The Secret Life of Naomi Campbell

In 1985, while window shopping outside of a London department store, Naomi Campbell, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, was discovered and signed to a professional modeling contract. Lithe-figured and strikingly exotic, Campbell’s early stint on runways throughout Europe soon led to higher-profile ad campaigns for internationally recognized brands, and little more than a year later, the cover of Elle Magazine — an honor that effectively introduced her to the world.

In the years that followed, mentored and championed by many of the most iconic names in fashion — Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Galliano — Campbell overcame the racial discrimination of the modeling world and scored a number of firsts for a woman of color: appearing on the cover of French, British, Japanese and Chinese Vogue and being the featured model in spreads shot by the industry’s most renowned fashion photographers.

By the mid 1990s, Naomi Campbell had become one of the world’s most recognizable faces — appearing frequently in pop music videos, films and TV shows; becoming the featured model in international ad campaigns for Versace, Ralph Lauren and Dolce & Gabbana — and in the process, secured a place in the pantheon of the famed “supermodels.”

But while beauty and fashion were Campbell’s ticket to fame and fortune, and while her celebrity has fueled the media’s lurid fascination with her private life, far less public — far less celebrated — are the many charitable and humanitarian causes upon which Campbell has brought her celebrity to bear, and for which she has been honored the world over.

Since 1997, Campbell has supported charity work focused on the peoples and communities of Sub-Saharan Africa and South America, via organizations like the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Quincy Jones’s Listen Up Foundation, the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) orphanage in Jamaica, Fidel Castro’s Cuban Children’s Fund and We Love Brazil, which she founded for the nation’s children, and for which she was named International Ambassador of Rio de Janeiro.

In 2005, Campbell created Fashion for Relief, raising $1M for victims of Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, she hosted the South African leg of Live Earth in Johannesburg; she also received the Black Retail Action Group (BRAG) “Special Recognition Award” in honor of her efforts to promote acceptance of men and women of color throughout the fashion industry. In 2009, Campbell was awarded the Honorary Patronage of the University Philosophical Society from Trinity College, Dublin for her charitable and professional work; she also received the “International Woman of the Year” award from Russian Glamour. And just last year, at its famed Charity Gala for Children in Need, Campbell received the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Pyramide Con Mani award for her outstanding social commitments.

The Secret Life of Naomi Campbell will explore these little-known facets of Naomi’s identity — shedding light on the causes that inspire her, helping to dispel many of the notions that have marred her reputation, and allowing Campbell, perhaps for the first time, to paint and to frame a portrait of herself.

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This concept summary is excerpted from an original treatment conceived, written and designed by me in 2011. (“The Secret Life of Naomi Campbell” is registered with the WGA West, Inc.)

Evander Holyfied: Beyond the Ring

In 1964, two-year-old Evander Holyfield relocated with his family from the mill town of Atmore, Alabama, to the city of Atlanta, Georgia. As the youngest of the family’s nine children, it is speculated that Evander learned early on to fight for his share of recognition. Whatever the motivation, Holyfield began boxing in earnest at age 12, and his unusual gifts for the sport quickly became apparent. By age 13, Holyfield had qualified to compete in his first Junior Olympics; by age 15, he had become the nation’s Southeastern Regional Champion.

In 1983, at age 20, Holyfield won a silver medal at the Pan Am Games in Caracas, Venezuela. And in 1984 — easily the most eventful year of his early career — he became the National Golden Gloves Champion, won a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and made the fateful decision to leave the amateur ranks and become a professional fighter.

By 1986, little more than two years after turning pro, Holyfield’s rapid ascendance in the cruiserweight division positioned him for a title shot against then-WBA Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi. In a bout that Ring Magazine would deem “the best cruiserweight fight of the 1980s,” Holyfield won a hard-fought 15-round split decision, and his first world title.

The next two years saw Holyfield dominate the division: scoring a fourth-round knockout in his rematch with Qawi, and winning both the IBF and WBC cruiserweight titles — becoming the first-ever undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world. And in 1988, hungry for new challenges, Holyfield decided to move up in weight class to pursue the heavyweight title.

A series of devastating knockout victories over legitimate heavyweight contenders and former champions — most notably Michael Dokes, a fight that Ring Magazine dubbed “the best heavyweight bout of the 1980s” — quickly established Holyfield as the division’s #1 contender, and by 1990, positioned him for a title shot against then-heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson.

That fight would be delayed, however, and in October 1990, Holyfield would score a third-round knockout over James “Buster” Douglas — who had defeated Tyson months earlier — to become the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. In so doing, Holyfield notched the second of his historical “firsts”: becoming the first fighter to ever hold unified titles in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.

Holyfield’s career would continue to span another twenty-odd hall-of-fame caliber years, and feature many of the sports most memorable battles — including three magnificent fights against Riddick Bowe, and two commanding victories over Mike Tyson. In the course of those years, Holyfield, arguably the sports fiercest and most courageous competitor, would become the first and only man in the history of boxing to recapture the heavyweight title four times.

Yet for all of his many accomplishments in the ring, and his long-time acquaintance with fame and celebrity, the greater portion of Holyfield’s life — his values, his faith, his passions beyond boxing; in short, in his inner world — remain largely unknown to the public.

“…Beyond the Ring,” through its up-close perspective on Holyfield, and its focus on the Holyfield Foundation’s work with at-risk/disadvantaged youths, will allow us a glimpse into that inner world. A world comprised of a champion’s heart, a champion’s pride and a champion’s sense of discipline. A world inhabited by an extraordinary man, with an extraordinary sense of duty, and the courage to help lead others into manhood.

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This concept summary is excerpted from an original treatment conceived, written and designed by me in 2011. (“Evander Holyfield: Beyond the Ring” is registered with the WGA West, Inc.)