About Joe Camp

Joe Camp, film writer and director, author, passionate speaker, and the man behind the canine superstar Benji, has become one of the nation's most respected and most inspirational voices for responsibility in the media.

Camp has written, produced and directed seven theatrical motion pictures (including all of the Benji movies) cumulatively grossing well over the equivalent of $600 million in today's dollars, making him one of the most successful independent filmmakers of all time.

He has written three novels from his own screenplays (including the Harper-Collins published novel of the 2004 film Benji Off the Leash ), and the inspirational book Benji and Me (originally titled Underdog , Longstreet Press). Written to inspire those who might stop short of their potential, the book chronicles the difficulties experienced in trying to get the first Benji movie off the ground and instills the faith that anyone can still make a difference in this world, not only for themselves, but for others as well.

Camp ignored industry ?experts? who said the original Benji movie would never work. He raised the money from private sources to produce the film, but when completed the movie was turned down by every major film distributor in Hollywood. Camp and his partner Ed Vanston had t o form their own distribution company and release the picture themselves worldwide from their offices in Dallas, with Camp personally developing the marketing strategy, writing advertising copy and press releases, and supervising each and every booking. In spite of the many obstacles, Variety reported the picture was the #3 grossing movie of the year.

In advance of release of the new film Benji Off the Leash, Camp and his floppy-eared star recently traveled the nation for months, appearing on television, radio, in newspapers and magazines, promoting the film while passionately making a case for Hollywood to ?clean up? their family films, and extolling the values of adopting pets from shelters. ?This time around,? Camp says, ?it's all about proving that you can put food on the table and, at the same time, make a positive difference in peoples' lives.?

Most movies would only dream of getting the appearances these two amazing compatriots have accumulated. Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, Hannity and Colmes, Janet Parshall, Michael Medved, The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, American Family Radio, Salem Radio, Living the Life and the 700 Club, Agape Press, Crosswalk.com, Associated Press, ABC Radio, Associated Press Radio, Ladies Home Journal, The Star, CNN several times, Fox News, CNN Radio, Delilah , Allen Kable, NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, Primetime Thursday, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Inside Edition, Westwood One , to name a few. And most want the pair back in December when the DVD of the new movie comes out.

Evidencing the universal affection for the canine superstar, when Camp struck out across the country in the Fall of 2001 to find the new Benji in an animal shelter, media flocked to follow him around. The America n Humane Association had reported that the original Benji's rescue from a shelter had caused more than one million adoptions. Camp wanted to recreate that model. Local and network television, radio and newspapers covered the search and the ultimate selection of a new Benji generating more than one billion media exposures for the efforts of shelters and rescue groups all across the nation.

In addition to his books and movies, Camp has also written or co-written and directed and/or produced four network television specials and a network series.

Joe spends much of his time working with the Piney Woods School in Mississippi. This historically black boarding school educates mostly high-risk kids from families below the poverty level, yet usually sends 100% of its graduates to college, many to some of the best colleges and universities in the country. ?Of all we've done,? say s Camp, ?we're most proud of the things we've accomplished for these kids. And the rewards are the greatest.?

Even with all the accomplishments and exposure, Camp is still in awe of his own success. ?Inside, I'm still a kid sitting in a dark theater in Little Rock, Arkansas, watching Disney's ?Song of the South' with happy tears rolling down my cheeks,? he says, "just wanting to be the person who made me feel so good. To be able to bring that feeling to others is very special.?

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For more information contact:

Melany Etheridge; 972-267-1111

Angela McNeill; 228-396-5372