Yet another reason to love Jon Stewart.
First he bought a farm to help abused animals. Now we find out that for the past three years, The Daily Show host has been quietly running a series of five-week “boot camps” to help veterans find work in television.
The series of workshops give veterans a crash course in TV production and a behind the scenes look at some of the less glamorous, but essential, parts of putting a show on the air.
Stewart deliberately kept the program off the radar in order to keep the workshops from being flooded by fans so he could focus on former military members who have a serious desire to work in the industry.
Stephen Colbert Auctions TV Desk, Uses $800K to Fund SC Teachers
One vet named Nathan Witmer was surprised when he walked in for his first day of the workshop he’d signed up for and realized it was Stewart’s Comedy Central studio–he had no idea there was a connection. After attending Stewart’s workshop, Witmer went on to work for Fox News before returning to The Daily Show as an associate segment producer.
Stewart says the workshops shouldn’t be considered “charity”, but rather, an effort to tap a “wealth of experience” that will bring fresh voices and a veteran’s perspective to the television industry.
Because he is retiring, Stewart decided to go public with the program in hopes that others will keep the project going.
“Please steal our idea,” Stewart told the New York Times.
(READ more, w/ photos, in the New York Times)