Meet Brady Connell of Base Camp Films

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brady Connell.

Brady, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, it was all about film for me… writing spec scripts, directing short films, making plans for my career in cinema. Television wasn’t even on the radar. But after one too many Top Ramens, my film-on-a-credit-card-plan faded, and I started taking whatever jobs came my way: management videos, commercials, docu-series. Then primetime television came knocking – Rescue 911. I hit the road and discovered I really liked working with real people and challenging circumstances in the field. I became a Field Producer/Director for dozens of unscripted shows: wildlife, stunts, first responders, travel, comedy, sporting events, game, adventure. My resume was a hodgepodge at best… then Survivor happened. What looked like a complete mess to others (including my mother), was the perfect combination of Survivor. Next thing I knew I was supervising the creative team on the biggest unscripted show ever. It felt exceptional while it was happening, and as it turned out we were right. 50 million + viewers.

Despite Survivor’s success, I still wasn’t sure you could actually make a good living working in non-fiction…I knew far too many broke documentarians. Then came Eco-Challenge, The Amazing Race, Emmys. The universe was telling me something, so I rode the wave of reality television through the 2000’s. I started Base Camp Films with my long-time producing partner Jim Jusko, whom I had met at UCLA years earlier. We produced a few adventure shows, car shows, and competition shows.

I also kept getting freelance calls to direct or showrun large-scale network shows… one of them was the motherlode: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It meshed perfectly with my long-term mission to make content that matters. I spent five years traveling the country with Ty Pennington and his designers, and with a hundred other amazing people who made the show happen. The series built over 200 homes for deserving families and gave out over a million dollars in scholarships. The show and its team received untold recognition and finally ran its course. I’m proud that Base Camp Films received a logo on those seasons, and that we’re still producing high-quality unscripted content with The Great Christmas Light Fight on ABC, now in its sixth season. I look forward to what lies ahead…

Like all genres of entertainment, reality television has plenty of bad that goes along with the good. I feel fortunate to have worked on shows that inspired communities, made us learn about ourselves, and made the world a smaller place. My hope is that studios, networks, and streaming services will reach for the most resonant levels of storytelling, and realize that it is often non-fiction that can best realize those stories and make a difference in people’s lives.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The freelance world is never a smooth road. I’ve experienced shows being pulled at all stages… from the day after the official green light to 5 days before airing and everything in between. I’ve experienced it as an employee, and also as an employer. There is nothing worse than walking into a room of loyal crew members to tell them the network just canceled the show and everyone is out of a job on Monday (including yourself). For some, there are other projects to jump on to. For others, that could be the news that causes them to change careers… I know plenty of ex-producers who are now real estate agents and life coaches.

Employment irregularities aside, I think the ultimate challenge (for all creatives) is turning your passion for a project into commerce. There are thousands of hurdles for every creative endeavor, and you have to overcome all of them to match the right idea, with the right partners, with the right buyer, at the exact right time. Some call it struggling. I prefer to call it striving. We should never view striving for a creative vision as drudgery. It can be difficult… frustrating… the project may never even get made. But we must always view the process as a blessing, because the fact is, we have the privileged opportunity to potentially share an impactful story with millions. That alone should keep us going.

Base Camp Films – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m primarily known as an Executive Producer of feel-good shows, competition shows, and adventure shows. Some I’ve pitched and sold as a partner of Base Camp Films, and some I’ve been hired to run independently. I am also hired as a Consulting Executive Producer to help launch new shows, and also to help refresh existing shows.

In a genre that often gets a bad rap, I’m proud I can look back and know that I always tried to stay on the positive side of things. As a company, we are known for developing projects that are what we call “neutral or above.” They have to at least entertain in a non-negative way, and in the best situations, they speak to our hearts and to our sense of adventure.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
On May 22, 2011, a massive F5 tornado hit the heart of Joplin, Missouri… 162 lives were lost, 8,000 residential dwellings were destroyed, and 9,200 people were displaced. I was an Executive Producer of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – the show that helps deserving families rebuild their lives. This time, we couldn’t build just one home… we decided to build 7 HOMES FOR 7 FAMILIES IN 7 DAYS.

Thanks to various non-profits, corporate partners, and heroic build teams, not only was the build successful and on time, but the following also organically occurred: over 2,000 emergency kits were distributed to Joplin residents; each high school senior residing in the city of Joplin received a $1,000 scholarship to college; a stunning volunteer memorial was created; a new basketball court and play structure were constructed at the city park; a mobile art studio was created to help children deal with the trauma of the tornado through innovate art programs; each of the families was given a dependable storm shelter to provide solace and security; and one million dollars was pledged to help additional Joplin families affected by the storm.

Five months from the day we made the decision, and an astounding 13,000 volunteers later, we moved 7 buses to reveal a new neighborhood where there once was none. It was the greatest volunteer effort I have ever witnessed, and easily the proudest moment of my career. The seven families, despite their hardships and losses, helped spearhead the rebuilding spirit of the entire town. Now hundreds and hundreds of homes surround those seven, and I know every volunteer and every member of the Extreme Makeover team continues to feel the same enduring pride as I do.

http://bradyconnell.blogspot.com/2012/01/

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BradyConnell.com
• Email: Brady@BradyConnell.com
• Twitter: @BradyConnell

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