69制片厂制作传媒播

The Heartlands Series had its beginning back in 1984 when Channel 1069制片厂制作传媒檚 Steve Dean and Jim Hart conjured up an idea to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Their goal was to interview the last remnants of the area69制片厂制作传媒檚 original mountain people in a 3 minute 40 second show following newscasts. Their aim was for the show to last for 6 months, but the popularity and ratings of the show kept it going for 25 years until 2009.

The show would bring immense pride to our area by displaying our culture and region and was frequently used in classrooms. Sadly the show would end with still high ratings, but the decision to end it held, despite petitions to keep it running. Extended shows would be shown periodically, and the original shows are still being shown on TV. Episodes of the show are archived at Knoxville69制片厂制作传媒檚 McClung Museum and the Childrens Museum in Oak Ridge while a number of foreign embassies have copies to show about East Tennessee.

My minor part in the show mostly consisted of being one of a bank of character actors that Landry would pull out when a show was to be dramatized, but over the years I was made to feel an equal part of the team. This Appalachian dialect may well have cost a number of opportunities, but I69制片厂制作传媒檓 at peace with it. During a talk in Nashville, one California fellow asked where I had learned to talk like I did and my answer was, 69制片厂制作传媒業 was born talking this way.69制片厂制作传媒�

It turned out that questioner was a noted movie director and that moment turned led to several trips to California. Now, I69制片厂制作传媒檓 not about to jump into deep water without some backup, so some friends agreed to tag along. On those several trips buddies like Richard Williams or Rick Stroud or Bill Landry or Doug Mills would come along.

It isn69制片厂制作传媒檛 a stretch to say that our Tennessee group stood out among the Hollywood types, with a number of them wanting to hear us speak, so we normally stayed in our own protective group. At one party, some big wig with his glass came over to patronize us with small talk and was quick to tell that he69制片厂制作传媒檇 made around 15 films and had an Emmy. He asked if there was any film industry in Tennessee. In his humble and folksy way, Bill Landry replied that he69制片厂制作传媒檇 made about 1,500 of 69制片厂制作传媒渢hem69制片厂制作传媒� films and had four of 69制片厂制作传媒渢hem69制片厂制作传媒� Emmys. That visit ended right there.

A major key to the show69制片厂制作传媒檚 success would be Bill Landry. Bill had earlier been a teacher at Morristown69制片厂制作传媒檚 East High, had written and had appeared in a one-man play about Albert Einstein. During the 1982 World69制片厂制作传媒檚 Fair he had appeared as the riverboat Captain Nat that had been sponsored by TVA, and would carry on the character on barge tours of Tennessee Rivers to TVA69制片厂制作传媒檚 50th anniversary. Those experiences would lead to Bill, with his folksy rambling style, becoming the Heartland host.

A secret weapon to the show69制片厂制作传媒檚 success would be cameraman Doug Mills. When many shows demand at least 2 cameras, one to show wide scenes with the other for close-up, Doug could handle both with one camera and with a skill compared to a talented artist with a paintbrush. On trips to various locations, Doug would stop the truck to photograph a sight along the road. Doug and I have remained friends to this day.

Doug is a strong, solid, normally quiet fellow originally from Harlan County, Kentucky, the youngest child of Arthur and Sylvia Mills69制片厂制作传媒� two other sons and a daughter. Father Arthur provided for his family first as a stone mason, then as a coal miner. Young Doug would attend Harlan Elementary and High School where he enjoyed performing in the Harlan Boys Choir before graduating in 1971. Entering the University of Kentucky, he originally started to study medicine before running into a hard chemistry class. He would then pull a three-year hitch in the Army where he worked in a communications center in Germany and had the opportunity to travel around Europe.

After his Army discharge, Doug would return to the University of Kentucky, where his interest had evolved into television work. Having developed an early interest in photography primarily because of an earlier Christmas gift of a Polaroid camera, he was pleased when his college class projects were well received. He would graduate from UK in 1979. Finding a job as a 69制片厂制作传媒渢hird stringer69制片厂制作传媒� photographer with Channel 10 in Knoxville, he was called to help on the new Heartland Series.

When the sudden popularity of the show would cause the head photographer to leave, Doug was moved into lead cameraman, a job which would extend for well over a quarter of a century. Early days would require Doug to carry a heavy set of batteries, a heavy camera and a recorder to off road shoots that required strenuous long hours of work. He would be involved in one way or another in most of the 1,900 programs and later specials.

The last Heartlands show would be shot at the Museum of Appalachia in 2009 with 10,000 people in the audience and where Landry would spend hours signing autographs for the show69制片厂制作传媒檚 fans.

One of Doug69制片厂制作传媒檚 favorite Heartlands shows was when he returned to his home in Harlan County to shoot the story of the closing of a section of a coal mine, as the support columns were being removed in a process called 69制片厂制作传媒榬obbing the coal69制片厂制作传媒� while the miners retreated to the main shaft. One of his hardest shoots was of the attempt to bring Red Wolves back into the Appalachian Mountains. 69制片厂制作传媒楾here was a certain hardness to all our shows69制片厂制作传媒�, he commented. 69制片厂制作传媒淲e were always a team and I was given so many freedoms.

Married to Georgia 69制片厂制作传媒淭ina69制片厂制作传媒� Maddox in 1988 he is for all purposes the proud dad to Tina69制片厂制作传媒檚 3 children and the proud 69制片厂制作传媒榩apaw69制片厂制作传媒� of 4 grandchildren. With the closing of Heartlands Doug would stay busy freelancing with one of his favorite jobs being Dollywood openings, where over the years he has found Dolly to be an open and pleasant down to Earth person. 69制片厂制作传媒淲e69制片厂制作传媒檝e seen some amazing changes in photography69制片厂制作传媒�, he would tell. 69制片厂制作传媒淥ur equipment has gone from weighing 45 to 50 pounds, down to lighter and better digital equipment.69制片厂制作传媒�

Still not through with being behind the camera, Doug will soon be working with Channel 869制片厂制作传媒檚 Alan Williams, where his main goal is not to disappoint Alan. Doug Mills has had a huge part in saving a massive amount of our Appalachian culture.