 Interview with Richard Plepler, Co-President, HBO
Over the past two decades HBO has produced important documentaries, movies, and programming highlighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in an effort to raise awareness, undo stigma, and encourage people to get tested. How has your personal background, from serving as an aide to Senator Christopher Dodd to your work with the Council on Foreign Relations and as a member of FINCA’s international steering committee, shaped your commitment to HIV/AIDS? I’ve always had a deep connection to public policy and world affairs. As you note, I began my career working for Senator Dodd and had a front row seat in observing both the opportunities and challenges of the body politic. It was clear to me when I got into the entertainment business that there were an array of ways our industry could shine a light on the issues and subjects that needed national attention. Even when "AIDS fatigue" discouraged some media companies from covering the epidemic, HBO continued to educate its viewers about the disease. How has HBO been able to maintain a critical view on the media’s important role in addressing the epidemic and if you experienced any challenges in promoting a corporate response to HIV/AIDS, how did you overcome them? HBO is in the business of telling stories, and we’re at our best when we explore those stories that are often ignored. The case of HIV/AIDS is a perfect example. When we began looking at this issue 1987 no one was giving real time and energy to explaining the implications of this plague. The movies and documentaries which we’ve made -- from "And the Band Played On" to "Pandemic: Facing AIDS" to "Angels in America" to our most recent "Life Support" -- are our small contributions to elevating the national conversation. The challenge, of course, is to do it in a way that is accessible. If we do our job well, that allows us to have a real impact. HBO has, as you put it, "a special opportunity to make sure that important stories are given a voice." With the growing feminization of HIV/AIDS making women the new face of the epidemic, how is HBO ensuring that women’s voices are made a priority? A big part of our work here at HBO is listening carefully to our talented filmmakers and artists who are really the source of our best work. We did that when Nelson George approached us with "Life Support," a film, inspired by his sister’s life, which takes a personal look at the impact of HIV on women in the African-American community. And we did it with Darrell James Roodt and Anant Singh when they brought us "Yesterday," a tale of the struggles of a young South African mother who has been diagnosed with AIDS. There are many examples. Through our films, we strive to put a human face on the AIDS crisis. This past March, HBO premiered Life Support, which draws attention to the fact that African-Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. To maximize the film’s impact, HBO partnered with GBC, the NBA and the Kaiser Family Foundation to produce a series of public service announcements (PSAs) to promote HIV testing. Why are partnerships key to tacking the epidemic? There are people who simply know more about this subject than we do. We reached out to them and luckily for us, they responded. We wouldn’t have dreamed of doing this alone. Each entity brought its own unique assets and capabilities to the table, along with a tremendous amount of passion and willingness to get it right. These PSAs are scheduled to launch June 13th at GBC’s annual gala. How do you foresee their impact in the community? What are some potential obstacles to their efficacy? Hopefully we’ll have done something that resonates with core audiences here and around the world. We’re hoping to get maximum exposure with maximum impact. What other types of innovative public health and social justice initiatives will HBO be involved with in the near future? We’ll assess what’s next and plan on making a commitment in this realm every year, using our resources and friends of the court to help us make an impact on the myriad problems before us. |
