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Executive Producer Robert J. Locke, Jr. created the first Olympic freestyle wrestling documentary ever made, "Journey Into Freestyle Wrestling," which debuted at the AFM in 2004. At that time, only one other film about authentic wrestling existed, "Vision Quest." Since then, over 30 films and documentaries about real wrestling have been released.
Robert produced and starred as Father O'Neal in the "cult classic" film "Legend of Bloody Mary," directed by John Stecenko and distributed by Lionsgate & Grindstone on Amazon Prime.
He is currently finalizing his men's and women's freestyle wrestling documentary, "Legends of USA Wrestling," featuring Olympic Gold Medalist and 15-time NCAA Champion Coach Dan Gable, UFC and Pan Am Games Champion Daniel Cormier, Olympic Gold Medalist Mark Schultz (portrayed by Channing Tatum in the acclaimed 2014 film "Foxcatcher"), three-time World Champion Lee Kemp, All Navy Champion Donald Rumsfeld, Olympic Gold Medalist and four-time NCAA Champion Cael Sanderson (also a Wheaties Box cover athlete and five-time NCAA wrestling coach), and two-time Olympian, World Silver Medalist, former Stanford coach, and current University of Maryland coach Kerry McCoy. Since 2003, Robert has volunteered as a filmmaker for the US National Freestyle Wrestling Men's and Women's teams.
In 2013, Robert created, wrote, co-directed, produced, and starred in the ensemble comedy web series "Schooled," featuring top comedian Judy Tenuta, Trilby Glover, Seamus O'Brien, Bergen Williams, and Kent Boyd.
Trailers of Robert’s projects can be found on YouTube, including "Lionsgate Legend of Bloody Mary," "Schooled," "Journey Into Freestyle Wrestling," and "One Long Day," starring Frank Bello from the heavy metal band Anthrax, former top models Tully Jensen, and TV star Jason Olive.
Robert founded his production company, August Sun Productions, in 1997. He has produced and directed feature films such as "The Family Web" (Finalist Award, 2000 Zoie International Film Festival) and "One Long Day" (official selection, 2004 Philadelphia Documentary and Fiction Festival). In 2004, he also directed and produced "Scots In America," chronicling the first Scottish Day Parade in New York City. In 2007, Robert produced "Agroecology," a study of organic farming featuring leading scientists in the field, highlighting community gardens as a vital solution to global food challenges and promoting health.
In 1992, Robert co-founded The Bliss St. Repertory Theatre Company in New York City and has directed and produced over eight off-Broadway plays and a dozen off-off-Broadway productions.
Previously, he directed the dark comedy "The House of Yes" at the Nextstage Theatre in Hollywood, which LA Weekly praised for uniformly strong acting under his skilled direction.
Robert began acting in fifth grade, encouraged by his parents to pursue his passion. By eighth grade, he had starred in five musicals and appeared as a student in the 1984 horror film "My Demon Lover." He studied Method Acting in the BFA program at Central Connecticut State University before moving to New York City three months after graduation to train with renowned acting teachers at Herbert Berghoff Studio, Michael Howard Studio, and William Esper Studio. After interning at the prestigious Circle Repertory Company—founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson and actress Tanya Berezin and known for launching the careers of actors like William Hurt, John Turturro, Mary Louise Parker, and Alec Baldwin—Robert planned to start his own theater company.
He holds an MFA in Film & TV Producing from Mount Saint Mary's University. As a Massachusetts State freestyle wrestling champion, he earned a wrestling scholarship to college, where he began his BFA acting studies at CCSU.
His greatest joys are his daughters, Jemma and Olivia.
