CCES
Alumni Career Program Keynote Address
by Billy Campbell ’78
Additional Links:
Alumni News
Billy
Campbell ’78 Dazzles Students
Billy Campbell’s Advice
to Our Students
Connie
Lanzl Introduces Billy Campbell ’78
Back
Name-Dropping
I had never read a script or screenplay prior to my arrival, but
within days I had fallen in love with the creative process and environment.
Telling great stories is one of life's greatest gifts, in my opinion,
and here I was in the heart of the most gifted writers, directors
and producers on the planet. In my first job I worked on MacGyver,
China Beach, and Life Goes On, and then was hired
to run drama development at Warner Bros. Television. We had a very
successful run as we developed Superman: The New Adventures
of Lois and Clark, and the history-changing series ER.
I had fun getting to know the cast and even invited George Clooney
to play on my Beverly Hills rec league basketball team—and
just for the record, I could take him to the hoop!
Every
day was an adventure on the Warner Bros. lot and my fondest memories
were having lunch with Bo Jackson, a former Heisman Trophy winner
and pro football and baseball star, when he guest-starred on Superman
AND meeting with Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox when we produced
Friends (and unlike most famous people, those two were
even prettier in person than on TV).
After Warner Bros., I became the number two at CBS and helped develop
the hit series Everybody Loves Raymond. A fun fact about
that show was that it was almost cancelled after the first season
due to low ratings. Similarly, another favorite series was Seinfeld.
For two seasons that show struggled and was almost sent to that
great heap of failed TV series until it was moved into a new time
period and became the most successful show in history. It was a
good lesson in trusting your gut and being a little patient, in
a very impatient world.
After three years at CBS I was approached by the Weinstein Brothers
and asked to start a television division for them. Miramax, which
was named after their parents Miriam and Max, had been an extremely
successful film company. Running an independent production company
was thrilling, and we had great success with a new series we created
called Project Greenlight for HBO. I brought in partners Matt Damon
and Ben Affleck and the show was one of the first to successfully
integrate the Internet and filmmaking businesses.
Expect
the Unexpected
One bit of advice as you grow older: Learn to "expect the unexpected."
You never know when a great opportunity might come your way; and
that's exactly what happened for me in 2002. I received a call from
a headhunter asking if I'd be interested in running Discovery Networks
in Silver Spring, MD. The job was perfect in many ways: I would
have 14 channels that included Animal Planet, The Learning Channel,
The Travel Channel, Discovery Health, The Science Channel, The Military
Channel, and, of course, the flagship Discovery Channel. If you
are a programmer, it doesn't get much better! Since my attention
span is short, it was perfect since I could change the channel at
any moment, both literally and figuratively.
I could spend weeks telling you about my experiences at Discovery,
producing shows like Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, Deadliest Catch,
Trading Spaces, Monster Garage, American Chopper, Little People
Big World, Meerkat Manor, and Real Estate Pros, hosted
by Charleston native Richard Davis and Greenville's own Ginger Alexander.
There were big specials too: The Flight That Fought Back, Walking
With Cavemen, Neferiti Resurrected, and The World is Flat,
Tom Friedman's documentary on outsourcing in India that spawned
his best-selling book.
I had
the privilege of having dinner with the Presidents of Uganda and
Ghana in their homes and rafting down the Nile river through a Stage
Five rapid (much to my mom’s and sister's horror, as I almost
drowned). I shepherded several documentaries with one of my idols,
Jane Goodall, and again brought my mom and sister through the jungles
in Tanzania watching the amazing chimpanzees in their native habitat.
And one of my favorite days was flying in the back seat of an F-18
fighter jet with pilot Justin "Otter" Otto at the helm,
as we flew over the Gulf of Mexico in Pensacola with the Blue Angels.
I hate to admit it, but after the third time we pulled 6 G's, I
got a little sick—okay, a lot sick. I vaguely remember mumbling
to my pilot: could he please just keep it steady for a little while.
When we landed, I looked like Casper the Ghost, but I'd go with
him again tomorrow if he'd have me.
I'm
proud that I was the first to put my college roommate on television.
Dr. Mehmet Oz has now become a household name with his best-selling
health manuals and his appearances on Oprah. I had the luxury of
programming the finest shows on television and working with the
most extraordinary talent in the world.
This
morning I thought I'd share a few details with you.
My First Emmy
Award
I recruited Ted Koppel and his team of journalists to join Discovery
two years ago. Part of the deal was that he'd let me accompany him
on a few of the documentaries we'd be filming. I was able to travel
with him to the Middle East where we met with the heads of Israel
and Jordan as well as the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. My favorite
time with Ted was a trip to Iran to film our documentary called
Iran: The Most Dangerous Nation in the World. Even though
our government has strained relations with theirs, the Iranian people
couldn't have been smarter, kinder or more hospitable. Recently,
Ted Koppel and his team invited me to his house for lunch where
he presented me with my first Emmy award for that documentary!
Without question, one of my favorite people of all time was Steve
Irwin. I bonded with him when I flew to his zoo in Australia to
officially christen the Animal Planet Crocoseum where he performed
his daily crocodile show and feedings. Steve had a helicopter pick
me up in Brisbane and fly me to the zoo an hour away. I won't forget
seeing Steve and his team waiting for me to land. All ten of them
were waving furiously in their khaki shorts and shirts.
Thanksgiving with the Crocodile Hunter
Three years ago, Steve was participating in the Macy's parade in
New York City. I told him that he couldn't be in America on Thanksgiving
Day and just sit in a hotel room. He agreed to share it with my
family, so after appearing in the Parade and on the Conan O'Brien
Show, he flew down to the beach that evening from New York.
I had told Steve in passing not to eat since the dinner served by
my cousins "in the country" was more food than he could
imagine. I picked him up at the tiny Georgetown airport and we started
on our 30-minute drive to my uncle's house. After about five minutes,
Steve said "Billy, think we can stop and get something to eat?"
I told him that we'd be there in about 25 minutes. After another
five minutes, he said "Billy, I really need to get something
to eat." I said, Steve, we're almost there, and they'll have
tons of food. Besides, didn't you eat anything today"? He looked
at me like I was from Mars and said, "Mate, you told me not
to eat today, so I didn't!" A short time later we walked into
the house and you would've thought Santa Claus had arrived. He told
story after story and just had the grandest time. I think I was
the only one that truly understood why he had four plates of food
at his first American Thanksgiving.
I visited his family, Terri, Bindi and baby Bob, at their zoo last
year, and his wife Terri told me that one of his favorite experiences
during his life was his "Southern Thanksgiving" and something
about fried turkey and caramel cake. Every penny Steve earned was
plowed back into his zoo and nature conservation. He kidded me once
by saying, "I don't think I'll be needing much money for my
clothes." He lived a true life full of passion and died pursuing
his dream. I'm a much better person for having known Steve Irwin,
the Crocodile Hunter, and calling him my friend.
Planet
Earth
I had the good fortune to work with so many talented people and
on so many remarkable projects that it's difficult to single any
of them out as being my favorite, but I think the most stunning
of all was the award-winning mini-series that I shepherded for almost
five years. Planet Earth was ground-breaking in every way:
40 film crews filming entirely in high definition over a four-year
period and capturing animal behavior in a way never seen before.
I spent a week with the crew in Botswana filming the wild-hunting
dogs from a helicopter. The series aired last spring and, with over
65 million viewers, is the most- watched show in the history of
Discovery. I've brought a video clip to show you. It demonstrates
the beauty and the challenges of filming polar bears and birds of
paradise in their native environments. Take a look. [Campbell shows
video clips from Planet Earth.] Each of those filmmakers
spent nearly four weeks in the snow and ice or in the jungles of
New Guinea waiting for those incredible shots. Remember, sometimes
good things come to those who wait.
More...
|
