My Mentor Gene Williamson, He Changed Everything!
by:Â Jack Campbell, Cam-Bel Media, Inc.
Gene Williamson
It was 1986; Cam-Tel Video Productions (our original company) was three years old and struggling along as most start-ups do at that stage of the game. I decided to take even a greater risk than we already had when I quit my job in 1983, just two weeks after our fourth child Kara was born, to start the business. In 1986, we were starting to get real busy but not yet very profitable so hiring a writer was something we needed to do but really could not yet afford. Regardless, I placed a classified ad in the local paper looking for copywriters. At the time we had one service, producing corporate videos, and we needed experienced people to write storyboards for the videos.
As I had suspected we received lots of resumes. As fate would have it though I had to go to New York on a shoot the day the five writers we had scheduled were to come in for interviews, so I asked Alan Wentzel our office manager to handle the interviews for me.
The next day when Alan and I met, he told me all the candidates were qualified but there was this one guy who was way over qualified. He was right, as I read Gene Williamson’s resume I thought, what is this guy doing applying for a job with our little company? Gene had just retired as the Director of Promotion for US News & World Report. Prior to that Gene had worked both on the client side of major fortune 500 companies and on the agency side handling major accounts such as General Electric, Kroger Food Chain, Union Central Life Insurance Company, Duncan Hines, Crosley Broadcasting Corporation, Strietmann Biscuit Company (Division of United Biscuit), Bavarian’’s Old Style Beer, and many more. At the time he was a published author and in the process of writing his second book.
Naturally I invited Gene back in to meet him and discuss the position. When we met I immediately sensed the unbelievable ability this man had to listen and communicate not only on paper but verbally. I also felt like Gene took an immediate liking to me. He later told me he joined us because he admired my entrepreneurial spirit. I think it was his nice way of telling me yeah you can sell kid but you don’t have clue about marketing or advertising.
The good news was Gene agreed to write for us, the bad news was only on a part time independent basis. After all he had just retired and he and his wife, Nancy moved down from DC to Ocean City, about 15 miles from our Richland, NJ studio. He wanted to be near the water and write a book. He always says with that big grin on his face. “I love to talk to the gulls.”
I reluctantly agreed to him working part time and hired another writer to work part time too. Looking back I think Gene realized we couldn’t afford to pay him what he was worth at that time, but he liked our little company and our ambitious goals and wanted to help us.
When Gene started writing for us what can I say other than … he changed everything! Most of our creative team were right out of college and were thrilled to have such a savvy veteran to help us get our clients message down on paper before they shot and edited the videos.
As often as possible I would take Gene with me on client meetings because I realized once a client met him we would get their business. He was that impressive with his laid back style and an unbelievable amount of business knowledge. His writing was always right on. In less than a year after Gene joined us we were working for Trump, Merck, GE, Perdue Chicken and on and on. Our team was always very talented and Gene took us all to the next level.
It wasn’t long before we could afford Gene, thanks to Gene’s work and leadership. So after many attempts by me, I finally convinced him to come aboard full time as VP of Creative. Gene worked with us up to 1994 when he decided to really retire from a full time position.
Gene taught me and our entire team so much, not in a class room, but in the field on the job. He had many sayings that I picked up and still use to this day i.e. “There’s no such thing as writing … only re-writing.” “Advertising is what you pay for PR is what you pray for.” are just two that come to mind. More importantly his philosophy and professional approach to each challenge we faced rubbed off on all of us. I’m proud to say that so many of the kids we hired directly out of college back in the 80s and 90s are today very successful with their own businesses or working for major creative firms. I’m quite sure Gene Williamson contributed a lot to their success as he did to mine and Cam-Bel Media’s.
Once in a while I still email Gene for help, I try not to do it too often, after all I talked him out of retirement once and that’s enough. Gene has had five books published and is currently wrapping up his 6th. Gene is still available as free lance writer, to contact him go to AuthorsDen.com and search for his name. Or contact me at www.cambelmedia.com.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have Gene as my mentor. Thank you Gene my friend … you changed everything.
U.S. Local Business Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement
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