Richard Rotter

Richard Rotter is an Emmy-nominated and Rocky Award-winning Director, writer, and editor based in Ontario. Over the past several years, he has cultivated a reputation as a gritty storyteller on the hunt for innovative frames that bring a unique view to our world and its colourful characters. He is passionate about empowering new voices and wading into the grey areas of society that can’t be defined in binary. These values drive the manner in which he fosters a respectful, collaborative, and fun vibe on set - one where, if there's time, we can stop for a two-minute dance break to let off some of that pent-up set steam! His directorial career began with crafting a world around Mad-Maxian personalities on VEGAS RAT RODS for Discovery Channel and capturing intimate stories of drug addiction on INTERVENTION for A&E. After nabbing a CSA Award in factual, he wanted to lighten the mood and shifted over to kids’ television to work for both CBC and NBC Universal, where he earned a 2017 Emmy Nomination. Sadly, he lost to a preposterously large, talking yellow bird who was up for an anniversary special. Hard to beat. In 2018 he was fortunate to shoot his first indie feature film. A dramatic comedy about toxic masculinity set against Toronto’s Burning Man dance scene, SIDEBOOB has been recognized internationally with Best Feature Awards at festivals like the Boomtown Film Festival. Eager to expand his creative scope, he went on to direct, edit, and co-write the thriller web series DAMAGED, which won numerous international awards: Best Interactive Series at the 2019 Rockie Awards, and a Canadian Cinema Editors Award nomination in 2020. Currently, he is directing for ViceTV: re-visualizing their award-winning DARK SIDE OF THE RING franchise for a new series titled DARK SIDE OF THE DECADE. They're incorporating projections, funky lenses and compelling perspectives to depict the dark and vibrant side of pop culture in the 90s. Beyond the camera, he co-founded Planet Fabulon, an immersive, out of this world, performance-art series in Toronto. It is fueled by his passion for cultivating positive vibes, unique visuals, and fabulous dance floors. Combining film, dance, and theatre with digital distribution, Planet Fabulon is currently working with Luminato Arts Festival to create two unique events in 2021: an interactive AR experience and an immersive, hybrid theatrical-cinematic show.