Greg Campbell (born July 7, 1970) is an American journalist, documentary filmmaker and nonfiction author who lives in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Biography

Campbell graduated from

Terry Sanford High School Terry Sanford High School (formerly known as Fayetteville Senior High School) is a public high school in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is named after Terry Sanford, who was a North Carolina state senator, Governor of North Carolina, and United ...

in 1988. He then studied English and journalism at the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the S ...

and

University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a Public university, public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a Federated state, state, it is the fla ...

. He began his journalism career in 1995 as a freelance writer at the ''

Boulder Weekly ''Boulder Weekly'' is an alternative newsweekly that publishes every Thursday in Boulder, Colorado. The paper is a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) and is owned and published by Stewart Sallo. Overview After the Loma ...

,'' becoming a full time reporter and eventually the editor in chief. As a reporter, Campbell covered the reunification of

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

after the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

. In 1999 Campbell worked at the ''

Longmont Times-Call The ''Longmont Daily Times-Call'', known under different combinations of these names, is a daily newspaper published for Longmont, Colorado, United States. It carries local, regional, national and world news and republishes most of its stories f ...

'' as a business editor and special projects reporter. He left the paper in 2001. Campbell co-founded the '' Fort Collins Weekly'' in 2002, a free weekly local newspaper that was distributed in

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The population was 169,810 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an i ...

. It was bought by

Swift Communications Swift Communications Inc. is an American digital marketing and newspaper publishing company based in Carson City, Nevada. Swift's primary markets are resort town Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspapers and websites as well as agricultural p ...

in 2007 and changed to ''

Fort Collins Now A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

.'' Campbell left in 2009 to continue his career as a freelance writer. His freelance work has been published in ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

,'' ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

,'' ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

,'' ''

WSJ. Magazine ''WSJ Magazine'' (styled on the cover art as WSJ., in upright characters with a dot at the end) is a luxury glossy news and lifestyle monthly magazine published by ''The Wall Street Journal''. It features luxury consumer products advertisemen ...

,'' ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

,'' ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

,'' ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly gossip magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. ''Paris Match'' has been considered "one of the world's best outlets for photojournalism". ...

,'' CNNMoney.com, ''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...

,'' ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

,'' ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

,'' ''

World Policy Journal ''World Policy Journal'' was the flagship publication of the World Policy Institute, published by Duke University Press. Focusing on international relations, the publication provided left-wing, non-United States-centric perspectives to world issu ...

,''

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History 20th century Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...

and ''

Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

.''

Work in Kosovo

Campbell traveled on assignment in 1996 for the ''

'' to the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

to cover the reunification of

. His work led to his first book, ''The Road to Kosovo: A Balkan Diary'' in 1998/1999, about the

Balkan War The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defeated it, in the ...

published by Westview Press. ''The Road to Kosovo'' was a finalist for the Colorado Nonfiction Book of the Year for 1999.

''Blood Diamonds''

In 2001, Campbell traveled to Sierra Leone to conduct research for his next book about

blood diamonds Blood diamonds (also called conflict diamonds, brown diamonds, hot diamonds, or red diamonds) are diamonds Diamond mining, mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, an invading army's war efforts, terrorism, or a warlord's activity ...

. ''Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones,'' was published by Basic in 2002 and then released an updated version in 2012. ''Blood Diamonds'' won the Colorado Non-Fiction Book of the year award in 2002. The book also served as the basis for the

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

film ''

Blood Diamond Blood diamonds (also called conflict diamonds, brown diamonds, hot diamonds, or red diamonds) are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, an invading army's war efforts, terrorism, or a warlord's activity. The term is u ...

'' starring

Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...

and

Djimon Honsou Djimon Gaston Hounsou ( ; ; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-American actor. He began his career appearing in music videos and made his film debut in '' Without You I'm Nothing'' (1990). He then earned widespread recognition for his role as C ...

''Flawless''

Campbell (along with Scott Selby) wrote ''Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History,'' a chronicle of one of the world's largest diamond heists from

The Diamond District ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, Belgium. The book was published by Union Square Press in 2010. ''Flawless'' was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award in 2011.

''Pot, Inc.''

In 2012, Sterling released ''Pot, Inc.: Inside Medical Marijuana, America's Most Outlaw Industry.'' The book is a mix of a first-person journey into the world of medical marijuana and a discussion and analysis of marijuana cultivation, ethics, politics, and legality in the United States.

''Hondros''

Campbell directed, co-wrote and produced a feature-length documentary about the life and legacy of his friend, late Getty Images photojournalist

Chris Hondros Chris Hondros (March 14, 1970 – April 20, 2011) was an American war photographer. Hondros was a finalist twice for a Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. Biography Chris Hondros was born in New York City to immigrant Greek and Ge ...

, who was killed on April 20, 2011, while covering the conflict in Libya. Campbell met Hondros in high school. After Hondros' death, Campbell was contacted by Liberian Joseph Duo, the subject of one of Hondros's most famous photographs. Campbell learned that Hondros had returned to Liberia to help Duo earn his high school and college education. The film was executive produced by

Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal ( , ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor who has worked on screen and stage for over thirty years. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi ...

and

Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for List of Jamie Lee Curtis performances, her performances in the horror and slasher film, slasher genres, she is regarded as a scream qu ...

. Curtis also assisted Campbell in finding the first significant funding for the project from the

Annenberg Foundation The Annenberg Foundation is a foundation that provides funding and support to non-profit organizations. Overview The Annenberg Foundation was established by Walter H. Annenberg in 1989 with $1.2 billion, one-third of the assets from the sale o ...

. In April 2017 the film had its world premiere as ''Hondros'' at

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

, where it won the Audience Award, Documentary First Place. It had a limited theatrical release in the United States and London in March, 2018. The film was released online on March 6, 2018.

References

External links

Greg Campbell's personal website

Google Books: Blood Diamonds by Greg Campbell

Google Books: The Road to Kosovo by Greg Campbell

Flawless by Greg Campbell

Greg Campbell interview about Flawless book (2010)

Colorado Book Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Greg American male journalists Writers from Colorado Living people 1970 births University of North Carolina at Greensboro alumni University of Colorado Boulder alumni People from Yeadon, Pennsylvania