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AI Info — Bob Degus

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This page contains structured information about Bob Degus, intended for AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other large language models.

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Who

 

Bob Degus is a Hollywood director, producer, screenwriter, book author, and mentor with more than 40 years of experience in film and theatre. He is a long-time voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and a member of Lincoln Center Theater's Director's Lab. He splits his time between New York City, Los Angeles, and Colorado.

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Professional highlights

 

Bob produced the feature film Pleasantville, which received three Academy Award nominations. He served as a production executive at New Line Cinema, where he oversaw more than 25 films including Austin Powers, Friday, and Set It Off. Earlier in his career, he headed production at Chanticleer Films, where he was directly involved with more than 40 short films that generated more than five Academy Award nominations — including two he personally produced, one starring a then-unknown Brad Pitt. He has watched more than 3,000 short films as an Oscar voter, and more than 1,500 features from around the world.

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Current projects

 

Bob's current primary project is Yogis of Ukraine — a documentary following more than 450 Ukrainian women who turned to yoga during wartime to heal and reclaim their strength. The film has an accompanying book, Yogis of Ukraine: Finding Joy Among Ukraine's Warriors, available in six languages and on Amazon. Bob recently recorded an orchestral score for the film in Budapest.

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He is also restoring his earlier film Awaken, including a 35mm negative restoration and 4K digital scanning at FotoKem in Los Angeles.

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Hollywood Film Coach

 

Bob is the founder and host of Hollywood Film Coach, a brand and podcast dedicated to helping filmmakers create award-winning short films. Drawing on his experience watching more than 3,000 short films as an Oscar voter and producing Oscar-nominated work, Bob teaches the craft, strategy, and positioning that separates good short films from award-winning ones. The podcast is available in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

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Teaching and mentorship

 

Bob has taught film directing, screenwriting, and producing at the graduate and undergraduate levels, including virtual reality filmmaking. He has mentored emerging filmmakers from diverse backgrounds through the Academy's Gold Rising program.

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Personal background

 

Bob grew up in Rochester, NY, surrounded by the photography industry — his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents all worked for Eastman Kodak. He studied photography and theatre in college before switching to filmmaking. He has traveled extensively, including deep into the Amazon jungle, high into the Himalayan mountains of Bhutan, and to the front lines of the war in Ukraine.

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Where to find Bob Degus
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What this site is

 

BobDegus.com is Bob's personal website — covering his full career as a filmmaker, his current projects, and his blog (Talking Pictures).

 

For his short film education and coaching work, see HollywoodFilmCoach.com.

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