Robi Reed

Last updated
Robi Reed
Robi Reed.jpg
Reed speaks at World AIDS Day event on December 1, 2013.
Born
Mount Vernon, New York
Alma mater Hampton University
Occupation Casting director
Years active1988-present
ChildrenNoah Humes
Summer Humes
Website reedforhope.org

Robi Reed (born Robin Lynn Reed) is an American casting director [1] and producer. She has over 50 films and television shows to her credit, including The Best Man , Soul Food , For Colored Girls , Love Jones , Set It Off , In Living Color and Girlfriends . [2] She began her career working with the writer-director Spike Lee. His 1988 release, School Daze , was her first film as a casting director. [3] She went on to cast Lee's Malcolm X , Do the Right Thing , Mo' Better Blues , Crooklyn , Clockers and Jungle Fever . [4]

Contents

Reed is currently[ when? ] the vice president of talent and casting for original programming at Black Entertainment Television (BET), where she oversees talent and casting for scripted and non-scripted shows. [5]

Career

Reed has had a hand in the careers of many top Hollywood stars and has worked to open doors for African-American actors for over 20 years. [6] She has cast Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and others in major roles. [4]

She is credited with jumpstarting Halle Berry's film career in 1991 by offering her a role alongside Samuel L. Jackson in Lee's Jungle Fever . [7] She also cast Derek Luke to star in his first leading role in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher . [8]

In 1997, Reed earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting in a Drama for her work on The Tuskegee Airmen (HBO). She received a second Emmy nomination in 1998 for her work in casting HBO's Don King: Only in America and a third nomination in 1999 for HBO’'s A Lesson Before Dying . [9]

Reed is the first African-American to be nominated and win an Emmy for casting. [1]

Early life

Reed was born in Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Los Angeles where she was exposed to Hollywood at a young age. [10] By the age of 15, she knew she wanted to do casting after accompanying her younger brother, a child actor, to auditions. [3]

Reed was fascinated with film and TV and always read the cast and crew credits from beginning to end. She was determined to know every actor, actress, producer, director and casting agent in Hollywood. She made it her business to learn everything there was to know about the film and TV industry by quizzing herself using index cards to test her knowledge and ability to recall names, parts and projects. [10]

That determination landed Reed her first job as an assistant production office coordinator on the film, The Falcon and the Snowman , starring Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton. [10]

Education

Reed earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech communication and theatre from Hampton University. [11] She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. [12]

Personal

Reed is the mother of two children, a son named Noah and a daughter Summer. [10]

In 2012, she launched the Reed for Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to build alliances with other charities and organizations in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. [13]

Each year, Reed hosts her annual Sunshine Beyond Summer Celebration where she brings together close friends, associates and peers to have a good time in the spirit of serving the community. [10] It is held every year at the private residence of a selected supporting benefactor, which has included the homes of Jamie Foxx, [14] the former Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, [15] and Judge Greg Mathis. [16] The event started in 2002 as an intimate gathering of friends coming together for Reed's annual end-of-summer barbecue. Today, the event has grown beyond those humble beginnings into a much-anticipated summer event. [10] The Black AIDS Institute had been the charitable beneficiary of Reed's event since its inception and, now, all proceeds benefit the Reed for Hope Foundation. [15]

Filmography

Films

YearTitleNotesCredited
1988 School Daze
1988 I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
1989 Do the Right Thing
1989 Harlem Nights
1990 Mo' Better Blues
1991 Jungle Fever
1992 Malcolm X
1993 Poetic Justice
1994 House Party 3 as Robi Reed-Humes
1994 Crooklyn as Robi Reed-Humes
1994 A Low Down Dirty Shame as Robi Reed-Humes
1995 Panther as Robi Reed-Humes
1995 Clockers as Robi Reed-Humes
1996 Don't Be a Menace... as Robi Reed-Humes
1996 Sunset Park as Robi Reed-Humes
1996 Set It Off as Robi Reed-Humes
1997 Love Jones as Robi Reed-Humes
1997 Gridlock'd as Robi Reed-Humes
1997 Soul Food as Robi Reed-Humes
1997Ill Gotten Gainsas Robi Reed-Humes
1998 Woo as Robi Reed-Humes
1999 Trippin' as Robi Reed-Humes
1999 The Best Man as Robi Reed-Humes
1999 Light It Up as Robi Reed-Humes
2000 Punks as Robi Reed-Humes
2000 Turn It Up as Robi Reed-Humes
2000 Brother as Robi Reed-Humes
2001MacArthur Parkas Robi Reed-Humes
2001 Kingdom Come as Robi Reed-Humes
2001 Two Can Play That Game as Robi Reed-Humes
2002Turnaroundas Robi Reed-Humes
2002 Undercover Brother as Robi Reed-Humes
2002 Antwone Fisher as Robi Reed-Humes
2003 The Fighting Temptations as Robi Reed-Humes
2004 Never Die Alone
2005House of Grimmas Robi Reed-Humes
2005 The Gospel
2006 Waist Deep
2006 Crossover
2007 Somebody Help Me video
2009 Next Day Air
2010 For Colored Girls as Robi Reed-Humes
2011 Mama, I Want to Sing! as Robi Reed-Humes

Television series and mini-series

YearTitleNotesCredited As
1987 A Different World 1 episode
1990-1994 In Living Color 125 episodesas Robi Reed-Humes
1991 Roc 2 episodes
1995 CBS Schoolbreak Special 1 episode
1999 The PJs as Robi Reed-Humes
2000 Girlfriends as Robi Reed-Humes
2003-2004 The Tracy Morgan Show 18 episodes
2010-2011 The Game
20118 Days a Week2 episodesas Robi Reed-Humes
2010 - 2012 Let's Stay Together
2013 Being Mary Jane
2017 The New Edition Story 3 episodes
2018The Bobby Brown Story2 episodes

Television movies

YearTitleNotesCredited As
1990Heat Wave
1995 The Tuskegee Airmen as Robi Reed-Humes
1996Ruby Jean and Joeas Robi Reed-Humes
1997 Don King: Only in America as Robi Reed-Humes
1999 A Lesson Before Dying as Robi Reed-Humes
2000 Freedom Song as Robi Reed-Humes
2001Fire & Ice
2001 Commitments
2001 Carmen: A Hip Hopera as Robi Reed-Humes
2001One Special Moment
2005 Their Eyes Were Watching God as Robi Reed-Humes
2005 Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story
2007Wifeyas Robi Reed-Humes
2012Let The Church Say, Amen

Awards and nominations

Primetime Emmy Awards
YearTitleCategoryResult
1997 The Tuskegee Airmen Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or Special Won
1998 Don King: Only in America Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or Movie Nominated
1999 A Lesson Before Dying Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Made for Television Movie Nominated
Casting Society of America (CSA) - Artios Awards
YearTitleCategoryResult
1992 Roc Best Casting for TVNominated
1993 Malcolm X Best Casting for Feature FilmWon

Additional awards

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References

  1. 1 2 "Casting director Robi Reed-Humes wins Emmy Award", Jet, September 30, 1996
  2. ↑ "Robi Reed", Hollywood Archived 2014-02-24 at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 "Role Players: Hollywood's Black Casting Execs", "Blackamericaweb.com", February 20, 2012 Archived March 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 Leonard E. Burnett Jr. and Andrea Hoffman,"Robi Reed-Humes", "Black is the New Green", 2010 Archived 2014-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "BET Networks names Robi Reed VP of Talent and Casting, Original Programming", Target Market News, July 15, 2010 Archived October 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "'For Colored Girls' Cast to Honor Robi Reed", Essence, November 20, 2010
  7. ↑ Miki Turner, "At 40, Halle Berry is ready for anything", Today, April 19, 2007
  8. ↑ Ellen Baskin, "For Director Washington, His Spirit Fit/Derek Luke was a natural for the role of Antwone Fisher", Newsday, January 5, 2003
  9. ↑ "Awards Search: Robi Reed", Emmys
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Robi Reed Bio", Reed for Hope Foundation
  11. ↑ School of Liberal Arts, Hampton University
  12. ↑ "Famous Deltas", Southerndivas, April 20, 2006 Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "Stars Kym Whitley, Keke Palmer, Selita Ebanks Salute Reed For Hope", Emmys, September 9, 2012
  14. ↑ "Eva Marcille Shows Off Her Baby Bump At Robi Reed's Sunshine Beyond Event", The YBF, September 1, 2013
  15. 1 2 "Robi Reed Hosts 10th Annual Sunshine Beyond Summer Celebration", Eurweb, September 5, 2012 Archived February 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ "Emmy Award-Winning Casting Director and Talent Executive Robi Reed Launches Reed for Hope Foundation", Black Gives Back, September 6, 2012
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