Beloved radio creative director and longtime industry icon Bob Monachino, affectionately known to many as Radio Bob, passed away at his home in Palm Springs on Sunday. He was a pioneer of audio storytelling and production whose voice, vision, and humor left an indelible mark on the advertising world for more than three decades.
With a career spanning from Carmichael Lynch to DDB Chicago—where he helmed national campaigns for brands like Budweiser, McDonald’s, and Discover Card—Monachino eventually launched his own independent production company, Radio Bob Resort, in 2000. Billed as “Where it’s Always Happy Hour,” the Resort became a one-stop creative destination known for stress-free, award-winning radio advertising.
His specialties ranged from voice casting and script development to music supervision and celebrity VO coordination. Monachino had a reputation not just for crafting funny and effective spots but also for bringing calm and clarity to hectic production schedules. “Why stress over your radio projects when you can relax at the Radio Resort & Spa?” he once wrote.
Over the years, his work was recognized with top honors from The One Show, Clio Awards, Radio Mercury Awards, London International Awards, and more. But for colleagues and clients, it was his mentorship, warmth, and comedic timing that earned their lasting admiration.
A little-known fact: Monachino also had a passion for screenwriting. He penned several spec feature film screenplays, including Apollo 18, an alternate history thriller about President Nixon secretly sending astronauts back to the moon, and Curly, a sports biopic chronicling the life of Curly Lambeau, the legendary founder and first coach of the Green Bay Packers.
Monachino was a proud graduate of Drake University, where he studied journalism after earning a business and computer science degree from Iowa State University. A lifelong Chicagoan, he was deeply connected to the Midwest creative community even after relocating to the desert for his well-earned retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Jenny Lee Monachino, and countless friends, collaborators, and mentees who considered themselves part of the extended Radio Bob Resort family.
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