Bob Lott, A Living Legend Documenting Our History In Film

Bob Lott is a living legend who has spent the last almost 40 years of his life documenting history on film.
Amongst us are many Kings. Some are well-known and easy to spot. Others are not as well-known but have equally done the labor and deserve to reap the rewards. One such person that comes to my mind is Robert (Bob) Lott, who more often than not, over the last 35 plus years, has always been seen with a video camera in his hands, on his shoulder, or he was directing a crew of camera technicians. Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Bob Lott has received some accolades and praise for the great documentaries and films he’s produced over the years. However, there are those amongst us who feel like his work should be seen regularly, on the likes of HBO, The Discovery Channel, BET, OWN Network, NetFlix, and why not, ABC, CBS, and NBC, too?
The quality of work that Lott produces, none of the decision-makers at any of these networks should hesitate for a second to welcome Bob Lott and his amazing talent and capacity to capture history and tell stories in such a compelling way.
Nearing his 80’s, Bob Lott is in no way tired and is still fired up about the documentaries he plans to get completed, one of them being the story of Ken Bridges, if he gets all the approvals he needs from the Bridges family. Ken Bridges was the 10th and final victim of the D.C. Sniper who shook the entire east coast in October 2002, killing almost a dozen innocent victims.
After almost four decades, award-winning film producer Bob Lott, owner of Teamwork Media Group International (TMGI), film Producers, and Distributors, is shifting gears in the direction of original programming. Their goal is the global market, but with a twist. It was over 30 years ago that Bob and then partner Walt Gavin pioneered Black Music in video form in the first syndicated Black music video show on commercial television with The Gavin & Lott Show that aired in 55 cities nationwide.
Since that time, Bob has developed a reputation for excellence in the area of non-broadcast video and documentaries. While Bob Lott cannot yet say any of his work has been broadcast on major networks, such as the HBO’s and Netflix of the world, he is very pleased that since the start of the Black Cable News Network, they have been carrying quite a few programs produced by Bob Lott and Teamwork Productions Media International.
Here are some of the projects and documentaries Bob Lott has produced: The African Genesis Theory was created by African and African American History scholar, the late Dr. Edward Robinson Jr., who passed in 2012. He spent 70 of his 94 years trying to teach African Americans their true history of who they are and who they could be as a people. Robinson provides the basis for most of TMGI’s new programming slate, including several documentary series that deal with the spiritual and cultural connection of African Americans with the Motherland.
As we observe Black History Month, once again, it is important for all people to be reminded to value the contributions that Africa made to world history, and to correct the false perceptions that lead to racial violence, chaos, and factionalism. Bob Lott stated, “America can no longer afford to be torn apart from within by the age-old hatred that once splintered this nation. Triggering the solution to the race problem, which is rooted in the lack of intrinsic value toward African Americans by all Americans, is the mission of the African Genesis effort. It seeks to do that by initiating the deprogramming of the mindsets of all Americans concerning the African beginnings of African Americans.”
Bob Lott added, “The reason for reprogramming is to build race-esteem among African Americans, as well as respect for African Americans by other ethnic groups. Intrinsic Value is rooted: Race-esteem is the flower, Self-esteem is the fragrance. Without the flower, there is no fragrance. TMGI’s goal is to bring more African American history to both the big and small screen globally. Projects completed and on the drawing board cover sports, film, ancient history, archaeology, music, finance, education, biographies of influential Americans, all from a “black” perspective, but for a global audience. We want to bring a new perspective to the African American experience before and after the so-called MAAFA (The African American Holocaust)”.
Additional TMGI’s films include: I AM AN AMERICAN: THE MAKING OF AN ANTHEM, produced and directed by Bob Lott, is a documentary revealing the decades-long mission by legendary music pioneer Kenny Gamble of Philadelphia International Records fame, and utilization of Temple University’s Orchestra and choir along with superstar Patti LaBelle.
GHANA, THE DOOR OF NO RETURN, Most recently, TMGI received the first place award from the Capital City Black Film Festival for his film “African Genesis: Journey Of The Songhai People,” subtitled: “Ghana, The Door of No Return.” The film was also screened at the San Diego Black Film Festival and has won several awards in three other film festivals, including a silver medal in The Philafilm International Festival.
AFRICAN GENESIS: A SOLUTION FOR AMERICA, A documentary on the life and legacy of Dr. Edward Robinson, Jr. “On The Wings of an Eagle,” aired in Philadelphia in October 2014 and again in Black History Month 2015 on CBS’ CW Philly channel. An expanded feature-length version, “The African Genesis Theory: A Solution for America,” is in production. The film focuses on what Robinson termed “The Problem” when it comes to the “black” experience in America. And how many of what he terms “the ills” facing African Americans has a permanent “Solution.”
RENAISSANCE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN IN SPORTS: Bob Lott, along with Executive Producer Herb Douglas, the oldest living African American Olympic Medalist at age 95, produced a documentary on the “Renaissance Nine.” The Renaissance film tells the story of the nine (9) African American Olympic medalists who were members of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games Track & Field Team. When the Games were finished, these nine athletes had collected 13 medals — four of them by Jesse Owens.
BIRTH OF BLACK FILM: A CINEMA APART, Another “historical” film called “Birth Of Black Film” hosted and co-produced by Beverly Richards, deals with the birth of an independent Black Cinema and its impact on America. It takes us on a journey through the early years introducing the pioneers – the studio owners, producers, directors, and actors who created a viable black-owned industry. Birth of Black Film won a Gold first prize award in the PhilaFilm Festival a couple of years ago.
Before entering the Film, Video & Television Production business, Bob Lott was a senior associate in a prestigious architectural firm for over 16 years, responsible for the design, form, and execution of over 400 buildings, many of which have won various architectural awards. He has an eye for design, form, and execution, and a facility for following the needs of a demanding public. He gives full credit to his architectural career to the Philadelphia Public High school he attended, Murrell Dobbins High School in North Philadelphia, where he first learned drafting.
Bob Lott is also considered a Multi-Media Producer. He’s one of only a handful of producers with a successful track record in syndication with his first syndicated hit, The Gavin & Lott Show (1983-1987) that he also co-hosted and aired for 2 years in over 75% of the country.
Many years ago, Lott saw the void perhaps that others did not see, or chose not to see, in the marketplace for non-profit organizations and small to medium-sized businesses, and even some larger corporations. Lott was able to bring together creative and talented teams to ensure that from pre-production to post-production to marketing and advertising, clients would receive the highest quality work to match any NY or LA production. As a result, Teamwork served and continues to serve a long list of clientele in Philadelphia and along the east coast.
Today, as the SCOOP Newspaper continues observing our history of yesterday and today, we salute Robert (Bob) Lott of Teamwork Media Group International (TMGI).