Scott Willis

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.

Early life

Willis, the youngest of three children was born on February 20th, 1952 in Munich, 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.

Early career

Arriving back in Washington, DC in 1976, he got himself a job in the graphics department of ABC, 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.

Nightline

After having worked in the New York office of Nightline for three years he came to the Washington DC office after the departure of [http://www.pbs.org/30secondcandidate/q_and_a/bio_g.html 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.

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, PBS NOVA and the Discovery Channel. He is currently in partnership with author [http://www.randomhouse.com/features/bamford/author.html 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 Gehry and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Awards

Scott Willis has won:

* Two DuPont Awards

** "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 for Prime Time Live.

* Eleven News and Documentary Emmies

** "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")