Bill
Campbell is president and treasurer of Orpheum Theatre
Inc., the Sheridan, Wyo.-based circuit which currently
operates seven screens at three sites in Wyoming and
Montana. Campbell also currently serves as vice chairman
of NATO’s Independent Theatre Owners Committee.
What about you would most surprise the majority of your
fellow exhibitors?
I have lived in Wyoming and Montana all my life and never
once snow-skied or hunted.
What’s
the best thing about living in Wyoming?
It is God’s country.
Leaving aside family members, who was your first role
model?
My 7th-grade teachers, who took the time to pull me aside
and help me understand how to toe the line.
What
would you wish for if a djinn offered to grant one wish
(assuming
you couldn’t wish for more wishes)?
That my family will always be taken care of.
What
would you be if you weren’t a cinema operator?
A pilot or a trout guide.
Who is your favorite filmmaker and why?
Steven Spielberg. He is a master storyteller. Not to mention
most of his movies are good for my box office.
What was your favorite movie last year?
“The Lord of the Rings.”
Which
movie or movies are you most looking forward to?
“Harry Potter.” I love seeing my kids get so pumped.
Who is the most talented actor most people have never
heard of?
My 5-year-old when he stars in “Who Did This?”
Which book would you most like to see adapted into a motion
picture?
Jonathan Kellermen’s Alex Delaware novels.
Which TV show do you hate to miss?
“NYPD Blue.”
What’s
your favorite movie theatre in which you and/or your
partners have absolutely no investment?
The Rialto Theatre in Bozeman, Mont. It’s where I
met my wife.
Which sacred cow would you most like to barbecue?
Trying to get all the gross in the first week.
What’s
the best thing about running a cinema company?
Standing in the back of an auditorium and watching the
people enjoy the magic of movies.
What’s
the worst?
When something happens that keeps the people from enjoying
the magic.
What do you wish someone had told you earlier?
That when you turn 40 the days get shorter.
What was the single best piece of advice you ever got?
My dad told me (after I totaled my ‘67 T-Bird) that
everything works out for the best. It has so far. 
