Former student becomes big name in Hollywood


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Former student Delbert Shoopman works on "The Island" with Bear Grylls.

Starting out on a forum for small time film makers, Athens native Delbert Shoopman never thought he would become the producer of six shows, three of which he created.

"Running Wild," a show on NBC, is entering its second season and will air July 13. "The Island," a UK television show he produced, is starting its second season and recommissioned for a third.

In high school, Shoopman knew he wanted to have a career in the entertainment field, with thoughts of being an actor. After realizing acting is not his forte, he went different route.

"I knew I had a desire to do something in the field," Shoopman said. "I thought, 'What can come close to acting without me having to be in the spotlight?' I wanted to tell stories but also create projects for myself, be my own boss."

Shoopman started attending Central Michigan University and was studying theater interpretation and broadcasting communications. He spent some time working on MHTV and with the help of his friends and his knowledge of production, they started creating original ideas.

"In 2006, my friend on a small forum who I had never met before told me that his girlfriend was a production coordinator for the Ellen Degeneres Show and they were looking for employees," Shoopman said. "He blindly referenced me and I got a phone call one day asking me to come in for an interview. A couple days went by and a two year contract was made."

Having no experience in Hollywood, Shoopman jumped right into the business and left CMU. 

"Working on a day-to-day program was a lot of hard work," Shoopman said. "It taught me a lot about deeper outlook and problem solving. There's way more that goes into producing a daily show than I thought. The producers on Ellen are amazing and being able to learn from their veteran leadership really made me into a better producer."

Shoopman created the show "Running Wild" three years ago. NBC was not interested at first, but after shooting a number of episodes, they were hooked. The show puts celebrities in the wilderness on exotic adventures, showing who they really are. 

"Running Wild is my favorite program I've worked on," Shoopman said. "Another awesome thing about the program is that I get to meet a lot of great people like Channing Tatum, Ben Stiller and Zac Efron."

Besides his work with NBC, Shoopman has four shows in the UK. "The Island" is a show about several men that get put on an island to test their survival skills. He started working with Bear Grylls, television wilderness expert. After sharing ideas and taking meetings, one program led to another. 

"Working with Grylls is the best. I really love it," Shoopman said. "Over the last six years from knowing him and being with him almost every day, he isn't as crazy as everyone thinks. He's the most down to earth person, but at the same time he's the craziest out-of-the-box thinker I know. He truly is an amazing mentor, boss and he's going to be the best man in my wedding."

Throughout Shoopman's journey there have been downsides. He relates it to playing the lottery, but with better odds. Before selling a show, he had pitched hundreds, trying to get his name recognized. Part of the job is accepting rejection and going all the way with a solid idea, he said.

"You can pitch ideas all you want and a lot of the times executives are going to say no," Shoopman said. "Tomorrow is always a new day and it's a chance to learn something new about yourself."

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