Notes for: Robert Haymond Maxwell
Robert Haymond Maxwell attended Randolph Macon Academy and in 1961 graduated from Washington Irving High School. After graduation, he moved to California and studied cinematography and broadcasting at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles (UCLA). He was a graduate of The University of Hard Knocks, an honorary society created by West Virginia newspaper editor Jim Comstock.
Following UCLA, Mr. Maxwell moved to New York City where he was employed by NBC and ABC television. He worked on many network shows as a cameraman and an audio engineer including: The Today Show, Huntley Brinkley Report, Hullabaloo, AFL Football broadcasts and others. He also worked at television stations in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. While in Pittsburgh he began to produce commercials and short films as an independent film maker.
In 1967 he received an "NET" National Education Award for Excellence for his work on the WQED production of "Is Anybody Listening?" This honor was given to him for his "Individual Contribution to Outstanding Television Programming." This work examined the Moynihan Report’s (1964) relevance to Pittsburgh and includes a younger, pre Pulitzer Prize winning August Wilson in some of its Hill District footage.
He moved to Washington, D.C., and became a co-owner in a small production company, Palladium Independent Productions. He produced film for a national presidential campaign, and many senatorial, congressional and gubernatorial television advertising campaigns for candidates from throughout the United States. He independently produced TV documentaries, TV commercials and radio jingles in the Washington, D.C. area. Several productions won awards. His work received three regional Emmy nominations. Mr. Maxwell’s political film work has been featured on "60 Minutes" and his music production has been featured on PBS Public Radio’s "All Things Considered."
He was a gifted still photographer and musician.
In the early 1980s Mr. Maxwell moved his base of operations from Washington, D.C., to West Virginia, where he continued to work on economic, political and environmental endeavors. He was a stockman at Sycamore Dale. He also authored several articles on environmental and historical topics which appeared in The (Clarksburg, W.Va.) Exponent Telegram.