Television Series Veteran Will Share Experiences with Students

He's been a key component in the successes of some of television's most acclaimed shows for the past decade --- from The West Wing and Chicago Hope to Ally McBeal and Law and Order --- and he will be sharing his insider's knowledge during a three-day visit to Ithaca College in September.

Bill D'Elia, a 1969 television-radio graduate of the College, will deliver a free public lecture, "How to Succeed in Show Business by Really, Really Trying," at 7:30 pm on Thursday, September 26, in Park Hall Auditorium. He will also give a series of master classes to students in the Roy H. Park School of Communications.

A television writer, director, and producer, D'Elia will be coming to the College as the Skip Landen professional in residence, a series established in the Park School to bring media professionals to campus each year to meet and work with students. The series is named after filmmaker and professor emeritus of cinema and photography Gustav "Skip" Landen.

D'Elia garnered a number of Addy, Clio, and Teddy Awards as a director of commercials before moving into series television in 1991, directing episodes of Northern Exposure. He went on to direct Picket Fences, Law and Order, and Beverly Hills 90210, among other series, along with the made-for-television movies The Dottie West Story and In the Name of Love: A Texas Tragedy.

In 1996 D'Elia joined the CBS hospital drama Chicago Hope as executive producer, earning two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe Awards in that role. He was also nominated in the category of outstanding directing for a drama series for his work on the musical episode "Brain Salad Surgery." In 1999 D'Elia co-created Judging Amy for CBS while directing episodes of NBC's The West Wing in its first season. Switching gears to comedy, he joined Ally McBeal in the spring of 2000 as executive producer/director, picking up yet more Emmy nominations along with a Directors Guild of America nomination for outstanding directorial achievement in a comedy series.

While he is taking some time out to spend with students at Ithaca College, this fall will be no less busy for D'Elia. Channel surfers can find his directing efforts on NBC's The West Wing and American Dreams, CBS's Queens Supreme, and ABC's Dragnet and Miracles. He also co-created, and will be executive producer and director for, the two-hour pilot episode for ABC's The Understudy, a musical set on Broadway. Finally, D'Elia plans to direct two feature films, his first work for the big screen since 1990's The Feud.

D'Elia will hold three master classes during his visit: "Directing for Television and Features," "Creating the Television Show," and "Running the Show."

For more information, contact Antoinette Di Ciaccio in the Park School at 274-1023.