Christians in Cinema: Darrel Campbell
Producer/Director/Writer - The Pistol - The Birth of a Legend
I think the best thing anyone can do is to find what God has gifted them to do and do it - with all their hearts!
Writer, producer and director Darrel Campbell is a self-described workaholic who has found what he loves to do, and a way to do it that allows him to live in his home state of Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains. He and his wife Pam have 4 children ranging in age from 8 to 19 years old, whom he describes as very creative and articulate. Pam is a great student of the Word of God, and is a stay-at-home writer. I caught up with Darrel as he was on his way to a football game one Friday evening.
Angela: You had a successful career in Hollywood before moving to the Ozarks - tell us about that.
Darrel: I went to Southwest Baptist College in Bolivar, MO, and left with a theater degree and a desire to make it big in the movies. In my youth, I was considered very handsome - quite the ladykiller! I got a job on the soap opera “Another Life” as Peter Davidson - it was the first cable soap opera, and they’re showing the early years of it in England. I worked on that show for 4 years. After that, I wound up in Los Angeles trying to get into the movies, and started writing. My wife was on the production staff of “Days of Our Lives”, and through people she knew there, I got a job writing dialogue for DOOL. Even though we were doing different aspects of the show it was fun to work with my wife.
It was during that time that I became involved with the filming of The Pistol - The Birth of a Legend, about basketball legend Pete Maravich. I loved doing that film, and was so glad to be part of it. That lead into a position with Walt Disney Productions - I began writing for a lot of TV and film projects. I was a writer for Carol Burnett, the Carol & Company Show, and Home Improvement. It was great to be part of those shows. We’d get 12-13 funny and clever people together in a room to write the shows, and great things would come out of those meetings. It helped that I grew up in a laughing and funny family.
Angela: People might wonder if you were enjoying so much success in Hollywood why you chose to move to Missouri. Branson has certainly become an entertainment center, but you really don’t hear too much about film and television happening there.
Darrel: Our world is really shrinking. If you have the right equipment and internet access, you can do almost anything from any location. There was a series of earthquakes that made us think about where we were living. I have always loved the Midwest - it’s beautiful here, the taxes are low, and we have 4 distinct seasons. So, about 10 or 11 years ago we moved back to Missouri and love it here.
Angela: Has it made a difference in the projects you’ve been able to do?
Darrel: When we moved, I had started writing for a Lion King spin-off - a Saturday morning cartoon, and had also started doing some independent films and writing for Disney. I kept writing & working, and in 1998 did my first feature-length film - “Redemption of the Ghost”. The cast included John Savage, Diane Ladd, Rachel Hunter, and Alexandra Paul. It was a fun picture to produce. Going out on my own has let me develop my own slate of projects so that now I can choose how I spend my time and energy. It has also caused us to live a bit more on faith because it’s more of a balancing act - there aren’t any nice weekly paychecks coming in from a big company. But it has allowed me to do what I love - become a writer again, and there are lots of stories from the Midwest that I want to write and develop into movie projects.
Angela: Seems like you have a lot going on at one time - how do you keep up with yourself? Do you have a secretary or assistant that helps keep you on track?
Darrel: Nope - it’s just me. I’ve always been pretty driven and self-disciplined. When I was 7 I started playing the drums, and in 5th grade, I started a regular practice schedule. Each day, I’d practice certain rhythms & patterns and write down my practice time. No one was asking me to do it, I just did it myself. So all my life I’ve had that drive and self-discipline. And, really, in this business, without self-discipline it’s hard to make it, because there is always someone else willing to step up and take your place. I track my projects on my computer, so each week I sit down and look at where I am on each one. I’m very hard on myself, and make sure I’m returning phone calls, delivering when I said I would. But, at the same time, I’m doing what I love to do - and someone’s paying me to do it! I really feel like I’m walking in God’s gifting for me.
Angela: What are some of your current projects?
Darrel: I’m still freelancing some animation. I’m working with Bible Quest - they’re about to do their 2nd film, so I’m writing and consulting on the production, as well as helping them with the development of the project. I’m a good friend of Benjy Gaither’s, so I’m talking with him about doing a project or two. Recently, I formed a partnership with Rodney Stone (Campbell/Stone Media), who I met through the Pistol Pete movie. He did the marketing, and we really hit it off. He moved to the Lake of the Ozarks about the time I moved out here, and a couple of years ago we went into partnership. We have 7-8 projects in different levels of development, and own the rights to some high-profile stories. We are doing some distribution of titles that people have brought to us to handle.
Angela: Other than Rodney, who are some people you turn to for creative help or ideas?
Darrel: I have a friend who’s a writer for Videomaker Magazine; he’s a cinematographer and has some really creative ideas. I also stay in touch with Matt Williams, who created Roseanne, the Cosby Show, and Home Improvement. I learned so much creatively from him, and he’s still a great friend.
Angela: Do you think any of your kids will go into movies?
Darrel: I don’t know. A couple of them have already been in TV and film; Casey, our 19-year-old, was on Days of Our Lives as a baby - he played Jack Devereaux. And Abby, our 13-year-old, was in a Promise Keepers’ Film. They’re all very creative and they can all act. Will they choose to act? I don’t know, but I know whatever they do, they’ll have fun with it!
Angela: Any last words or thoughts for our readers? Darrel: I think the best thing anyone can do is to find what God has gifted them to do and do it - with all their hearts! It might be hard work, and it will take a lot of self-discipline, but when God has created you to do something, He’s also created the way for you to do it. So - go for it! And, if you have fun along the way - what can be better than that?
