Robert's Story
Robert James Atton was born in the suburbs of the windy city in Oak Lawn, Illinois, on November 28, 1982, and raised for a short time in Chicago, IL, until eventually moving to the suburb of Worth, IL. He was lucky number two, born out of four, having survived his premature birth only weighing two pounds, thirteen ounces, and spending the first three and a half months of his life on an incubator.
Two great parents raised him, his father, Robert, a Police Officer, and his mother, Laura, a Registered Nurse. He also survived life with three wonderful sisters, his older Melissa, a schoolteacher, his younger sister Christy, a school Science teacher, and his youngest sister Donna, a Licensed Professional Counselor.
As a child, Robert was a fond fan of movies and storybooks, especially in the horror genre. He was a big of R. L. Stein, Steven King, Dean Kootz, Wes Craven, and John Carpenter. His inspiration for writing stories came in the 6th grade at 12 years old after doing a book report and presentation. He did not know his teacher read all the books she handed out. Robert only read half the book, James and the giant peach, making up the ending. When asked questions, his teacher pointed out, is that how the story ends? He was caught off guard but spoke the truth. She let him go back and reread the book but still gave him a high B, for she said his ending was creative and made sense.
Shortly after he wrote his first short story about the monster downstairs, his teacher typed it up, telling him to keep going. For Production Design, not realizing it, but when Robert was growing up, he constantly rearranged his parent's house. The furniture, items on the counters, he did it frequently. It's like setting up a scene on a stage or for a movie, trying to get the comfortability and right mood for the moment.
Robert is a firm believer in God and grew up with the church in his life. Starting at 14 years old in the eighth grade, his youth group did a haunted house to raise money for the church and youth group trips. After that, he was in his fantasy world, and this is where his start of Special Effects Makeup began. Next, in his Freshmen year, he got hooked on Screenwriting; after seeing Scream and Dawson's Creek.
He thought I want to do that, so he started reading screenplay books and writing short scripts. He also was an officer in the Literary Magazine by his senior year where students would send in poems they wrote and the literary team would judge the best ones for the school's Literary Magazine.
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When talking about his visional experience, Robert had worked in the emergency room for five years and in the operating room for a year and nine months. Every day I had seen firsthand the devastating effects of social disruption and personal violence. I often have seen trauma victims in a state of agony. It provided him with a unique media perspective on what the world doesn't always see and allowed him an opportunity to share an authentic experience.
Robert graduated from Alan B. Shepard High School, Palos Heights, Illinois (1997 - 2001), then went onto The Illinois Center for Broadcasting (2012 to 2013) and Flashpoint Chicago, A campus of Columbia College Hollywood, Chicago, Illinois, (2018 - 2020). He has an Associate of Applied Science in Film.
Trade Marks
I am skinny and eat a lot. However, I do not gain weight because I crap like a cow.
My hair color changes a lot from my natural brown to blonde to black.
People used to say I have a hole in my chin because I always had it covered while eating.
I also get referred to as dumbo and Pinocchio mix breed, between my big ears and nose.
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Also, I have a scar on my stomach from a surgery I had when I was a baby; it has shortened over time as I grew. However, even the
feeding tube marks are still seeable.
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I had seven ear surgeries by the time I was 14 years old.
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Trivia
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Originally wanted to be either a Respiratory Therapist or Radiology Tech but decided to pursue his Film career.
He worked in the hospital emergency room for five years at Advocate Christ Hospital as a Support Associate and for a short time
as an Emergency Room Tech. He worked as a Surgical Service Tech in the O.R for a year and nine months at Loyola University
Medical Center.
The first movie he worked on was Black Creek in 2016.
I used to work at Chicago Ridge Movie Theater in Chicago Ridge, Illinois. He also was Baker for Dunkin Donuts in Orland Park, Illinois.
Dawson's Creek was my favorite television show. I hope to bring the show back to television one day and start the plot story years later. I think there is so much you could do and see how everyone ended after the actual outcome. I believe situations that happen to us when we are younger or certain conditions we go through have a significant impact on adult lives.
Scream was the movie that aimed me toward movie writing. I remember the summer between 8th grade and freshman year of high school going to my grandparents' house in southern Illinois. We took a trip to the video store. I saw the movie scream on the shelf and wanted to rent it so bad. My grandma had called my mom for permission; of course, the answer was yes. While watching it, I became obsessed with writing movies and making audiences feel the entertainment I felt. Now for my grandparents, well, that was a different story. I remember my grandpa saying sarcastically, excellent movie choice Bob.
When I was younger, my younger sisters shared a room and had a bunk bed. We used to pretend it was a camper by putting blankets up for siding, and we used a yellow plastic baseball bat for a gun. My sister Christy and I took turns driving. We used my sister Donna's vanity plastic stool as a steering wheel. Only my sister Christy and I could climb up to the top bunk, which was the camper's roof, to shoot the bears. We did not allow my sister Donna to go up to shoot bears or drive. We said she was too young. We were highly creative kids.
I used to make my sisters sit on their beds while I cleaned up their bedrooms. Then, we used to sing the clean-up song.
Once I was kicked out of my 8th-grade history class because I farted so bad it stunk up the whole class. Even the teacher was waving his lesson plan in disgust. My friend Jim ratted me out.
Some of my nicknames are Bob / Bobburt / Booter / Boo
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Personal Quotes
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[on woman] I'm 41. I'm single. I have established myself in my career. I'm still waiting for the right woman to come along.
[on criticism] I come from a very sarcastic and loving family; I am very thick-skinned. So, it does not affect me to an extent.
A favorite Quote I say a lot is "Mother of Monkeys." (I love Monkeys, and I want one as a pet.)