Allen R. Morris
Encyclopedia
Allen Robert Morris a Texan and an American, is an Emmy Award-winning television producer/director/writer. His professional career began when he and his twin sister, as teenagers, provided the voices and operated puppets on a local children’s television show, “Through Magic Doorways.” This experience led to a job at a small market station in Lufkin, Texas
, KTRE-Channel 9, owned by the Buford brothers of Tyler, Texas
. His varied experiences there included sweeping the studio and running a studio camera; shooting and editing news film; learning production techniques on local television commercials; obtaining a 1st Class FCC Engineering license; and finally, directing the nightly newscast. Still in his teens, this was the first step on a professional journey across the globe.
Other siblings include an older brother (Dalton, born January 1, 1951) and a younger sister (Brenda, born April 22, 1956). The children grew up in Glen Oaks, then a new neighborhood of the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. Their family was one of the first to move in. The children attended Mark Twain Elementary, located directly across the street from the Morris’ house.
Morris’ interest in television started as a child growing up during the Golden Age of Television. His earliest television memories are of Howdy Doody
. At the young age of six, he paid attention to the Kennedy-Nixon
debates when the networks pre-empted regular programming. He had nightmares about missiles from Cuba
obliterating his world. Later, the coverage of the Kennedy assassination fascinated the nine-year old to the point that he credits that tragic event with his becoming a lifelong “news junkie.” Throughout the decade, television continued bringing the events of the world into his home – The Beatles on Ed Sullivan
, Goldwater vs. Johnson
, Vietnam
, the Watts
race riots in the summer of 1965, Martin Luther King
, Bobby Kennedy, and one small step
for man.
In 1968, prompted by the desire to retire from the rat race and facilitated by an offer for his father to open a store selling stereos and sewing machines and to build a coin-operated car wash, the family moved to Lufkin, a small town in East Texas.
Morris spent his formative adolescent years attending Lufkin High School
and working in his father’s store after school. From his father, he learned the fine art of salesmanship. On the weekends, he worked at the car wash cleaning the bays, making change and frequently sitting on a rail sunning while reading a book. He has often said his childhood was like growing up in Disneyland.
Morris graduated Lufkin High School in 1972 among the top ten percent of his class.
on a music scholarship. However, planning to major in chemistry and go into pre-med, Morris did not have time in his freshman schedule for music and neglected to sign up for any music courses. Instead, he enrolled in Angelina Junior College
, where he could keep his job at KTRE
, studying the sciences and becoming involved with the theatre department.
As a college student, Morris was able to take advantage of his early broadcasting experience by supervising a practicum course in radio/TV/film, for which he received full course credit. This course entailed students from nearby Stephen F. Austin State University
doing their coursework at the Channel 9 studios, using the facilities there to develop the film and edit a five program wildlife series under the tutelage of their professor Paul Potter. It was during the second year of college that Morris produced an hour-long television special featuring music and theatre students from SFASU entitled “A JOURNEY THROUGH CHRISTMAS.” The program aired two years consecutively on two of the Buford-owned television stations in Tyler and Lufkin.
In the fall of 1974, Morris entered SFASU and graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre and Communications.
After graduating college, Morris’ First Class FCC
license helped him get a job at KDOG-TV
in Houston. With the license, he could sign on the transmitter log and edit using the RCA TEP Editor because both the editor and the transmitter monitor were located in the main control room. At KDOG, he edited national television commercials for Ford, Ultrabrite Toothpaste, and others.
The first national spot he edited for J. Walter Thompson’s client, Ford Trucks, eventually won the Grand Prix at the Houston Advertising Awards and ultimately went on to win a Clio Award.
In his second year with KDOG, Morris became the producer of the all-night show, “PAWS FOR THE NIGHT” and hired Houston radio personality Roger Gray as the host. The show was primarily an all night movie showcase that also featured celebrity interviews, trivia games and performances by local bands and comedians.
Morris used the programs to create performance opportunities for theatre students from the University of Houston. Among the students appearing in the comedy skits for “PAWS FOR THE NIGHT” (who went on to achieve success in theatre, broadcasting or film) were Brett Cullen
, Tim Arrington and Robin Mosley.
A second program was an early-morning children’s show called “#26 MORNING PLACE,” which was hosted by rotating pairs of eight children. Primarily a showcase for cartoons, the program used segments between the cartoons for the hosts to perform educational skits, read mail from viewers and show film clips from "field trips" featuring all of the hosts together on location. These trips highlighted places of interest to children throughout the viewing area: a visit to the zoo or a trip to Galveston or to the San Jacinto Monument.
Sitcom
In 1977, Morris co-wrote, produced and acted in a pilot for a situation comedy entitled “THEY’D HANG YOU IN NASHVILLE,” based on the play by college classmate William K. Gleason. He managed to get an appointment with Grant Tinker
at MTM to show this project.
After watching about five minutes of the program, Tinker asked, “How did you get an appointment with me?” and then advised Morris to throw it in the Los Angeles River on his way out of town. Tinker then proceeded to give advice about the business of developing programs for television.
Despite Tinker not liking the pilot, he told Morris to keep the appointments he had with other producers in town; then, report back to him with their reactions.
KRIV
Metromedia
bought KDOG and re-named it KRIV. Morris began working as the Interim Program Director, responsible for acquiring syndicated programming and doing ratings analysis for the station. To increase the station’s profile among the minority community, he initiated two public affairs programs for Metromedia: “HERENCIA,” a weekly Spanish language program that explored issues of relevance to Houston’s growing Hispanic community; and “THE BLACK VOICE,” a panel discussion format focused on issues concerning Houston’s black community and involvement in city government.
During the 1979-81 baseball seasons, Metromedia contracted Morris as road producer for the Houston Astros. He traveled with the team producing the road games and learned the intricacies of directing baseball for television from industry veterans Joe O’Rourke from Boston and Bob Hiestand from Los Angeles. The play-by-play announcers were Gene Elston
and Dewayne Staats
. Morris’ first season with the team was also the first season former Astros pitcher Larry Dierker
was in the booth as color commentator for the games. Morris and Dierker became friends while traveling on the road together.
When his baseball contract with Metromedia expired, Morris was invited by future Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, Frank E. Melton (an old friend and former colleague at KTRE) to re-join Buford Television at KLTV-Channel 7 in Tyler, Texas, as Operations Manager and Director of Creative Services. Morris made a mark there by developing a commercial production department for the station, winning the first of more than a hundred Telly Awards and getting recognition from The Clio Awards for a United Way campaign. He also developed local programming: “THE 5 O’CLOCK SHOW,” and a series of live broadcast specials for the Annual Rose Festival Parade, local college and high school sports and a political rally during the 1980 elections. In 1982, Morris was called in as a last minute replacement to direct the live camera feed of a production of "MOVIE STAR," a musical review produced by Bob Mackie
and Ray Aghayan. The production was mounted at the Studios at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, and was a charity fund-raising event hosted by Larry Hagman
. At this event, Morris was reunited with college acquaintance Brad Maule
who was a member of the cast.
Renard Group
In 1984, Morris joined The Renard Group Advertising agency as Executive Vice President and Creative Director. He was responsible for developing communications, marketing and advertising plans for the agency’s clients.
At the same time, he began Fox Group Productions. From 1984 until 1992, his production company produced the “GARNER TED ARMSTRONG SHOW,” a weekly evangelistic television program shown in 75 markets across the United States and Canada. The company also developed and produced thirty-nine installments of “YOUNG COUNTRY,” a weekly country music program shot live on locations ranging from Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth to The Oil Palace in Tyler. The format featured interviews with current country singing stars and the week’s top music videos.
The next move blended his broadcasting background with the business community. He joined Richard Kidd Productions (RKP) in Dallas as Executive Producer and Creative Director. In this role, Morris developed formats for satellite-delivered programs for corporate clients. During his tenure with RKP, he continued to produce and direct television commercials for clients and continued to develop documentary projects. He also began producing live events for corporations; developing the staging and directing “corporate theatre” for incentive programs, sales conventions and customer appreciation events.
Caribiner
When RKP sold in 1995 to Caribiner International, at the time the world’s largest corporate communications company, Morris stayed on as Executive Creative Director and Executive Producer for their Houston and Dallas offices.
Extreme
In 1998, Morris and two colleagues broke away from Caribiner and formed Extreme Corporate Communications in Houston. The company was a partnership with Bill Young Productions and had soundstage and editing facilities in the Studios at the Lakes Complex. During this time, Morris produced three Emmy-winning projects. Two were documentaries “THE FACES OF ARTHRITIS” and “HANNAH MORRIS: KIDS GET ARTHRITIS, TOO” and a public service spot “DON’T SAY NO TONIGHT-AIDS AWARENESS.”
Belay
The success of Extreme led to the creation of Belay Media Solutions, a WBEA certified company specializing in Corporate Communications activities for clients including those in the energy sector, insurance and finance, and computer manufacturing. Working with Danny Ward and Nancy Ames of Ward & Ames Special Events, and with producer Rick Cortright at Texas Video & Post, a rival production company, Morris co-directed, wrote and produced “ONE HOUSTON UNITED: THE NIGHT THE RAINS CAME,” a short feature detailing the devastation brought about by Tropical Storm Allison and its effect on people in the community.
The feature was used in the opening segment and to promote the "ONE HOUSTON UNITED" telethon hosted by Clint Black
and Lisa Hartman Black (both Houston-area natives) and included performances from Pat Green
, Lyle Lovett
, Rodney Crowell
, La Mafia
and others. The event, under the auspices of United Way of The Texas Gulf Coast, was simulcast on local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC, WB and Telemundo, raising over $3.5 million for the benefit of storm victims. The feature won the 2002 National Public and Community Service Emmy Award.
VT2
Belay Media went into partnership with Houston’s VT2 Media and Design in 2002, becoming one of the largest production and post-production facilities in Houston. As a partner in the venture, Morris served as the VP of Production and Operations for VT2’s Corporate Communications projects, managing all budgets and personnel.
VT2 Studios was involved in the development of television programming, commercial production for ad agencies, development of music direct marketing with major recording labels, creative design for 3D animation and print. Among other productions, the company produced television commercials and opening sequences for sporting event broadcasts and network and local station identification packages. A significant project was the facility's use by CBS Sports as their local home base for producing coverage of Super Bowl XXXVIII
.
VT2 Studios and Belay Media co-produced a reality pilot for Music World Entertainment entitled “PROJECT POPSTAR.” As Producer and Director, Morris worked closely with Executive Producer Mathew Knowles
(Beyonce’s father) on this project.
His career has afforded Morris the opportunity to work all over the world. He has produced projects in Europe, the Middle East, the South Pacific and South America. On location in Egypt in 1986, Morris produced and directed a documentary for the Texas Endowment for Humanities entitled, “ALEXANDRIA: MONUMENT TO CIVILIZATION.” As they chronicled the influence of the ancient city of Alexandria on the cultural development of western civilization, Morris and crew received unprecedented access to archaeological sites throughout the country.
Gulf War
In 1991, during the Gulf War, Allen Morris and crew traveled to Israel with evangelist Garner Ted Armstrong
. They came back with one of the first American media interviews in which Yitzhak Rabin
said he would consider a “land for peace” initiative. They conducted interviews with both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
South America
He wrote and produced two South American projects in the mid 90’s. One was a documentary about the global effort involved in building the world’s largest methane plant at Punta Arenas, located at the southernmost tip of Chile. The other was a chronicle about the efforts taken to preserve the pristine and fragile ecosystem of the Bolivian rain forest while drilling for oil.
Beneficiary Organizations
Among the boards and organizations he has served are: United Way, YMCA, Crime Stoppers, and Arthritis Foundation; has been an advisor to organizations including The Boy Scouts of America, Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, The Texas State School System and the Foster Grandparents Program; has been a sponsor and counselor for Explorer’s Scouting and Junior Achievement.
In addition to this service, he has frequently produced marketing materials, broadcast public service announcements and various fund raising projects in support of Aids Foundation, Arthritis Foundation, United Way, Spay-Neuter Assistance Program, Camp Fire, Boy Scouts of America, Variety Club, YMCA and dozens of other organizations. In February 2010, he directed the live camera coverage of the 100th Anniversay Celebration of the Boy Scouts in America, sponsored by the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts. The event was staged at the Minute Maid Park baseball stadium and was attended by some 30,000 scouts and their families.
During his 40+-year career, Morris estimates his pro bono work creating live events, films and videos helped generate over $50 million for various community organizations.
Boards Served
As of November 2010, Morris still serves on the board of the Lone Star Chapter
of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and produces and directs their annual awards presentation.
He is also serving as the Co-Chair for the Visual Communications Curriculum Advisory Board for the Lone Star College System, which has seven campuses and is the fastest growing junior college system in Texas. A significant project with the college district was developing a student internship program in which students participate in the development and production of a monthly television program for the City of Houston. The program covers news and features about the airports and transportation industry in Houston, a program that is web cast on fly2houston.com and shown on the city’s Public-access television
cable TV channel.
A great believer in mentorship, Morris established internship programs at every company where he has worked and has been involved in developing the skills and talents of the young people at those organizations. He is a frequent guest presenter at high school career days and a guest lecturer and project advisor for college classes in the fields of theatre, communications and radio/TV/film.
Next to those awards on his mantle are Addy Awards, awards from The American Marketing Association, The Associated Press, The Broadcast Marketing Association, The Clio Awards, The Country Music Association of America, The Dallas Press Club Katie Awards, The International Association of Business Communicators, The National Association of Television Programming Executives, The New York Festivals, The Telly Awards, The Texas Public Relations Society and others.
In 2009, he was named Humanitarian of the Year for his devoted work with Houston’s Children’s Assessment Center.
Lufkin, Texas
Lufkin is a city in Angelina County, Texas, United States. Founded in 1882, the population was 35,067 in 2010. It is the county seat of Angelina County, and is situated in Deep East Texas.-History:...
, KTRE-Channel 9, owned by the Buford brothers of Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
. His varied experiences there included sweeping the studio and running a studio camera; shooting and editing news film; learning production techniques on local television commercials; obtaining a 1st Class FCC Engineering license; and finally, directing the nightly newscast. Still in his teens, this was the first step on a professional journey across the globe.
Early life
Allen Morris was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of the late Robert Leonard Morris (August 29, 1920 – October 17, 2010) and Ora Lee (née Marlin, born May 9, 1921). Due to his being eight minutes older, his sister Myra often says she gave Allen his first big push in the world, because she “was tired of being womb mates.”Other siblings include an older brother (Dalton, born January 1, 1951) and a younger sister (Brenda, born April 22, 1956). The children grew up in Glen Oaks, then a new neighborhood of the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. Their family was one of the first to move in. The children attended Mark Twain Elementary, located directly across the street from the Morris’ house.
- “It was like having an enormous playground in our front yard. A few blocks away were ‘The Woods,’ an undeveloped area where we neighborhood boys created bike trails in the hills among the cedar trees. Crystal Creek wound its way through the neighborhood, providing a place for all sorts of childhood adventures. We played Tarzan swinging from ropes tied to the oak trees, pretended to be explorers cutting fossils out of the quartz and limestone walls surrounding the creek, or went skinny-dipping in the large pond formed at the base of the ‘Twin Falls.’ It was a different time. The neighborhood was our private world, and our imaginations turned it into whatever we wanted it to be. Our parents never worried about their children’s safety. It was a time when they didn’t need to.”
Morris’ interest in television started as a child growing up during the Golden Age of Television. His earliest television memories are of Howdy Doody
Howdy Doody
Howdy Doody is an American children's television program that was created and produced by E. Roger Muir and telecast on NBC in the United States from 1947 until 1960. It was a pioneer in children's television programming and set the pattern for many similar shows...
. At the young age of six, he paid attention to the Kennedy-Nixon
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
debates when the networks pre-empted regular programming. He had nightmares about missiles from Cuba
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
obliterating his world. Later, the coverage of the Kennedy assassination fascinated the nine-year old to the point that he credits that tragic event with his becoming a lifelong “news junkie.” Throughout the decade, television continued bringing the events of the world into his home – The Beatles on Ed Sullivan
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, Goldwater vs. Johnson
United States presidential election, 1964
The United States presidential election of 1964 was held on November 3, 1964. Incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had come to office less than a year earlier following the assassination of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy. Johnson, who had successfully associated himself with Kennedy's...
, Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, the Watts
Watts Riots
The Watts Riots or the Watts Rebellion was a civil disturbance in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California from August 11 to August 15, 1965. The 5-day riot resulted in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, and 3,438 arrests...
race riots in the summer of 1965, Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, Bobby Kennedy, and one small step
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
for man.
In 1968, prompted by the desire to retire from the rat race and facilitated by an offer for his father to open a store selling stereos and sewing machines and to build a coin-operated car wash, the family moved to Lufkin, a small town in East Texas.
- “At the time, it was like moving to MayberryMayberryMayberry is a fictional community in North Carolina that was the setting for two American television sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reunion television movie titled Return to Mayberry...
. The town had a slower pace and friendly people. It proved to be an auspicious move, providing the opportunity to spend more time with my father.”
Morris spent his formative adolescent years attending Lufkin High School
Lufkin High School
Lufkin High School is a public secondary school located in Angelina County, Texas . It serves the Lufkin area as part of the Lufkin Independent School District. The current Lufkin High School was formed in 1970 by consolidation of Lufkin High School and Dunbar High School, the formerly...
and working in his father’s store after school. From his father, he learned the fine art of salesmanship. On the weekends, he worked at the car wash cleaning the bays, making change and frequently sitting on a rail sunning while reading a book. He has often said his childhood was like growing up in Disneyland.
- “I saw my parents argue once. It lasted about fifteen seconds; the most terrifying fifteen seconds of my life.”
Morris graduated Lufkin High School in 1972 among the top ten percent of his class.
College
The original plan was to attend Baylor UniversityBaylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
on a music scholarship. However, planning to major in chemistry and go into pre-med, Morris did not have time in his freshman schedule for music and neglected to sign up for any music courses. Instead, he enrolled in Angelina Junior College
Angelina College
Angelina College is a community college located in Lufkin, Texas, with special-purpose branches in nearby Nacogdoches and Crockett.As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of Angelina College is the following:...
, where he could keep his job at KTRE
KTRE
KTRE is the ABC-affiliated television station for East Texas. It is licensed to Lufkin and owned by Raycom Media. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter at its studios on TV Road in Pollok along U.S. 69. Although considered a separate station in its own...
, studying the sciences and becoming involved with the theatre department.
As a college student, Morris was able to take advantage of his early broadcasting experience by supervising a practicum course in radio/TV/film, for which he received full course credit. This course entailed students from nearby Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
doing their coursework at the Channel 9 studios, using the facilities there to develop the film and edit a five program wildlife series under the tutelage of their professor Paul Potter. It was during the second year of college that Morris produced an hour-long television special featuring music and theatre students from SFASU entitled “A JOURNEY THROUGH CHRISTMAS.” The program aired two years consecutively on two of the Buford-owned television stations in Tyler and Lufkin.
In the fall of 1974, Morris entered SFASU and graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre and Communications.
Going to the Majors
KDOGAfter graduating college, Morris’ First Class FCC
General radiotelephone operator license
The General Radiotelephone Operator License is a United States commercial license, as opposed to an amateur radio license. It allows the holder to operate, maintain or install certain classes of United States licensed radio and television transmitters under the authority of the Federal...
license helped him get a job at KDOG-TV
KRIV
KRIV, channel 26, is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox, located in Houston, Texas. KRIV is co-owned with MyNetworkTV affiliate KTXH...
in Houston. With the license, he could sign on the transmitter log and edit using the RCA TEP Editor because both the editor and the transmitter monitor were located in the main control room. At KDOG, he edited national television commercials for Ford, Ultrabrite Toothpaste, and others.
The first national spot he edited for J. Walter Thompson’s client, Ford Trucks, eventually won the Grand Prix at the Houston Advertising Awards and ultimately went on to win a Clio Award.
In his second year with KDOG, Morris became the producer of the all-night show, “PAWS FOR THE NIGHT” and hired Houston radio personality Roger Gray as the host. The show was primarily an all night movie showcase that also featured celebrity interviews, trivia games and performances by local bands and comedians.
Morris used the programs to create performance opportunities for theatre students from the University of Houston. Among the students appearing in the comedy skits for “PAWS FOR THE NIGHT” (who went on to achieve success in theatre, broadcasting or film) were Brett Cullen
Brett Cullen
Peter Brett Cullen is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs. Early in 2007, he was cast as the role of an estranged father to one of the American football players, Tim Riggins , in the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights.Cullen was born in Houston,...
, Tim Arrington and Robin Mosley.
A second program was an early-morning children’s show called “#26 MORNING PLACE,” which was hosted by rotating pairs of eight children. Primarily a showcase for cartoons, the program used segments between the cartoons for the hosts to perform educational skits, read mail from viewers and show film clips from "field trips" featuring all of the hosts together on location. These trips highlighted places of interest to children throughout the viewing area: a visit to the zoo or a trip to Galveston or to the San Jacinto Monument.
Sitcom
In 1977, Morris co-wrote, produced and acted in a pilot for a situation comedy entitled “THEY’D HANG YOU IN NASHVILLE,” based on the play by college classmate William K. Gleason. He managed to get an appointment with Grant Tinker
Grant Tinker
Grant Almerin Tinker is the former chairman and CEO of NBC from 1981 to 1986, co-founder of MTM Enterprises, and television producer. Tinker is the former husband of television actress Mary Tyler Moore...
at MTM to show this project.
After watching about five minutes of the program, Tinker asked, “How did you get an appointment with me?” and then advised Morris to throw it in the Los Angeles River on his way out of town. Tinker then proceeded to give advice about the business of developing programs for television.
Despite Tinker not liking the pilot, he told Morris to keep the appointments he had with other producers in town; then, report back to him with their reactions.
- "It was one of the most productive weeks I ever had because I was learning first-hand from pros about what the networks were looking for, and I learned the number one rule of producing: Never use your own money!"
KRIV
Metromedia
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
bought KDOG and re-named it KRIV. Morris began working as the Interim Program Director, responsible for acquiring syndicated programming and doing ratings analysis for the station. To increase the station’s profile among the minority community, he initiated two public affairs programs for Metromedia: “HERENCIA,” a weekly Spanish language program that explored issues of relevance to Houston’s growing Hispanic community; and “THE BLACK VOICE,” a panel discussion format focused on issues concerning Houston’s black community and involvement in city government.
During the 1979-81 baseball seasons, Metromedia contracted Morris as road producer for the Houston Astros. He traveled with the team producing the road games and learned the intricacies of directing baseball for television from industry veterans Joe O’Rourke from Boston and Bob Hiestand from Los Angeles. The play-by-play announcers were Gene Elston
Gene Elston
Gene Elston is a former Major League Baseball broadcaster, primarily with the Houston Astros.-Early life and career:A native of Fort Dodge, Iowa. Elston's first job in announcing was high school basketball in 1941. From there he progressed to minor league baseball starting in 1946...
and Dewayne Staats
Dewayne Staats
Dewayne Staats is the play-by-play commentator for the Tampa Bay Rays' television broadcasts . He is teamed with color commentary announcer Brian Anderson. He has previously worked with analysts Joe Magrane and Kevin Kennedy.-Biography:Growing up near St. Louis, Missouri in Wood River, IL, Staats...
. Morris’ first season with the team was also the first season former Astros pitcher Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
was in the booth as color commentator for the games. Morris and Dierker became friends while traveling on the road together.
Tyler
KLTVWhen his baseball contract with Metromedia expired, Morris was invited by future Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, Frank E. Melton (an old friend and former colleague at KTRE) to re-join Buford Television at KLTV-Channel 7 in Tyler, Texas, as Operations Manager and Director of Creative Services. Morris made a mark there by developing a commercial production department for the station, winning the first of more than a hundred Telly Awards and getting recognition from The Clio Awards for a United Way campaign. He also developed local programming: “THE 5 O’CLOCK SHOW,” and a series of live broadcast specials for the Annual Rose Festival Parade, local college and high school sports and a political rally during the 1980 elections. In 1982, Morris was called in as a last minute replacement to direct the live camera feed of a production of "MOVIE STAR," a musical review produced by Bob Mackie
Bob Mackie
Robert Gordon Mackie is an American fashion designer, best known for his costuming for entertainment icons such as Judy Garland, Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, and Mitzi Gaynor...
and Ray Aghayan. The production was mounted at the Studios at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, and was a charity fund-raising event hosted by Larry Hagman
Larry Hagman
Larry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
. At this event, Morris was reunited with college acquaintance Brad Maule
Brad Maule
Brad Maule is an American actor best known for his longtime role as Dr. Tony Jones on the American television serial General Hospital, which he played until February 2006.-Biography:...
who was a member of the cast.
Renard Group
In 1984, Morris joined The Renard Group Advertising agency as Executive Vice President and Creative Director. He was responsible for developing communications, marketing and advertising plans for the agency’s clients.
At the same time, he began Fox Group Productions. From 1984 until 1992, his production company produced the “GARNER TED ARMSTRONG SHOW,” a weekly evangelistic television program shown in 75 markets across the United States and Canada. The company also developed and produced thirty-nine installments of “YOUNG COUNTRY,” a weekly country music program shot live on locations ranging from Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth to The Oil Palace in Tyler. The format featured interviews with current country singing stars and the week’s top music videos.
Back to the Majors
Richard Kidd ProductionsThe next move blended his broadcasting background with the business community. He joined Richard Kidd Productions (RKP) in Dallas as Executive Producer and Creative Director. In this role, Morris developed formats for satellite-delivered programs for corporate clients. During his tenure with RKP, he continued to produce and direct television commercials for clients and continued to develop documentary projects. He also began producing live events for corporations; developing the staging and directing “corporate theatre” for incentive programs, sales conventions and customer appreciation events.
Caribiner
When RKP sold in 1995 to Caribiner International, at the time the world’s largest corporate communications company, Morris stayed on as Executive Creative Director and Executive Producer for their Houston and Dallas offices.
Extreme
In 1998, Morris and two colleagues broke away from Caribiner and formed Extreme Corporate Communications in Houston. The company was a partnership with Bill Young Productions and had soundstage and editing facilities in the Studios at the Lakes Complex. During this time, Morris produced three Emmy-winning projects. Two were documentaries “THE FACES OF ARTHRITIS” and “HANNAH MORRIS: KIDS GET ARTHRITIS, TOO” and a public service spot “DON’T SAY NO TONIGHT-AIDS AWARENESS.”
Belay
The success of Extreme led to the creation of Belay Media Solutions, a WBEA certified company specializing in Corporate Communications activities for clients including those in the energy sector, insurance and finance, and computer manufacturing. Working with Danny Ward and Nancy Ames of Ward & Ames Special Events, and with producer Rick Cortright at Texas Video & Post, a rival production company, Morris co-directed, wrote and produced “ONE HOUSTON UNITED: THE NIGHT THE RAINS CAME,” a short feature detailing the devastation brought about by Tropical Storm Allison and its effect on people in the community.
The feature was used in the opening segment and to promote the "ONE HOUSTON UNITED" telethon hosted by Clint Black
Clint Black
Clint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
and Lisa Hartman Black (both Houston-area natives) and included performances from Pat Green
Pat Green
Patrick Craven "Pat" Green is an American Texas Country artist. Active since 1995, he has recorded a total of ten studio albums, including several independent works, three for Republic Records and two for BNA...
, Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
, Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell is a Grammy Award-winning musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music....
, La Mafia
La Mafia
La Mafia is a four-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas and has charted a course as a Latin music band.- History :...
and others. The event, under the auspices of United Way of The Texas Gulf Coast, was simulcast on local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC, WB and Telemundo, raising over $3.5 million for the benefit of storm victims. The feature won the 2002 National Public and Community Service Emmy Award.
VT2
Belay Media went into partnership with Houston’s VT2 Media and Design in 2002, becoming one of the largest production and post-production facilities in Houston. As a partner in the venture, Morris served as the VP of Production and Operations for VT2’s Corporate Communications projects, managing all budgets and personnel.
VT2 Studios was involved in the development of television programming, commercial production for ad agencies, development of music direct marketing with major recording labels, creative design for 3D animation and print. Among other productions, the company produced television commercials and opening sequences for sporting event broadcasts and network and local station identification packages. A significant project was the facility's use by CBS Sports as their local home base for producing coverage of Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
.
VT2 Studios and Belay Media co-produced a reality pilot for Music World Entertainment entitled “PROJECT POPSTAR.” As Producer and Director, Morris worked closely with Executive Producer Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
(Beyonce’s father) on this project.
Over There
EgyptHis career has afforded Morris the opportunity to work all over the world. He has produced projects in Europe, the Middle East, the South Pacific and South America. On location in Egypt in 1986, Morris produced and directed a documentary for the Texas Endowment for Humanities entitled, “ALEXANDRIA: MONUMENT TO CIVILIZATION.” As they chronicled the influence of the ancient city of Alexandria on the cultural development of western civilization, Morris and crew received unprecedented access to archaeological sites throughout the country.
Gulf War
In 1991, during the Gulf War, Allen Morris and crew traveled to Israel with evangelist Garner Ted Armstrong
Garner Ted Armstrong
Garner Ted Armstrong was an American evangelist and the son of Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the Worldwide Church of God, at the time a Sabbatarian organization that taught strict observance of seventh-day Sabbath, holy days typically associated with the Jewish faith, and other observances...
. They came back with one of the first American media interviews in which Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
said he would consider a “land for peace” initiative. They conducted interviews with both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
South America
He wrote and produced two South American projects in the mid 90’s. One was a documentary about the global effort involved in building the world’s largest methane plant at Punta Arenas, located at the southernmost tip of Chile. The other was a chronicle about the efforts taken to preserve the pristine and fragile ecosystem of the Bolivian rain forest while drilling for oil.
Community Service
Throughout his career, Morris has maintained a commitment to community service. He first became involved in community service projects through a program called “TEENS AID THE RETARDED” as a junior high school student. This led to a lifelong involvement with community service organizations.Beneficiary Organizations
Among the boards and organizations he has served are: United Way, YMCA, Crime Stoppers, and Arthritis Foundation; has been an advisor to organizations including The Boy Scouts of America, Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, The Texas State School System and the Foster Grandparents Program; has been a sponsor and counselor for Explorer’s Scouting and Junior Achievement.
During his 40+-year career, Morris estimates his pro bono work creating live events, films and videos helped generate over $50 million for various community organizations.
- "I can't prove it, but I think somewhere around $50 million is probably an accurate amount of money raised on the many pro bono projects I have helped with over the years."
Boards Served
As of November 2010, Morris still serves on the board of the Lone Star Chapter
Lone Star Emmy Awards
The Lone Star Emmy Awards are a division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The division was founded in 2002 and in addition to granting the Lone Star Emmy Awards, it recognizes awards scholarships, honors industry veterans at the Silver Circle Celebration, conducts National...
of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and produces and directs their annual awards presentation.
He is also serving as the Co-Chair for the Visual Communications Curriculum Advisory Board for the Lone Star College System, which has seven campuses and is the fastest growing junior college system in Texas. A significant project with the college district was developing a student internship program in which students participate in the development and production of a monthly television program for the City of Houston. The program covers news and features about the airports and transportation industry in Houston, a program that is web cast on fly2houston.com and shown on the city’s Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV channel.
A great believer in mentorship, Morris established internship programs at every company where he has worked and has been involved in developing the skills and talents of the young people at those organizations. He is a frequent guest presenter at high school career days and a guest lecturer and project advisor for college classes in the fields of theatre, communications and radio/TV/film.
Honors and Awards
Morris’ work has been honored with Emmy Awards five times; one national Emmy Award and 4 regional Emmy’s.Next to those awards on his mantle are Addy Awards, awards from The American Marketing Association, The Associated Press, The Broadcast Marketing Association, The Clio Awards, The Country Music Association of America, The Dallas Press Club Katie Awards, The International Association of Business Communicators, The National Association of Television Programming Executives, The New York Festivals, The Telly Awards, The Texas Public Relations Society and others.
In 2009, he was named Humanitarian of the Year for his devoted work with Houston’s Children’s Assessment Center.
External links
- belaymedia.com
- Allen Morris on IMDb http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3225194/bio