But it was in January of 2006, standing in the frigid night temperatures on the streets of Kensington while intensively observing Sylvester Stallone direct, act, and rewrite dialogue between each take on the set of Rocky Balboa that would change the whole trajectory of Robert Patriarca’s life.

 

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Patriarca began his career at the age of thirteen in musical theater as part of the Rainbow Company, later known as Youth Arts in Action, writing and performing in plays at the Prince Music Theater. In 2008, Patriarca played Officer Krupke in West Side Story. The 9th grade dropout created Patriarca Film Company (PFC) at the age of 18 and personally financed his first feature film.

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Since then, Patriarca earned his GED at Temple University and graduated college with high Honors, receiving a degree in Digital Video Production. Patriarca also holds a Certification in Digital Video Production from Community College of Philadelphia.

 

Patriarca credits Sylvester Stallone as the filmmaker who has had the most influential impact on his life, education, career choice, and career aspirations.

 

“I would not have gone to college to learn the craft of filmmaking if I were not on set of Rocky Balboa watching Stallone do the scene where he changes a lightbulb. I was absolutely captivated and inspired watching Stallone direct. It was truly an epiphany. From that precise moment, I had a clear vision of what I needed to do to make my dreams into reality.”