Veterans' tale told by Tulsa company
WinnerCom's documentary is based on a story of soldiers trapped in the Philippine Islands.

A haunting tale of World War II veterans trapped on Bataan and Corregidor is taking Tulsa-based media giant WinnerCom in a new direction.

Until now, the 23-year-old company had set its sights primarily on sports broadcasts, starting with equine events and then documentaries on legendary athletes, such as Muhammad Ali, Willie Mays or Johnny Unitas.

"Ghosts of Bataan, airing this week on the Discovery Channel and the Military Channel, is different. Tim Cremin produced the film with Chip Rives.

Jim Wilburn, chief executive officer of the company, said the decision to produce the documentary went way beyond the bottom line.

"The main reason was to give these soldiers the publicity they never had to tell their true story that had never been told, Wilburn said.

Cremin said he spent more than three years on the $200,000 project.

"The story just gets in you, and you feel the need to get this done no matter what it takes, Cremin said. "It's the biggest journey I've ever been on on a professional level, but on a personal level, too, to have about five of the people you've interviewed pass away before seeing the project complete.

The documentary will air in advance of a Miramax Films movie "The Great Raid, which will be released Friday.

Both films are based on the books "Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides and "The Great Raid on Cabanatauan: Rescuing the Doomed Ghosts of Bataan and Corregidor, by William B. Breuer.

Marty Katz, of Marty Katz Productions, who produced "The Great Raid for Miramax, said his hat is off to Wilburn.

"Without his confidence and support, this important story might not have been told, Katz said.

WinnerCom is one of the nation's largest producers of live sports.

The company has won 12 Emmy awards and last year televised 15 different sports categories on 14 networks and over 600 live events, Wilburn said.

The company employs about 200 full-time people in its Tulsa headquarters and uses an additional 2,700 subcontractors to produce films through four additional offices in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Nashville.

Archive ID: 2584812