Scott Willis
Encyclopedia
Scott Willis is an American
Television News Producer who has worked overseas as well as in the United States. He is best known for working on Nightline
during the height of the program's success, and has had over thirty years News experience.
, Germany
where his father was on assignment with the National Security Agency
. His father was then stationed in England, where he received much of is early schooling. In 1965, he came to the US and attended high school at Cranbrook
in the suburbs of Detroit. After graduating he traveled, spending time in the Caribbean captaining boats.
, where he worked for three years until becoming a Senior Producer at CNN
during the channel's first year. He remained there until 1981 when he was picked up by ABC to head the Tel Aviv
Bureau. While there he covered the Siege of Beirut
as a Producer.
In 1984, two years after the birth of his daughter, Camille Willis, he moved to the London Bureau of ABC where he was given the job of General Assignment Producer, specializing in Terrorism
. In 1989 he moved to New York City
to work at Nightline
.
for three years he came to the Washington, D.C.
office after the departure of Jeff Greenfield. He continued to work there for another nine years, winning Eleven News and Documentary Emmies
, Two DuPont awards
and the National Press Club Edwin M. Hood Award.
NOVA
and the Discovery Channel
. He is currently in partnership with author Jim Bamford, working on his latest documentary Astro Spies
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Television News Producer who has worked overseas as well as in the United States. He is best known for working on Nightline
Nightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
during the height of the program's success, and has had over thirty years News experience.
Early life
Willis, the youngest of three children was born on February 20, 1952 in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where his father was on assignment with the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
. His father was then stationed in England, where he received much of is early schooling. In 1965, he came to the US and attended high school at Cranbrook
Cranbrook Schools
Cranbrook Schools is a private, PK–12 school located on a campus in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The schools comprise a co-educational elementary school, a middle school with separate schools for boys and girls, and a co-educational high school with boarding facilities...
in the suburbs of Detroit. After graduating he traveled, spending time in the Caribbean captaining boats.
Early career
Arriving back in Washington, DC in 1976, he got himself a job in the graphics department of ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, where he worked for three years until becoming a Senior Producer at CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
during the channel's first year. He remained there until 1981 when he was picked up by ABC to head the Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
Bureau. While there he covered the Siege of Beirut
Siege of Beirut
The Siege of Beirut took place in the summer of 1982, as part of the 1982 Lebanon War, which resulted from the breakdown of the cease-fire effected by the United Nations...
as a Producer.
In 1984, two years after the birth of his daughter, Camille Willis, he moved to the London Bureau of ABC where he was given the job of General Assignment Producer, specializing in Terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. In 1989 he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to work at Nightline
Nightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
.
Nightline
After having worked in the New York office of NightlineNightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
for three years he came to the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
office after the departure of Jeff Greenfield. He continued to work there for another nine years, winning Eleven News and Documentary Emmies
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, Two DuPont awards
DuPont-Columbia Award
The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award is an American award that honors excellence in broadcast journalism. The awards, administered since 1968 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, are considered a broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, another...
and the National Press Club Edwin M. Hood Award.
C. Scott Films
Scott Willis opened up his own Independent Documentary Production company called C. Scott Films which has produced documentaries for New York Times Television, PBSPublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
NOVA
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
and the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. He is currently in partnership with author Jim Bamford, working on his latest documentary Astro Spies
Production credits
- Battle Plan Under Fire (2004) Director-Producer: Examining the influence of technology on the battle for Iraq. (New York Times TV for PBS Nova and ZDF German Television).
- Mortal Enemies (2002) Senior Producer: On the intertwined lives of Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon. Awarded two Emmy awards for distinction in writing and graphic design. (a co-production of New York Times TV and the Discovery Channel).
- Brave New World (1999) Executive Producer: An 8-hour series of primetime documentaries on ABC, with subjects ranging from advances in brain surgery to new developments in string theory.
- Revolution in a Box (1997) Senior Producer: A 14-part series broadcast on Nightline looking at the influence of emerging technologies. Subjects ranged from the prospect of ubiquitous computing to a profile of Frank GehryFrank GehryFrank Owen Gehry, is a Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions...
and the Guggenheim Museum in BilbaoGuggenheim Museum BilbaoThe Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The...
.
Awards
Scott Willis has won:- Two DuPont AwardsDuPont-Columbia AwardThe Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award is an American award that honors excellence in broadcast journalism. The awards, administered since 1968 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, are considered a broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, another...
-
- 1987–1988 Nightline Town Meeting: In the Holy Land (Producer
- 1991–1992 Nightline: Coverage of the L.A. Riots (Senior Producer')
- The National Press Club Edwin M. Hood Award for diplomatic correspondence in 1992 as a producer for Prime Time Live.
- Eleven News and Documentary EmmiesEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-
- 1988 Nightline "Town Meeting: In the Holy Land" (Producer)
- 1991 Prime Time Live "Gorbachev: The Final Hours" (Producer)
- 1992 Nightline "72 Hours to Victory: Behind the Scenes with Bill Clinton" (Senior Producer)
- 1993 Nightline "Children of War" (Senior Producer)
- 1994' Nightline "The End of the Search for OJ Simpson" (Senior Producer)
- 1995 Nightline "Oklahoma City Bombing: Moment of Crisis" (Senior Producer)
- 1996 Nightline "Anatomy of the Unabomber Suspect Arrest" (Senior Producer)
- 1996 Nightline "Dole: The Home Stretch Part 1" (Senior Producer)
- 1996 Nightline: "Dole: The Home Stretch Part 2" (Senior Producer)
- 1996 Nightline "The Avengers" (Senior Producer)
- 2002 New York Times TV and The Discovery Channel: "Mortal Enemies" (Producer)