Also see the Media Prep page at www.TheSoulOfaHorse.com

"Joe Camp gives the kind of interview journalists dream of. Camp is not only what I call 'notable and quotable,' he has a palpable honesty that makes readers, listeners, viewers sit up and take notice.  In fact, I told a fellow correspondent that Joe Camp is verbal, visual Velcro."
Dr. Marty Becker
Syndicated Radio Talk Show Host
Best-selling author of several "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books
Popular veterinary contributor to ABC's "Good Morning America"  

"Joe Camp is the genuine breath of fresh air Hollywood has needed for years and years. If he's got any presumptive airs about him, they are as invisible as his ego - remarkable for a true gentleman who's accomplished all he has on a wing, a prayer and an unbelievable friend named Benji. When you speak with Mr. Camp, you speak with pure class."
Thor Tolo, Host, "Live From Seattle", KGNW

"Joe Camp is a terrific interview! Encounter the work of Joe Camp and you'll have a changed heart."
Kevin Harris, Morning Host, KWRD-FM Dallas

Suggested Interview Questions
for Joe Camp and Benji

Scroll down or click one of the subjects below to jump right to those questions:

Responsibility in the Media
Living with Purpose, On Purpose
Benji.com - a Resource for a Wide Variety of Family Entertainment
About Benji
Making Dreams Come True
About Pets: Adoption, Health Benefits
About Dog Training
About Being Christian

Responsibility in the Media

• Why do you feel the media isn’t responsible?
  
  
• Assuming the Hollywood studios and television producers aren’t, by and large, acting responsibly, how do you change that? Is it even possible?
  
  
• Why do you feel there’s anything wrong with a bit of “behind-the-barn” humor?
  
  
• What do you suggest parents who care about this do to insure that their kids only see appropriate material?
  
  
• What do you mean when you say the Hollywood studios have been “lowering the bar” on what is acceptable in family entertainment?
  
  
• I’ve heard you say that way too many parents are letting the media raise their kids. Do you have figures?
  
  
• What is your feeling about the state of parenting in this country?
  
  
• I understand that your family watches no television whatsoever. Isn’t that a bit extreme?
  
  
• You say your kids spend a lot of time reading and that you direct them into books that by their nature are not only appropriate but so compelling they want to read more and more. Can you tell us what’s on that list?
  
  
• If your family watches no television, what, if anything, do you watch? What type of watching do you feel is appropriate? Can you give us some titles that are not just “clean,” but also good entertainment, enriching entertainment?
  
  
• Your last Benji movie is completely family safe, full of good values, and still very entertaining for all ages. In this day and time, how did you accomplish that?
  

On Benji.com’s growing reputation
as a valuable resource for a wide variety of
good, enriching family entertainment

• Benji.com has long a list of family-safe entertainment that has nothing to do with Benji. Even mini-series like Roots and Winds of War. Why are you promoting non-Benji movies?
  
  
• The website claims that your family has watched each of the entertainment titles on the list. Is that true? Have your kids actually watched those titles?
  
  
• What are some of the titles on the list? Why is it important to you that families watch them?
  
  
• Why doesn’t your family watch television?
  
  
• An article on Benji,com about the Risks of TV tries to convince parents to turn off television altogether. Don’t you think that’s a losing battle?
  
  
• You have made programs for television with Benji. How do you reconcile that with your stand against television in the home?
  
  
• There are lists and comments on great books for kids, important books for parents, and articles on parenting on Benji.com. Can you name a few of these titles and perhaps tell us why you’re recommending them?
  

Living with Purpose, On Purpose

• You’ve been successful with all your Benji ventures. Why, at 70 years old, are you still working so hard, speaking, writing, making movies?
  
  
• You claim that what your doing is better for your health than playing golf. How do you figure?
  
  
• You talk about bringing the message to young people that life is not all about making money, it’s about making a difference. How to you reconcile that with the fact that you have surely made a lot of money with Benji?
  
  
• Among all your other activities, you've just finished a new book, but it's about horses, not dogs. What’s is that all about?
  

Making Dreams Come True

• You had a dream. You were just a small-time ad guy from Mississippi with a notion about a dog who could express emotion, and you turned it into a world-wide phenomenon. Without any help from Hollywood. How did you do that?
  
  
• What is the single most important ingredient in turning your dreams into reality?
  
  
• You said your Dad once told you something that made all the difference in your life. What was that?
  
  
• It seems as though anytime anyone with a dream tries to step out of the crowd, out of the mainstream, to realize that dream, then here come the criticisms: That’s impossible. It’s stupid. It’s a waste of time. You must’ve had that with Benji and even with your new book The Soul of a Horse. How do you handle it?
  
  
• You once said you could probably drop onto a street corner anywhere in the free world, say one word, and bring smiles to the faces of whoever’s standing there. The word, I assume, is Benji. How does that make you feel?
  
  
• Do you really believe that today anyone can make their dreams come true by following the choices you prescribe?
  

About Pets: Adoption, Health Benefits

• You went to a lot of trouble and spent a lot of money traveling around the country to find the new Benji in an animal shelter. Why was it so important to find her in a shelter?
  
  
• Some say that shelter pets know they’ve been saved and make better pets because of it. Do you believe that?
  
  
• I’ve heard you say adopt two instead of one. Why?
  
  
• You claim that having a pet in the house actually contributes to the health of the humans in the house. Is that medical fact or hypothesis?
  
  
• What about people who work and feel it’s cruel to leave a pet at home alone all day everyday?
  
  
• Why do you feel a shelter adoption is better than buying from a pet store or a breeder?
  
  
• What are you and Benji doing to help with adoptions around the country?
  

About Benji

• Why is Benji is still loved by so many some thirty years after the first Benji movie came out?
  
  
• Benji is known for expressing emotion on the screen, acting just like a human actor would act. How do you get a dog to act in a movie?
  
  
• I read that one of the Benji’s was actually up for an Oscar for acting. Is that true?
  
  
• Why was it so important to you to keep Benji Off the Leash, the latest movie, out of the clutches of the Hollywood studios?
  
  
• All of the Benji movies have been carefully layered to tell a story on an adult level as well as one on a kid level. A pretty difficult thing to do. Why has that been important to you?
  
  
• Benji stories have always been founded on strong positive values, and have always ended with positive messages. Why has that been important to you?
  

About Dog Training

• You’ve written novels, inspirational books, movies, and now you’ve written a Benji dog training manual. Why a dog training book??
  
  
• How easy is it – really – to train just any dog to do the kind of things Benji does in the movies?
  

About Being a Christian

• You are a Christian. How do your faith and beliefs show up in your work and your life?
  
  
• How do your really know that God works in your life? Do you have specific examples? (Beware. Joe can talk forever on this one)
  
  
• How do you feel about the various movements to remove God from the Pledge of Allegiance, or from all public places, or from government buildings, seals, and the like?
  
  
• How can Christian parents send a message to Hollywood that they want to see the moral bar raised in films, especially in family films? Is it possible?
  
  
• What’s the most difficult part of being a Christian for you?
  

To Book Joe for an Interview, click here.