重要的故事：帕特里克·贝克1985年

Growing up, Patrick Baker’s house was filled with politicians, activists, and filmmakers. 他的母亲Boaty Boatwright是好莱坞选角导演，是20世纪60年代女权主义和民权运动的中心人物。 The first film she cast, 杀死一只知更鸟, is one of the great social justice stories. So, it’s not surprising that Patrick was drawn to a career as a filmmaker, amplifying meaningful stories and original voices.

At the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was an African-American Studies major, Patrick recalls becoming “intellectually obsessed” with the work of Jonathan Kozol, an award winning author and educator whose 1991 book 野蛮的不平等 paints a stark portrait of class and race-based educational disparities in America. 尽管帕特里克当时还是一名大学生，没有什么电影经验，但他找到科佐尔，告诉他他想根据这本书制作一部纪录片。 但帕特里克首先回到了他的家乡纽约，学习纪录片业务。 他的第一份工作是为HBO和第四频道（英国）制作一部贝博体育app纽约卖淫场景的纪录片。 Next, he went to work for legendary CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite, whose documentary-based program, 克朗凯特报告, was airing on the Discovery Channel. Patrick worked his way up from an assistant to co-producer, and it was Cronkite who gave Patrick the final push to make a film about Kozol’s book. “When I presented the idea to the Chairman, Cronkite said that they weren’t interested but that I needed to go make that film,” he says.

帕特里克就科佐尔的纪录片找到了公共广播公司，很快，比尔·莫耶斯就加入了。 Patrick’s best friend, Chris Pilaro ’87 (pictured far left), joined him as a co-producer, and they spent a year living in Ohio making the film. Children in America’s Schools 1996年在PBS播出，并获得了日间艾美奖。 这部电影也让帕特里克走上了一条道路，使他能够直接影响电影中突出的问题。  

Many years before, Chris and Andrew ’85’s father, Tony Pilaro, P ’85 ’87, GP ’16, and a former 贝博体育app trustee, had been the one to suggest to Patrick and his mother that they consider 贝博体育. Patrick’s friendship with Chris and Andrew further strengthened their bond. 作为一个真正的慈善家，托尼·皮拉罗在他的职业生涯中支持了许多教育事业。 1996年，他创立了“罗恩·布朗学者计划”（The Ron Brown Scholar Program， RBS），以纪念当年在飞机失事中丧生的已故商务部长。 该项目每年为25名最具智力天赋的非裔美国高中生提供4万美元的奖学金和持续的职业指导。 作为回报，他们要求学者们通过指导社区中的其他学生来传递这种爱。 

当克里斯·皮拉罗于2017年去世时，帕特里克被要求填补他在苏格兰皇家银行董事会的席位。 “I feel like I’m tasked with the responsibility of keeping Chris’s spirit alive on the board, and it’s one of the great joys in my life. 克里斯是一个特别有爱心和善良的人。 His role at RBS was significant, so filling his shoes has been a great honor.” 27年后，该项目已颁发了600多个奖学金，其校友包括普利策奖得主剧作家卡托里·霍尔和拜登总统提名代表纽约南区的联邦检察官达米安·威廉姆斯。

在他的职业生涯中，帕特里克几乎参与了电影行业的各个方面。 拍完纪录片后，他留在了洛杉矶，在华纳兄弟、环球和派拉蒙等电影公司担任了10年的电影总监。 “It was thrilling to work with filmmakers, writers, and creatives and oversee some really big, exciting films,” says Patrick, who was the executive on The Rock’s first two feature films. 最终，他放弃了大制作电影，转而制作小型独立电影，并在美国各地的电影节上销售。2019年，他再次改变了方向，从寻找和销售好故事转向自己写故事。 帕特里克举家迁往英国牛津，他们爱上了那里的乡村和社区，并一直住到今天。 他每天写作3-4个小时，目前正在创作两个剧本和一部受克里斯·皮拉罗启发的新剧。

他最大的乐趣之一是与他指导的罗恩·布朗学者们分享他在电影行业的经验。 “At the end of the day, the best part of my current life is being involved with these young kids,” says Patrick. 他帮助他们找到实习和工作，就剧本提供反馈，代表他们打电话和介绍，并提供职业指导。 他对下一代讲故事的年轻学者的最好建议是什么？ “Get really good at something, do it well.” says Patrick. “If you get really good at something and you do something really well, you’ll be successful.”