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Bill Boggs

Have You got What It Takes?
This celebrity interviewer challenges employees to make the commitment to their own success.

Have you got what it takes? Bill Boggs, celebrity interviewer and television personality, puts that question to an impressive panel of some of the most successful icons of our time with the hopes of narrowing down the key elements of what it takes to make it in today’s world. He has compiled the combined wisdom of hundreds of interviews from some of the most successful and influential people in our world today in his new book Got What It Takes? Just a cursory peek at the list of the book’s contributors gives an immediately impressive idea of the notoriety and magnitude of some of the advice offered inside. Only a small portion of the list includes Donald Trump, Matt Lauer, Brooke Shields, Sir Richard Branson, Mario Cuomo (former NY Governor), Bobby Flay, Bill O’Reilly, Yankees manager Joe Torre, songwriter Diane Warren, NBC CEO Jeff Zucker, Renée Zellweger and even Survivor creator Mark Burnett.

Before he was a successful celebrity interviewer, television personality (his main work now is on NY Ch. 1) and later an entertainer, Bill Boggs was growing up in northeast Philadelphia, attending public schools and progressing much like any other kid his age. It was during his formative years in elementary school when Bill discovered a talent for public speaking that would keep him literally in front of the class all throughout school. “I was in grade school when I demonstrated a moderate gift for public speaking. In those days, public speaking was encouraged and taught along with reading, writing and arithmetic. We were made to get in front of the class and give small presentations on various topics.” As early as fourth grade Bill realized that things in the spotlight were easier for him than most of his peers. “An amazing thing happened. For some reason, I could naturally keep the class’ attention and was at ease, whereas other kids were getting up there completely terrified and at a loss for words.”

This trend continued for Bill throughout high school, where his natural charm and rapport with other students lent him unprecedented popularity. “I went to a gigantic high school with almost five thousand kids. I became treasurer, vice president and president of this huge student association, which meant every third day I had to be on stage in front of a third of the student population. So, I was dealing with crowds that were 1000+ before I could even vote. It just came naturally to me.”

Bill also involved himself in the drama club and other outlets allowing him to stretch his wings in the spotlight. He says that between this and a childhood dream, he knew he was destined for big things. “When I was a tiny child I had a radio that my parents gave me. I was just old enough that I caught the very end of what is considered the ‘Golden Age’ of radio. It was a time when television was rising, but it was getting its start from all the known people from radio. People like Jack Benny, Bob Hope and Burns & Allen were on TV but still had radio shows. There was also a lot of talk radio in those days with people like Art Linkletter, Arthur Godfrey, and Don McNeil. These are forgotten names now, but for some reason at the age of five I found myself wanting to do what these guys were doing on the radio.”

Bill explains that with a little help from upstairs, he has been a guy that made his childhood dreams come true. He started his career managing a comedy team and soon moved into television. A recurring theme in his book and Bill’s own mantra is “You produce your own life,” something he was able to do and now, through his book, he hopes to help others achieve this same success.

In 2001, Bill was on a cruise with his son Trevor, where he presented a talk called Confessions of a Talk Show Host. “I was a guest celebrity speaker on Crystal Cruises and it went great. I have since done seven more of these events.” It all went over so well that Bill realized in hindsight that he had much more to offer than the condensed 35-minute version of the topics he presented. He made a social acquaintance with a theater owner who developed live shows. “He underwrote me and I was able to create Talk Show Confidential. It is basically a comedy show, but it closes with me discussing how much I have learned from interviewing all of the historic people I have had the chance to meet and the audience reacted to that.”

Bill found more and more people approaching him at the end of his Talk Show Confidential presentations with a common request. “Everyone said I should sit down and write a book about all of the incredible experiences I have had with these amazing people. The reactions from the crowds were astounding; people were laughing and people were crying with the power of these stories and their messages. I got letters from people telling me how much I had motivated them to reach their goals.” Bill says seeing this impact in real time rather than through the television world drove him to speak more and more.

Eventually the speaking dates led to the book, Got What It Takes?, and an entire program which now revolves around it. “The book should be a very good calling card for me as a speaker for both colleges and corporate groups. It is really an excellent preface and addition to the talks I give about what I have learned from all of these people and the lessons I have drawn from them along the way.”

This is a central motivation in what Bill feels to be the next phase (and great project) of his life. “I want to use what I have learned in my life and what I have absorbed from other people and convey it to people in almost any business setting. These folks are motivated in their lives and I feel I have something valuable to offer them.”

Bill hopes this book will only be the first of a series of similar titles where he can compile the wisdom of the thousands of interviews he has performed over his long and prolific career. His message has been honed through years of presenting his story, which conveys a clear picture of the struggles of getting from where you are to where you want to be. “The first thing I will talk about is the mountain they have to climb. You don’t go from A, your present state, to B, your goal, in a direct trajectory. You have to understand that you will make quantum leaps from plateau to plateau. By sharing my own personal story, which has some funny elements in it” (like Bill being accepted to the University of Pennsylvania for an ‘undergraduate’ program which turned out to be graduate school, forcing him into a four year wait). “Some of the setbacks that I had enabled me to be stronger so everything comes out basically as a funny, entertaining and relevant talk about some of the same problems that any young person could face today.” Combine Bill’s own electric personality and one of a kind story with the wisdom of some of the most famous people in the world sprinkled in, and you have a great draw and a great show on your hands. Consider bringing Bill Boggs into your next motivational (or just entertaining) event and let your students see if they’ve “got what it takes.”

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Craig Neier
Craig Neier Associates
(973) 227-8787