Robert Hoops, Cancervive KC creative director, answers The Pitch‘s questionnaire
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Current neighborhood: Maple Woods
What I do (in 140 characters): I keep my hand on the pulse of the KC arts scene and reach out to local artists, performers and musicians to feature at benefit events for Cancervive KC, a local organization dedicated to raising money for local families battling cancer.
What’s your addiction? Thai Food, Boulevard beer, geek art, those freaky illustrations from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
What’s your game? Street Fighter II. Super Nintendo.
What’s your drink? Bourbon, local brews and concoctions
Where’s dinner? Lulu’s!
What’s on your KC postcard? The Boulevard smokestack, the World War I Memorial, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Union Station
Finish this sentence: “Kansas City got it right when … ” They cultivated a thriving arts scene in various eclectic neighborhoods: the Crossroads, West Bottoms, Westport.
“Kansas City screwed up when … ” Remember when there was an FAO Schwarz on the Plaza? What happened to that?
“Kansas City needs … “ Less dependency on cars and a better way to get around.
“In five years, I’ll be … “ Helping artists through nonprofit means full time. This is my passion.
“I always laugh at … ” Anytime Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Colossus go to a bar together because some fool always starts a fight and gets turned into a stain on the wall.
“I’ve been known to binge-watch … ” Breaking Bad. I watched the entire series in one week on Netflix before the fifth season began. Watching Walter White’s decline in the course of a week is super-depressing, you guys.
“I can’t stop listening to … ” The new Naked and Famous album.
“I just read … “ It’s been awhile since I had to sit down and read a novel, but I’m really excited that Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is being turned into a movie.
The best advice I ever got: “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t make it in the arts.”
Worst advice: “You can’t make it in the arts.”
My sidekick: My wife, Megan. She’s a powerhouse and is incredibly supportive of my creative endeavors.
My dating triumph/tragedy: Casually going out to visit my friend in college, having it turn into a wild weekend, all eventually leading to our marriage. #Triumph Does it matter? I’m with the love of my life, and those failures helped get me here. #Tragedy
My brush with fame: I met Bruce Campbell once. He was nice as hell.
My 140-character soapbox: I love this city. I love the arts scene happening here, the locally owned movie theaters like Screenland Armour, breweries like Boulevard and Cinder Block, mixology bars like Manifesto and Snow & Co. I’m very proud to be a Kansas Citian and to contribute to our arts community through Cancervive KC.
What was the last thing you had to apologize for? I recently had a photo shoot at my house that involved models eating really messily. My wife came home and was like, “Why are there sprinkles in the bathroom?”
Who’s sorry now? I had so many people discourage me from pursuing an artistic career growing up, and I listened to them. I enjoyed doing creative things in school and in my free time, but I always sought a practical job over an artistic career. In the past year or so, I really started believing in myself for the first time, and I’ve had a very successful year. I’ve been featured in numerous shows, I’m booking lots of photography gigs, and I became creative director of this wonderful organization.
My recent triumph: Producing this Halloween fundraiser with Cancervive KC at Belvoir Winery has kind of been my baby. The other members of Cancervive KC have been great and made amazing contributions – it’s incredibly collaborative, but they’ve really let me run wild with this event creatively, and I’m so, so grateful to them. I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d want to be on Halloween night than at a haunted winery, especially for a good cause. It really is going to be the best place to spend Halloween Night in KC!
Cancervive KC hosts Nightmare at Oddfellows Thursday, October 31, from 7 p.m. to midnight, at the Belvoir Winery (1325 Odd Fellows Road, Liberty). Expect performance art, live music, local artists and craftspersons, short films, psychics, drinks and more. Admission is $15. Hoops and a few friends started the nonprofit organization in the spring of 2012, after their friend Michael Frank Corte died following a long fight with leukemia. Cancervive KC raises money for local people who are struggling to afford cancer treatments.
