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Rob Harvell was destined for a career in sports television.
Hailing from Laurinburg, N.C., Rob developed his ABCs through reading Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, and Stock Car Racing magazines.
In middle school, one of his teachers voiced concern to his mother about Rob’s constant television watching—the TV was almost always set to ESPN.
Rob’s passion extended beyond just TV. Growing up, he developed a deep empathy for people's stories and struggles, often finding that the most compelling narratives were set against a sports backdrop.
After earning a Communication Broadcasting degree from Appalachian State University, Rob launched his career in 2005 with an internship at NASCAR Productions.
This internship led to a full-time position in 2006. As a producer, Rob managed the production of the NASCAR Hall of Fame opening. His dedication drew the attention of acclaimed filmmaker Rory Karpf, who was working on an ESPN Films documentary about Wendell Scott.
Rob collaborated with Karpf on Wendell Scott: A Race Story and went on to produce the entire first season of ESPN's "SEC Storied," featuring titles like Herschel (Herschel Walker), 40 Minutes of Hell (Nolan Richardson), The Play That Changed College Football (1992 SEC Championship Game), and Lolo (Lolo Jones).
He expanded his production credits with numerous SEC Storied films including Miracle 3, The Book of Manning (Manning football family), Tigers United (Michael Sam), Dominique Belongs to Us (Dominique Wilkins), Thunder and Lightning (Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro), Wuerffel's Way (Danny Wuerffel), Miracles on the Plains (2013 Auburn Football), The Bo You Don't Know (Bo Rein), Before They Were Cowboys (Jimmy Johnson, Jerry Jones, Barry Switzer), Stacy's Gift (Stacy Lewis), The Walkoff, and No Experience Required (Texas A&M 12th Man Kickoff Team).
Rob earned the privilege to produce notable films for ESPN's "30 for 30" series. Partnering with First Row Films and director Karpf, he produced I Hate Christian Laettner, which received an Emmy nomination for best long format sports documentary, and "Nature Boy" (Ric Flair), which won the New York Festivals World Medal for Sports Documentary.
In 2016, filmmaker John Corry invited Rob to direct and produce a feature documentary on legendary Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden. The Bowden Dynasty was screened nationally in theaters and continues to air frequently across ESPN platforms, earning a Telly Award for Outstanding Sports Television.
As First Row Films developed a partnership with the UFC, Rob diversified his portfolio by producing docu-reality series such as Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight and Evolution of Punk, both of which became major successes in MMA entertainment.
He also created short documentary films for the UFC’s 25th Anniversary, including Country Boy Can Survive (Matt Hughes), Bully Proof (Georges St Pierre), and Bound by Valor.
Despite the challenges of 2020, Rob remained productive, traveling with First Row Films to Abu Dhabi’s Fight Island to produce the documentary series Declassified: UFC Fight Island.
As docu-reality formats evolved, so did Rob’s work. He produced Snoop and Son (ESPN), Coach Snoop (Netflix), and Shaq Life (TNT). Beyond sports, he ventured into History Channel documentaries such as Secrets in the Sky: The Untold Story of Skunk Works and Ancient Monster Quests, as well as Nat Geo's six-part series 1989: The Year That Made Us.
Rob and his First Row Films team also collaborated with Rob Lowe on Madness in the Hills, a documentary short airing on Peacock.
At 36, Rob still feels like that kid engrossed in Sports Illustrated and glued to ESPN.
His appetite for sports storytelling was insatiable then—and he hopes it never fades.
