Robert Hennie

Robert Hennie's story is one of grit, resilience, and determination. His empathy and love of storytelling inspire him to give voice to the voiceless. Hennie was born in Flint, Michigan in 1968, and raised in a single-parent home. By 1986, Flint's north side had become impoverished, drug-infested, and violent. In 1998, Hennie's negative environment quickly motivated him to take charge of his future and pursue his passion for film directing. A year later, the eager filmmaker found himself on an airplane, headed to Los Angeles, beginning a new chapter. In 1999, the aspiring director arrived in Southern California. Three months later, due to his persistence and networking, Hennie landed his first entertainment gig as the assistant floor manager at Fox Sports Net. Less than two years later, Hennie's determination earned him a promotion to the sports editing department. This role provided the inspired director the privileged opportunity to work one-on-one with producers and veteran directors, who influenced and taught him the art of storytelling. In 2003, Hennie began applying these storytelling skills as a freelance director/producer at Urban Marketing Corporation of America (UMCA). While filming promotional ads, Hennie worked closely with UMCA's President, Carl Washington, as well as Chief Strategic Officer Damon Haley. These relationships had a profound influence on Hennie to be a business owner and ultimately pushing him to enroll in the Santa Monica College Entrepreneur Program. A year later, Gary Wichard, Sports Agent of Protect Management Sports Agency, offered Hennie another directing opportunity to shoot a documentary to tell the injury comeback story of his NFL client, Justin Fargas. Hennie seized the opportunity. The success of the project allowed him to continue freelancing with Wichard, for more of his NFL client such as Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and Jason Taylor, as well as Super Bowl Champion Terrell Suggs. In 2006, Hennie hired in as Department Head of the Technical Division at Megachurch Rolling Hills Covenant Church (RHCC). There, he oversaw day-to-day operations of their cable program and theatrical stage performances. However, he continued filming freelance projects on the side, which included filming documentaries in South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During this time, he also worked as the assistant camera operator and apprentice to Oscar-nominated cinematographer/director Jack Green. He assisted Green on motion pictures such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid 1 and 2, Hot Tub Time Machine, and multiple national commercials. In 2014, Hennie launched his independent film production company Hennievision Pictures. His first project was a short documentary. This project showcases the work oncology nurse and breast cancer survivor, Evelyn Calip's nonprofit Evelyn's BFF, followed by a featured breast cancer documentary, Journey To Wholeness (J2W). Ironically, while filming J2W, Hennie's sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the project suddenly became more personal. His sister's cancer experience sparked his philanthropy spirit. Director Hennie partnered with Plastic Surgeon Dr. Micheal Newman to create J2W Care, which is an online Medical Streaming Service featuring 30-minute documentary films, titled Restoring, to educated newly diagnosed breast cancer patients about the treatment process. Hennie is currently in development on his next project. The limited series, titled Water Heist, about his hometown Flint water poisoned by their Governor.