Roberto Mighty is a TV Producer, Writer, Filmmaker and Media Artist. He currently has two series and one standalone documentary on PBS TV stations and PBS Streaming: "World's Greatest Cemeteries", about historic burial grounds; "getting dot OLDER", about the secret lives of baby boomers across America; and "Legacy of Love", a documentary about the meeting and romance of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott in the 1950's.
Roberto is also Director, Screenwriter, Cinematographer and Editor of "Charles Coe: Man of Letters", which won "Best Documentary Short' at the 2020 Roxbury International Film Festival; "Jesseca Ferguson: Cabinet of Curiosity", an Official Selection at the Malden Media/Arlington International Film Festival"; "Peach Pie", a dramatic narrative short film about mental illness, Official Selection at the California International Shorts Festival and the Urban Mediamaker's Film Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
Also, he is Director/Cinematographer/Editor/Interactive Programmer for “earth.sky”, a series of films and multimedia installations at Mount Auburn Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark, where he is the first Artist-In-Residence since their founding in 1831.
Roberto is honored to have been chosen as one of 11 artists for the city of Boston’s inaugural Artist Residency Cohort, 2015/2016. Roberto is also Director of Photography for Tim Ouillette’s romantic comedy, “Listen Down”, Guest Artist at Truro Center for the Arts, and Artist-in-Residence at Harvard Forest. Roberto also travels around the USA filming people 50 – 100 years of age for his PBS series and museum/online interactive exhibit about aging in America, “getting.older”.
Roberto’s filmmaking fellowships include the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Producer’s Academy in Santa Fe, New Mexico; the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) New Media Institute in Washington, DC; and the Center for Independent Documentary/Kopkind Seminar and Retreat Week. He received his MFA in 2011 in Visual Arts from Lesley University. He is Adjunct Professor at Emerson College’s Visual & Media Arts Department.
Roberto is interested in issues of unequal access to health care - including mental health care - in our society. As an occasional volunteer at the St. Francis House homeless shelter in Boston, he has seen firsthand the effects of undiagnosed and/or untreated mental illness. He hopes that Peach Pie will bring more attention to this important concern. Peach Pie also touches on his interests around military veterans and their families.
Roberto’s work has been supported by The U.S. Centers for Disease Control; National Science Foundation, the Institute for Museum and Library Services; and many others.
In the early part of his career, Roberto was Executive Producer/Writer for 65 half-hours of prime-time and weekend television for ABC-affiliate WCVB-TV Channel 5 Boston (Hearst Broadcasting) and WLVI-TV Channel 56 (Gannet Broadcasting). Later, he Directed and Produced audiobooks for HarperCollins, Random House and other major publishers, working directly with NY Times Bestselling authors John Updike, Andre Dubus III, Sandra Cisneros, Gregory Maguire and many others.
Roberto is an avid jazz guitarist/songwriter and plays professionally with vocalist/songwriter Kathryn Howell as "Roberto & Kathryn". They've performed at Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway and throughout the Greater Boston/New England area.
Unique traits: Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts, 2011. New Media Artist projects for Harvard University, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Truro Center for the Arts. Jazz Guitarist/Songwriter. Extensive TV (Exec Prod/Writer) background. Afro-Latin (Panama) heritage.
Peach Pie
(
Film (short)
by Celestial Media/Roberto Mighty
Director/Writer/DP/Editor Peach Pie, a dramatic narrative short film by Roberto Mighty, follows one afternoon in the life of a mentally ill war widow and her 7-year old boy. Two years after the death of their soldier Husband/Father overseas, Mother and Son struggle to cope. Her OCD and their PTSD are almost at a breaking point. Now, the boy feels he must help hide his Mom's symptoms from the neighbors. A budding author, he spends his time writing in his journal or playing with a toy tank his Dad gave him before going off to war. One of the neighbors - a lonely widow - decides to intervene by offering a gift; a homemade peach pie. This leads to an emotional moment between Mother and Son. Peach Pie dramatically, but subtly underscores how mental illness often goes undiagnosed and untreated in underprivileged communities. Peach Pie stars Robin JaVonne Smith; Introducing Jalon; Featuring Kathryn Howell; with Johnny Quinones, Shawn Read and Jacoby. The story is based on a short poem by author Charles Coe.
Best Documentary Short, Roxbury International Film Festival
(2020)
Lesley University
(2009-2011)