Craig Wilson: Moments

The timing could not have been better for Camosun College students who are about

to embark in the early stages of their own careers, to hear the stories from CBS

producer Craig Wilson’s own humble beginnings. From the importance of paying

attention to the little moments, to what makes a good writer and reporter, Wilson

ultimately imparted upon students the strength of a powerful story line.

“Life is about intersections,” said Wilson. Having grown up in Medicine Hat, Alberta,

with a population of just over 60,000 people, Wilson could not have predicted that his

life would follow the path that it did. His career began as a young reporter working for

a local news station in Medicine Hat. It was there that he met and worked for Andrew

Bryce. It was Bryce who handed Wilson an article by Edward R. Murrow that would

forever change his writing style and what he understood to be good reporting.

“Life is about moments,” said Wilson. Being let go from the station and eventually

gaining employment with Tourism Alberta would set the stage for yet another
important moment in his life. While traveling for work he had a chance encounter
with a couple who were planning to have their wedding in Medicine Hat and they asked
him for advice on local people to hire. Wilson’s help eventually led to him hesitantly
accepting an invitation to their wedding. At the reception a lady walked up to him and
asked who he was and why he was there. “That woman is my wife,” Wilson said.

It was the intersection of having met his wife that prompted Wilson to move to New York
with her and enroll at Columbia University. Understanding the importance of good
professional connections he went out on a limb and contacted one of his role models,
Knowlton Nash, at the CBC station in Toronto. To his surprise he was put straight through

to Nash who passed along the connection that would land him at the United Nations

every friday covering the Secretary General’s press briefings. These, among many

other, moments helped to propel Wilson to where he is now. “I am lucky, but I worked

hard,” he said. His life story shows that paying attention to what is happening around

you is just the first step, you have to put in the time and effort to get to where you want

to be. As an award winning reporter and producer he has the legacy to back that up.

Wilson’s speech truly demonstrated the captivating power of telling a good story, one

that people can relate to in some way or on some emotional level. For many of the

students in attendance on that Monday morning having heard Craig Wilson’s inspiring
journey will very likely turn out to be one of those “little moments” that, when looking

back, impacted their lives in some way.