Behind the Lens: Bob Campi's Unforgettable Journey from War Zones to Hollywood Red Carpets

In the ever-evolving world of cinema, the journey of a filmmaker can often lead to unexpected intersections. One such figure is Bob Campi, a seasoned director and film producer whose work spans the stark realities of war-torn countries like Afghanistan and Somalia, to glamorous red carpets showcasing A-list celebrities in Los Angeles.

You recently ran into Garrett McNamara at the "100 Foot Wave" Season 3 Premiere. What did he have to say?

Garrett McNamara or “G-Mac “as he likes to be called is one of the most prolific big wave surfers of his generation. A huge fan of Dick Brewer, one of the most influential surfboard designers of his time, like many big wave surfers in the Brewer universe in those early years, he contributed in a big way to Garrett’s success in his career to date.  

I got to spend an evening reuniting with Garrett and his wife Nicole in Los Angeles for the HBO roll out of the third season of "100 Foot Wave". It was gratifying to see them with their production team receiving their well-deserved accolades and celebrating a show that not only has become a household metaphor “Riding a 100 Foot Wave” but actually represents the seasons of life of surfers dedicated to pursuing the impossible. Garrett and Nicole are some of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met and thrilled he participated in my film “The Shape of Things: The Dick Brewer Story”.

You've covered hot spots Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. Share a story from being in the trenches.

I always tell people when that question is posed to me, “Have you seen the film "Zero Dark Thirty", director Kathryn Bigelow’s amazing film on the capture of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan?” Although the film traces accurately the historical US mission to capture and finally kill bin Laden in 2011, it mirrors some of the places I visited early on in 2001 while on assignment working with the NBC News team in Pakistan and Afghanistan, covering the aftermath of 9/11, one of the most significant stories in history.

So where do I begin? Well, the “assignment” was Tora Bora and the mission was to track the U.S. military and intelligence mission in December 2001 to capture or kill Osama bin Laden who was believed to be hiding in the rugged Tora Bora cave complex in eastern Afghanistan. For me, it became the assignment of a lifetime and as one part of an 8-month assignment throughout the region with our incredible NBC team.

With Intel operations suggesting bin Laden was in the Tora Bora caves, moving between bunkers, the U.S. chose to work indirectly relying on Afghan militias to fight on the ground, guided by CIA officers, backed by massive US aerial bombardment of which our TV compound was staged about 5 kilometers away.

However, U.S. troops and Afghan allies surrounded the area but did not deploy a large number of American ground troops to seal the Pakistani border. A miscalculation of judgment at the time that re-surfaced 10 years later when the United States Seal Teams caught up and killed him in Attabad, Pakistan. Nevertheless, our team endured incredible odds traveling through the hostile Khyber Pass region in the frigid Afghan winter, while surviving the harsh dangerous Mujahideen tribal environment, living and working outside in the elements to cover one of the most involved logistical live 24/7 broadcast assignments to date.

For me personally the trip had taken its toll. With the help of our Afghan fixers, we labored 144 cases of television gear up there, lost 22 pounds living on MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) while installing and working nonstop to keep our three-camera satellite television studio compound operational on generators and we never stopped.

Yet looking back on what seemed impossible became reality as to this day it ranks personally as one of my most challenging and cherished journalistic accomplishments in my career.

You are known for changing clothes in parking lots. What's in your car trunk currently?

Ha Ha. I’ll begin with the last question first. Currently the trunk of my car has my camera and lights in it, staging for whatever story comes up. I’m a creature of habit and most certainly proud to be on the forefront of breaking news whenever it happens and it is ready to go as am I.

As for changing in parking lots, we’re old time Surfers and while my wife still gets a

kick out of it or not, prior to the more civilize way of now removing your wetsuit, in those days it was just strip down, brave the elements, and go. To this day, oddly enough I still change clothes in parking lots and sometimes have to. Whether it’s a formal event of putting on your tuxedo for a Grammys award show or changing your trunks out after a great surf session in Cabo, its fast and whatever it takes to get the job done and have to say, I have it down to a science.

You've won 3 Emmys. Give us an update on "The Shape of Things".

A labor of love for the past 4 years, "The Shape of Things: The Dick Brewer Story" is a documentary film that explores the history of the modern surfing experience through the eyes of Dick Brewer, one of the most pivotal and innovative surfboard shapers in surfing history. And proud to say with surfers like Kai Lenny, Laird Hamilton and Garrett McNamara in it, the film features the legends of the sport young and old paying tribute to the grand master.

Currently, the film is not yet widely released in the mainstream streaming outlets but has had much success in winning coveted awards on the film festival circuits in Hawaii, Florida, California and soon to debut in Australia in mid May. With expectations and its PR buzz now in play, its my hope the film will appeal to all audiences and could land on HBO. Max, Netflix or Amazon in the summer of 2025. Fingers Crossed and stay tuned!!!

At "The Accountant 2" world premiere, did you get Ben Affleck to smile?

Currently as the Director of Photography for the show Entertainment Tonight for thirty plus years, my travels have taken me to film premieres all over the world – and while meeting celebrities seems to be very glamorous, and to some it is, in my view they are people I’ve worked with in a creative medium and collectively we all have a human side. On that particular night for the premiere of "The Accountant 2", at Hollywood’s Mann’s Chinese Theater, Ben Affleck, who was interviewed with one of my favorite correspondents ever, Nischelle Turner, who has interviewed him many times, yes, he did smile.

As the camera rolled and the interview went on from his overall praise of the film’s cast and crew and its pending success at the box office, it shifted on a sidebar note, where he did smile paying homage to his former wife, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and their children who were in attendance. That was a moment and what I took away from the whole thing without being too Hollywood gossipy, is he still very much loves Jennifer and his children and while their paths have taken them in different directions in the public eye several times, privately they still respect and admire each other.

Footnote: While I didn’t see his latest film, one of my favorite films of his is "Argo", which he directed and acted in, depicting the CIAs rescue of six American diplomats out of Iran during Iranian militants seize of the American Embassy in 1979.