Bobby, born in Visalia, California, teamed up with his younger brother Kevin to make their first independent film in 1999, entitled The Moment After and was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures. Prior to that Bobby spent 5 years of full-time volunteer work in 15 nations and all 50 states. Before entering that work, Bobby graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a Masters Degree in Agriculture Science and Education. Bobby went on to produce MERCY STREETS now distributed by Sony, executive produce LAY IT DOWN, co-produce TBN’s TIME CHANGER and produce SIX: THE MARK UNLEASHED, starring Stephen Baldwin and distributed by Sony. He executive produced Frank Peretti’s best selling novel THE VISITATION, distributed by 20th Century Fox, and produced the indie sequel THE MOMENT AFTER 2: THE AWAKENING distributed by Sony. Bobby currently is producing LIKE DANDELION DUST (Mira Sorvino, Barry Pepper) based on the NY Times best-selling novel by Karen Kingsbury. The film will be released by 20th Century Fox in 2009. The Downes Brothers are working with Sony to bring an entire slate of films into development based on Kingsbury’s novels in addition to a television series based on her Baxter family books. Kingsbury is the #1 selling inspirational author in America today. Bobby helped bring the USA Today and #1 NY Times best-selling novel THE SHACK to publication and is developing the movie adaptation.
As Founder and CEO of the popular movie site ChristianCinema.com (the biggest faith and family friendly DVD store on the planet), Bobby has the pulse of the faith market and has spent years developing a faith consumer profile which directly impacts the films produced. The company is based in Visalia, California, where he lives with his wife Layne and their 6-year-old son Brennen.