Harvey Robinson, 44, Digital Artist
Music videos, documentaries, comedies – you name it, and Harvey Robinson has filmed it.
Harvey Robinson is the digital artist behind MonkeyWhale Productions, a Greensboro production company that specializes in short films, documentaries, commercial video and music videos, among many others.
Harvey has done a variety of work throughout his career. He went on tour with the band Langhorne Slim & the Law to film a documentary. He filmed a music video for Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens. He also created a documentary of the unique “play” at Elsewhere, the artist cooperative and museum in downtown Greensboro.
His 2014 documentary, “Crooked Candy”— about a man, who smuggles Kinder Eggs into the country — was featured at film festivals across the United States, including the New York Film Festival.
Even though Harvey’s tastes are elclectic, he says he doesn’t necessarily favor one style of film over the others.
“My only preference is that I’m working with really good people,” Harvey says.
Harvey’s success first came when he created an internet series, “Harvey’s Kitchen,” where he invited musicians to come play in his kitchen. Early in the project, he would get his musical friends to play on the series.But soon bands from all over the country were reaching out to him, wanting to play. He quickly was creating five or six videos a week, posting more than 170 music videos over a three-year period.
Harvey has always been surrounded by artists. Growing up, his dad was a graphic designer and now his wife, Carolyn, is a photographer. But Harvey’s talent didn’t just come overnight; during his college years he challenged himself to shoot everyday to make his work better.
Harvey and his team at MonkeyWhale consider themselves pranksters with a dark sense of humor. One of their pranks include them petitioning in front of the Greensboro City Counsel to make monkeywhales a protected species. They filled the audience with all their friends and simultaneously started playing kazoos.
While Harvey is a master of writing, directing, editing and shooting, he says his favorite place is behind the camera.
“It’s kind of like magic,” Harvey says. “When you really pull it off — it’s a rewarding feeling.”