It Started with a Fax, and Ended with an Emmy

Two Doors Down Productions will be celebrating our 2nd anniversary in July. But what if I told you TDD was actually born almost 25 years ago…?

I want to share a series of stories that I hold near and dear to my heart. Stories that helped propel my career to where I am now.

From 2000 to 2003 I was the Senior Producer/Director at New York Life’s Studio 51. During this time, I also worked on a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs). These commercials played on either radio or tv (or both) typically at no cost. To be aired and effective, PSAs must have a strong message, and the station(s) has to believe in the quality and impact it will have on the audience.

My First PSA

My first PSA was in 2000 for Literacy Partners Inc., an organization that still operates today. Literacy Partners is an NYC-based nonprofit organization that provides free literacy and language education to low-income parents in the U.S. Their mission is to empower parents through education so that they can improve their literacy skills, advance their careers, and support their children's learning.

One of their most well known success stories came from Calvin Miles, who learned to read and write at 39 years old. Calvin went on to be an instructor for Literacy Partners and a lifetime champion of literacy and language education. Calvin was a central figure in the first set of PSAs that I directed and produced.

When developing the storyboards and scripts, I knew that I needed a voice-over narrator. Not just any voice, a distinct and powerful voice to tell such impactful stories. As fate would have it, one night I attended an event at the Morgan Library & Museum with my wife, Mary. David McCullough was speaking at the event, and at that point I honestly had no idea who he was aside from the fact that he was an author. I didn’t know anything about his back story. When he got on the mic, I found myself closing my eyes while he was speaking. I immediately knew he was the voice that I needed for the Literacy Partners PSAs.

David McCullough: “The Citizen Chronicler”

After the event, I went up to David and introduced myself. I explained the PSA campaign, and told him that we didn’t have any budget to pay him for his work, but that I was extremely confident the series would have a tremendous impact. He basically agreed on the spot and asked me to fax over the scripts, descriptions, and storyboards of the PSA series, which I did. Soon after, I was in NYC recording his voice overs in the booth with him.

It wasn’t until after the event that I really learned who David was and how much he had already accomplished. He was a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for his books Truman (1992) and John Adams (2001). McCullough also narrated numerous documentaries directed by Ken Burns, including Emmy Award winner The Civil War (1990). I was blown away by the fact that he agreed to be the voice of the Literacy Partners PSAs, and that he was doing it for free. He brought these stories of impact to life, and it was truly a defining moment for me and my career. It showed me the power of producing, believing in a campaign, and not being afraid to do whatever it takes to bring it to life.

Because of David’s inclusion, we had no problem getting the whole series of PSAs on television. They aired on all of the major networks – WABC, WNBC, WCBS, A&E, and a few others – and generated incredible impact for Literacy Partners. I went on to receive multiple Emmy nominations from the campaign.

Diane Sawyer

My cinematographer, Rick Siegel (who shot the first Literacy Partners campaign), did a lot of work for ABC and Diane Sawyer. For my 2nd PSA campaign for Literacy Partners, I asked Rick if he would please hand a letter to Diane Sawyer with a storyboard for the campaign.

Once again, we didn’t have any funding, but Rick said sure. He believed in the message, and would again be the main cinematographer on the campaign. Diane agreed, and shortly after we were at ABC filming Diane Sawyer for this spot.

From there, I would film our third and final campaign for Literacy Partners, again working with David.

Third Time’s the Charm?

At that time, I had been nominated for an Emmy two years in a row. I had attended each ceremony, but I did not win. The third year I was invited as a past nominee, but decided not to go in favor of a trip to Cape Cod with my wife. I had entered a PSA I developed in the category of "Best Direction," but when I did not receive any notice of a nomination. I don’t mean to downplay the honor of the invitation to attend, but quality time with family meant more to me than another tux rental and all of the fanfare. The reward of seeing what these PSAs did for Literacy Partners far exceeded the prospect of any award.

I would later find out that there was actually a mix up, and my official notice that I had indeed been nominated must have been lost in the mail…

When I returned from Cape Cod on Monday, I had a voicemail from WABC news anchor Diana Williams. Diana said “I have your Emmy sitting in front of me on my desk. Though I don’t know you, I’m very proud of you.” When they announced my name as the winner and no one went up to receive the award, they asked Diana to accept it on my behalf since many of the PSA spots were shown on WABC. Diana went on to say that I should come up to the studio and pick up my Emmy when I had a chance. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement — especially because I didn’t even think I was nominated! A few days later I was in the ABC studio to meet Diana and pick up my Emmy. This was a very special moment in my career, as when you win an Emmy, you’re being recognized for greatness by your peers. For me, this win reinforced the impact of working with David on the series.

I was over the moon when I got home that night and walked in the door to see my wife. My wife immediately asked me, “Where’s the Emmy?” I couldn’t find the cardboard box I had been carrying, and in a moment of panic, I told her that I must’ve left it on the train. I called NJ Transit, but unfortunately it was never found. I requested and received a replacement Emmy, but there would be more to the story (which I’ll share a bit later in this article).

My Growing Passion for PSAs

Once I recognized the power of the Literacy Partners series, I wanted to do more PSAs. And it was never about the awards, it was all about the impact.

Not long after coming to this realization, I had the opportunity to develop PSAs for the Ms. Foundation for Women in 2002. The Ms. Foundation for Women is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing gender and racial equity, with a focus on supporting women, girls, and gender-expansive people, particularly from marginalized communities.

I developed scripts and storyboards, and we filmed stories about women making a difference in their communities in Los Angeles, Montana, NYC, and Philadelphia.

Once again, I needed a voice. For this project, I knew right away that I wanted Angela Bassett. Angela’s prior work paid tribute to some of the most pioneering activists of the 20th century. I knew that her presence best personified the themes of the spots and the goals of the Ms. Foundation for Women. This was well before iPhones and social media, so I looked her up on IMDB, the easiest way to find information about people in the industry. I was able to find her assistant and I reached out, again sharing that we had no budget for the project. Her assistant asked me to fax the scripts and storyboards, which I did. Soon after I got a call from Angela’s assistant sharing that Angela had agreed to do it for free. I was floored.

Next thing I know, I’m on a flight to LA and in a recording booth with Oscar nominated and Golden Globe winner Angela Basset. Seeing this PSA come to life was a moment I’ll never forget. Angela wasn’t just reading, she was performing. She was so animated in her delivery. It was incredible, and one of my fondest memories as a producer-director.

This PSA campaign went on to air on multiple networks, and it received lots of great recognition, including another Emmy nomination for my production and directing of “Firefighter,” a piece that showcased women firefighters in NYC. Angela was so happy with the result that she MC’d an event held by the Ms. Foundation for Women (for free).

David, Angela, and Diane were beyond amazing to work with, and these were projects that helped shape my career. I realized that for me, it was all about impact. We were helping these organizations reach an audience they would’ve never been able to reach had they not been able to get these commercials on air. It was really powerful.

Generating Impact During Times of Great Tragedy

In the days that followed the horrific and devastating terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, no one was airing commercials. I was still working at New York Life, and our entire communications department met only a few days after the unspeakable tragedy. At the time, New York Life was running commercials on 17 networks for 700 spots of airtime. As an organization, we determined that we were going to donate all of that time to the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross gratefully accepted this offer, saying they’d love to utilize the spots, but they didn’t have a specific campaign to address 9/11. I told them that I could develop one.

On September 16th, I called David McCullough and explained my vision to him. No visuals of the tragedy (by that time the American people had been shown more than enough), just graphics to tie into the American Red Cross branding and their current need for blood donations and other support. David answered my call at his house on Martha’s Vineyard. He really wanted to help, but he couldn’t get off the island as there were no flights or ferry service. I told him I had an idea and I’d call him back. I called the local radio station on Martha’s Vineyard and found an engineer named Jack Parr who was willing to help at no cost. He quickly went to David’s house with his equipment and recorded David’s voice in a shack behind the house where David did all of his writing. Once I received the audio, I added it to the commercial, and it aired 700 times on 17 channels.

Authentic Storytelling: the Heart of TDD

During this time of pro bono work for nonprofits, I incorporated Two Doors Down Productions. But by 2003, the nonstop nature of my full time job prevented me from creating these videos to support the many nonprofits I had become involved with. I continued to be super involved in New York Life’s Foundation, but simply didn’t have the bandwidth for side projects.

I was going to stop paying the annual business registration fee and get rid of the TDD name, but my wife advised against it. She told me to keep it just in case I ever decided to open up my own agency again. And boy am I glad I listened to her, as in 2023 I decided to bring TDD back to life. Not much has changed, as authentic storytelling is still at our core, and we still help many amazing nonprofit organizations bring their stories to life.

And remember my replacement Emmy? Well, after my win, I sent David McCullough a package with the Emmy certificate as well as a host of other awards and recognition we had received from the PSAs.

In return, he sent me a signed copy of his book, John Adams. Inside was a very simple (but extremely meaningful) note:

“For Brian Bill

With warm regards from his Literacy Partners partner.

David McCollough

September 2002”

My Emmy sat on top of that book in my office as two of my most prized possessions.

Many years later, I was outside in our garden on a beautiful spring day. The windows were open in our house, and I heard a loud thud followed by my wife cursing. Mary came outside crying and explained what had happened. She was so upset. As I got upstairs to my office, I saw one of the Emmy hands had broken off and the globe had rolled to the other side of the room. I hung the globe from the broken arms, put the broken hands at the base, and laughed.

My wife told me that I had to get it replaced. I told her no, that there was far too much history behind it, and that this was the Emmy I wanted to have. It still sits on top of David’s book in my office like that to this day…providing me with daily inspiration to tell stories in an authentic way.

David McCullough changed my life as a filmmaker and storyteller, and for that I am forever grateful. Miss you David.