Smith is one of the country s most distinguished and successful makers of televised events. His company produced the celebration around the Statue of Liberty rededication, Liberty Weekend, a Desert Storm homecoming, several presidential inauguration galas, films, television plays, and dozens of other shows. Smith sees many similarities between the Academy s Bicentennial production and his successful rededication of the Statue of Liberty. That project, he said, snowballed because of the national values involved. People connected with it.
West Point is similar because it is such a huge element of our history.
What motivates him in particular is the dedication he sees in the cadets he has interviewed, and he says he is moved by the passion and emotional commitment of these young people. He also thinks that West Point offers a rich source of material. It s extraordinary to me to think of the emotional, theatrical, and even creative and artistic content that West Point offers, he says. Stanley Moger and his company have been one of television s most successful media companies, creating, among other projects, a film series that metamorphosed into American Movie Classics on cable, The American Film Institute s celebration of the first 100 years of the movies with annual three-hour specials on CBS, as well as numerous other television shows and other forms of entertainment. Their task is to package the Bicentennial television special so that it attracts both network and advertiser interest, which is the kind of work they do best.