Florida Keys (the official Keys tourism publication): “Blockbuster Dolphin” (Spring 1988), “Winter Fishing Digest” (Winter 1991), “Springtime Angling Hopefuls” (Spring 1992).

• Managing Editor, Paradise Times (1989); Editor, Florida Keys Boating Guide (1989 – 1990); Associate Editor, Florida Keys Angler (1988 – 1989).

• Photographed the Taj Mahal Treasure Project, with shots appearing in LIFE Magazine (6/92), Playboy (4/92), and Arthur C. Clarke: The Authorized Biography.

• Director/photographer for a special photo session with Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry.

• Photos and ad copy for Fisher Research Laboratory’s national advertising campaign (1990 – 1992).

• Numerous cover photos for such magazines as Western & Eastern Treasures, Paraplegia News, and Treasure Magazine.

• Photo credits in Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys by Daniel Berg.

• Video work has been seen on all major U.S. networks, PBS, The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, The Sci-Fi Channel, ESPN-2, Speedvision, NYC Channel 17, numerous local origination stations, and several U.K. networks, including Sky TV.

• Operated and maintained video and 35mm SLR equipment under sub-zero Arctic conditions and the remote tropical climates of Central America and Sri Lanka.

• Served as producer/director on 50+ projects; as writer, cameraman, or editor on more than 150 others.

• Video documentation: ORCA Project in Arctic Alaska, 1733 Spanish treasure fleet galleons (Almiranta El Infante, Capitana El Rubi, Chavez, El Lerri, and Herrera), 1823 U.S.S. Alligator warship, 1618 Spanish galleon wreck site off Sebastian, Florida, and numerous 1715 fleet galleon sites.

• Producer/director/cameraman/co-writer with Arthur C. Clarke: In Search of Weightlessness and Arthur C. Clarke: Before 2001.

• Director/cameraman: three episodes of Rare Coin Magazine for The Learning Channel.

• Director/cameraman/writer: The Treasure Experience, a 37-minute documentary for Spanish Main Treasure Company.

• Producer/director/cameraman/writer: Where Wheelchairs Are Not Allowed, a 22-minute documentary about the Houston Disabled SCUBA Divers Association.

• Producer/director/co-writer/editor/cameraman: eight episodes and television commercials for Colorado Wide Open! motorsports TV magazine.

• Producer/director/co-writer/cameraman/editor: Pikes Peak Regional Building Department’s Passing Inspection: Single Family Dwellings.

• Field producer/cameraman/writer: ESPN-2 and Speedvision’s coverage of the 1998 National Enduro series (nine remote location shoots from Rhode Island to Washington state).

• Producer/director/writer/cameraman/editor: KTM’s How to Win an Enduro, hosted by national enduro champion, Mike Lafferty.

• Producer/director/writer: The Treasure Experience: Busch Gardens.

• Principal videographer for the pilot episode of Fishing Savvy.

• Coordinated international and remote location video projects in Sri Lanka, England, Mexico, Belize, and Barrow, Alaska (250 miles inside the Arctic Circle).

• Principal videographer for the pilot episode of This Week in Fishing, Belize, Central America.

• Director/cameraman: Project Orizaba and Project Paso de Macho, remote Vera Cruz, Mexico.

• Co-producer/director/writer/cameraman: Colorado J.O.U., an educational video police drama series trailer for junior and senior high school students.

• Director/cameraman: five episodes of Off Broadway Presents Positively Lynn, NYC Channel 17.

• Producer/director/editor/cameraman for KTM’s Ultimate Ride national television commercial.

• Producer/director/writer: Future Moves of America (FMA) promo, which increased their business 600% in the first eighteen months.

• Producer/director/cameraman/editor: promotional video for author Pat Criscito that increased her number of speaking engagements by 500% (including Harvard, Yale, Columbia Business School, etc.) and resulted in her selection as international spokesperson for CareerMosaic.

• Producer/director/writer: Contemporary Apostles, the Nazarene Bible College promo.

• Producer/director/cameraman/co-writer: Young Entrepreneurs Association promotional video.

• Director/cameraman: promotional video for Fisher Research Laboratory, Texas Council of Treasurer Hunters, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Trikes-for-Tikes, and Star Strider.

• Producer/director/writer: 60 second television commercial for the Taj Mahal Treasure Project.

• Producer/director/co-writer/cameraman/editor: Colorado National Speedway’s 1999 Edge of Your Seat promo.

• Camera/editor: P.R.I.D.E. presentation to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

• Filmed more than 500 seminars and interviews.

• Roving cameraman: America in concert.

• Cameraman: Florida United Numismatists Convention, Orlando (1992 – 1994).

• Director/cameraman: Buick Product Knowledge Convention, Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo, Florida.

• Official video crew for the American Numismatic Association’s 101st, 102nd, and 103rd Conventions.

Colorado Springs Film Commission’s 1997 Great Shorts Festival

• First Place Nonfiction: The Treasure Experience: Busch Gardens promo

• Second Place Nonfiction: Future Moves of America promo

Colorado Springs Professional Film and Video Guild’s 1997 Production Competition

• Best Corporate Promo: Future Moves of America

• Best of Show Honorable Mention: Pizza by the Slice

Colorado Springs Professional Film and Video Guild’s 1998 Production Competition

• Best Corporate Demo: Future Moves of America’s Custom Syntel Pitch

• Best Cinematography: Colorado J.O.U.

• Best Wedding: Merry Christmas, Tina

Other Honors

• Selected for the Who’s Who in SCUBA Diving by the American Society of Oceanic Research