Jon Stewart reveals his television ‘boot camp’ program helping veterans enter the industry
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/jon-stewart-reveals-his-television-boot-camp-program-helping-veterans-enter-the-industry/
Jon Stewart reveals his television boot camp program helping veterans enter the industry
Newsweek
25 May 2015 at 19:49 ET
Jon Stewart is running a boot camp intended to help war veterans break into the television industry. In fact, he has been running this program with some degree of secrecy for three years, according to a New York Times interview with the long-time host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show.
The occasion for publicizing the five-week program now is simple. Stewart's retirement from the comedy news show is imminent, and he would like other TV shows to host similar training programs. (Plus, of course, it's Memorial Day.)
The Times' makes a point of noting left-leaning Stewart's long-running criticisms of the Iraq War in its headline. But an anti-war stance is not necessarily an anti-veteran one, and the comedian says he is aware of the unique challenges facing veterans hoping to enter the entertainment industry without connections.
"You get into the television industry generally by going to certain colleges known for having good television programs, getting internships and getting to know people who work in the industry," Stewart told the Times. "A lot of veterans never had that opportunity because they were busy at war. This is a way to give them that chance.