(I took this down before...but since it's been getting so many hits...here I am reposting it!) Hopefully he will be okay with it. Bill - you are the MAN. (To put it bluntly.) This is not for personal promotion but simply to promote a great person that I am proud to have interviewed.
While this is not really the norm of this blog --- I decided to post it anyhow. Not many of you necessarily know too much about me (with the exception of friends of course), but I figured I would share the interview that I somehow scored with the great Bill Geddie who is great friends and co-workers with Barbara Walters. He works with her on her long-running show "The Barbara Walters Special" as well as the ever so popular daytime talk show - "The View".
Enjoy!
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Bill Geddie Interview
As I walked into the ABC building on 66th street, I was a bit nervous to meet the man behind such television shows as "The Barbara Walters' Special" and "The View". I reminded myself that this was an interview that is certainly not easily obtained. I waited for a few moments in the "The View" offices and was then instructed to head into Mr. Geddie's personal office. Upon entering, I admired the collection of framed promotional posters and photos of Barbara Walters and various specials she had done from years prior. It was a comfortable office and "homey" by office standards. As we sipped on hot coffee, Mr. Geddie opened up to me about how he went about succeeding in such a competitive television field. My first question was what his current job title was and what exactly it entailed. He stated that he is the Executive Producer of both shows previously mentioned and that he oversees the creative aspects and the management of the programs. He continued to explain that while Barbara Walters and him have equal power, that he normally undertakes the day to day operations due to Barbara's hectic schedule. When speaking about how long he has been in the business, he proceeded to answer many of my questions in one fell swoop. Thirty years he had spent working his way up and becoming the successful man he is today. He attended the University of Texas and received his first formal experience immediately thereafter, at a local television station. They hired him as a camera man working on film cameras which were "relatively liked but very complex" he said. He spoke of the change in the types of cameras and how when the video cameras came into use, many of the film cameramen wanted no part in the new technological advancements. He called himself a "low man on the totem pole" upon receiving the job that no one else wanted anymore. He mentioned that these new cameras were very heavy and not easily used by smaller guys, but as a bigger guy he was able to operate them with ease.
A very interesting story that he told to me, which opened my eyes about screenwriting, was the story of his film "Unforgettable". He thought as a college student that screenwriting was his dream and said "almost everyone I know, at some point thinks they're going to be a screenwriter." He stated that he had written a script and sold it to Hollywood. His script was passed around and re-written "a hundred times", and he had no control on how the final product turned out, nor did he know any information on when and how the movie was being executed. He only heard one day that his film was out, so in turn he called a publicist at MGM and asked if he could set up a private screening. He was excited to do so until the publicist said seven dreadful words; "You may want to see it first". He was then extremely nervous but he took a few friends and family to view the film he had written years ago. He said "for the first forty-five minutes, I say - it's my movie! Then weird stuff starts to happen and then people start laughing, and it's not a movie where you're supposed to laugh – it's a thriller." He then started to question why certain characters were missing, and why some he was unfamiliar with started to appear. The film started going in a completely different direction than what he wrote it as. "By the end, my wife and I stand up in shock, and make our way out up into the lobby, and there were a few girls out smoking cigarettes about your age, and I remember very clearly her saying - who writes shit like this?" he said. He spoke of how humiliating such a film was since he was given sole writing credit. It used to hurt to see it, but now he is "well over it" he said in confidence. He said that very rarely is your film an Oscar winner and although he believes what he initially wrote was worthy of an Oscar, it was ruined by the industry. He then said "I found out that I don't have the stomach, or the patience to be a screenwriter. I don't want to work on something today that I'm going to see the fruits of in seven years." I then proceeded to ask him if it is really even a good idea to be a screenwriter if you ultimately have no true control over the hard work you have put forth.
An essential piece of advice that he then gave, was that if a screenwriter wants to write a script, that it is simply not worth it to sell it to a company who will produce the film themselves. If you truly want to have complete control over your project, he says it is better to raise the money and finance it yourself. He made it quite clear that it is not in your best interest to spend an immense amount of time on a script, only to have all your efforts go down the drain due to such big changes in the initial writing. He says to "stay away from that system, because you're not powerful enough" in regards to the control you have. As someone who has thought of writing a script, this is very useful story that he told me. Although we have talked much about financing our own films within class, this reinforces such a suggestion due to the fact that it is real proof that it is truly wise to do so. He spoke of how if he ever undertakes writing a script in the future that he will certainly raise the money himself since he learned the hard way rather young.
I wanted to get more into the mind of Mr. Bill Geddie, so I asked him a fun question about which television programs were his favorite growing up. He replied that he liked "anything with guys that were cool" like "The Mod Squad", "Combat!", and very well-known "boy shows" – anything with secret agents, soldiers and more to the likes of that. He revealed through those few answers that he was certainly a man's man. It was quite interesting and ironic to see that those were his favorite types of shows since he ultimately created such a female-focused program such as "The View". He also revealed that he is still a kid at heart since he loves playing video games such as "Resident Evil" and "Metal of Honor". In a both equally surprising and not so surprising turn, he stated that he was obsessed with talk shows. I then realized how it came to be that he had the initial idea for the show he currently produces. His loved for talks shows began with Johnny Carson which easily believable with him being such a timelessly funny and entertaining man. "I thought and still think he is the greatest talent ever." Bill said. He then spoke of another talk show where the producer would sit on the side and look through the curtain and he thought that was the "coolest thing". Although I did not inquire, that may explain why Mr. Geddie is often seen and mentioned in the audience of various shows of "The View". "I never knew I'd end up producing a talk show" he said. Judging by his past, I probably would never guess it either.
I was very interested in knowing how he met the legendary Ms. Barbara Walters, so I inquired. It was explained to me that he had initially met her while field producing for Good Morning America. A producer had left at the "Barbara Walters' Special", and someone from her offices had given him a call. He went in for an interview and offered to do one of her upcoming specials stating that it was the only project he was willing to take if needed. She liked the idea since she did not know him that well, and agreed to it. He then worked on it, and while that was being worked on, a new special would come up, and then another. It soon turned out that he just fell into the job fully. He then told me how "The View" was created. Back in 1997, a day time opening was available, so he went to Barbara and suggested the creation of such a show. She agreed to be a part of it and it has been going strong for almost 10 years.
I then asked him what his advice to someone such as myself, would be to get into the business and be very successful. His response was that one must figure out exactly what it is that they want to do – "how you ultimately see yourself" he states, so that "when somebody asks you what you want to be when you grow up, that is it most serious question anybody could ask you." he continued. He made it clear so that this point forward once you have decided what it is you want to be, that you have to tell it to everyone. This reminded me of the class where we spoke about business cards and how it is in our best interest to put a job title on our cards that we would someday like to ultimately have, whether or not we have reached such career heights yet. I told him that my professor had said that and he agreed and stated that he did the same thing when he was younger. He said "You can't be ashamed of it and if you're not visualizing it, it's never going to happen." I must say that I could not agree more. He explained that you must figure out which ladder you want to climb as there are many. Surprisingly enough, he informed me that producers do not in fact make as much money as you would think. This was certainly valuable information to know considering that it is the profession I am gearing towards. He said "to show that you have no disdain for the lowest form of the industry is what you need to do", and I must admit that I personally do that on a day to day basis at MTV.
My last question was "What is your greatest accomplishment?" I truly loved his answer, as it was different than I had expected. He explained that his greatest accomplishment was not one particular show or project, but more so the ability to be able to "make something out of nothing"; the ability to have such a creative mind and on a daily-basis be able to concoct ideas for shows and specials. He also spoke of how if you are not passionate about what you are working on, that it is simply not worth it. He now produces only segments that he himself would watch and suggests that other producers to the same. He said it will never work if you are producing for a demographic that you are not familiar with. "Never work on something that you think certain people will like". It will never work out he explained. Throughout this interview, I could certainly see why this man is as successful as he is today. He is humble, yet confident, intelligent; all while open to new ideas and overall, he offers great insight into the world of producing. It was an honor interviewing him and I can only hope to someday be half as successful as Bill Geddie!