You do WHAT for the Army?
Troops, Crew, Tanks, Bumblebee - Copyright 2009 - Paramount Pictures/Dreamworks Studios
The conversation usually goes something like this…
“So Greg, what do you do?”
“I’m in the Army,” I reply.
“Really? Huh…in the Army…what are you doing here in Los Angeles? I didn’t know they had any Army in LA.”
“Well, I have one of the coolest jobs in the Army…I work in the Army Entertainment Office.”
…and then it comes…”You do WHAT for the Army?” ….if I only had a nickle…
Yes, the Army is in Hollywood…and we have been for about 60 years. But before you think, “well, that makes sense…war movies, right?” We’re actually much more than war movies.
The United States Army is arguably one of the oldest brands in the country, and one of the most recognized brands (for better or worse) around the world. While most people know the Army has Public Affairs personnel, the folks who interact with the news media, few people are aware of the Army’s entertainment office…even though most of you have seen our work.
Our mission statement includes “…educate the American people and global audiences on the U.S. Army’s mission, capabilities and values through entertainment media.”
We are the gateway between the entertainment industry and the U.S. Army. We’re located in Los Angeles (same building and just a few floors below Showtime) and we work on entertainment projects ranging from the “Armed Forces Week” on The Price is Right to major motion pictures like this year’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “GI Joe: Rise of Cobra.” We coordinate most of the military programming you see on Discovery Channel, Nat Geo, Military Channel, and any of the other scores of cable stations. We also work very closely with Lifetime TV’s hit show “Army Wives” and Electronic Arts‘ upcoming video game “Medal of Honor” that’s due out fall 2010. We’ve even supported cooking and baking shows highlighting Army cooks, style makeover shows for female Soldiers, home makeover shows for needy Soldiers and their families, and science and technology shows demonstrating existing and future Army technologies. So you can see, we cover a broad spectrum of entertainment media.
Bishop & Bay - Copyright 2009 Paramount Pictures / Dreamworks Studios
Support typically includes script reviews, location support, technical support, dialogue coaching, uniform/costume review, tactical consulting, equipment support, and generally doing what we can to help filmmakers and producers create entertainment projects that realistically or plausibly portray the Army and its Soldiers. We also work closely with the Army’s Accessions Command to develop “transmedia” opportunities that assist in their recruiting efforts, when possible.
Our office is very small, but an extremely effective asset in the Army’s communication strategy, reaching millions of people in our key audience segments…and it’s a blast!
ARMY STRONG!!!!
The Bishop Blog 
Sir, I can’t wait to get back there and re-join the team! Keep up the great work and have a MERRY Christmas! Kanessa