Three sections appear on this page:
This is only a partial list of the programs on which Mr. Strieber has appeared.
The Today Show (NBC, 11 Jan 2000) featured host Matt Lauer interviewing
Strieber and Art Bell, in support of The Coming Global Superstorm.
A five minute segment on Fox News Live (Fox News Channel Cable Programming,
11 Jan 2000) featured Strieber and Art Bell, and callers. Fox television's
program The Edge with Paula Zahn: We Are The Aliens 2000 (28 Dec 1999,
or 2 Jan 2000, or 17 Jan 2000, details unknown, reportedly featured interview
material as well as footage of Strieber from a recent convention appearance). Good Day Alabama (WBRC-TV, 17 Jan 2000) with Art Bell in support of Superstorm. A four minute interview on Sunday Today In New York (6 Feb 2000) in support of Superstorm. A brief interview on 4 San Antonio
Living (KMOL-TV, 22 March 2000) in support of Superstorm. News 4
Texas Saturday (KDFW-TV) reportedly accidentally ran about a minute of
a clip about Whitley Strieber on 28 October 2000.
Hunters
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From executive producers Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead, The Terminator trilogy) and Natalie Chaidez (12 Monkeys, Heroes), Hunters is inspired by Whitley Strieber's best-selling novel, Alien Hunter, in which the disappearance of a decorated FBI agent's wife leads him to a secret government unit assembled to hunt a group of ruthless terrorists — shadowy figures that may or may not be from this world. |
The Communion Letters
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In October 2011, ScreenRant reported, “Syfy is looking to expand their preternatural programming with The Communion Letters, a drama revolving around those who have experienced an alien abduction. Developed for television by Jonathan Gruger, the co-creator of ABC Family's cult series Kyle Xy, and writer Dave Matalon, The Communion Letters will follow the lead character, Tome, as he examines claims of those who believe they have encountered, or been abducted by, aliens. The Communion Letters is inspired by the 1997 book of the same name, from Whitley Strieber and Anne Strieber. ...Serving as executive producers on the show, Gruger and Matalon will be joined by Red Dawn, A Man Apart, and Poolhall Junkies producer Vincent Newman.” |
War Day
2006 Update:
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From Variety, 14 August 2005: “Spyglass Television and Benderspink are said to be preparing a pitch for a show dealing with life in the U.S. after a major national disaster. Idea is based on the Whitley Strieber novel War Day.” This is the second time War Day has drawn interest; way back in 1983, WarDay nearly became a major motion picture by Constantin Costa-Gavras, director of Missing (Academy Award nominee for best picture in 1982). An 800+ word article detailing the plans for the film was published in the New York Times 14 November 1983. Although the reasons why the film was not made are unknown, it appears that the producer, Edward Lewis (who also produced Missing) may have retired in 1984 due to health reasons. Synopsis of the original novel: Warday. It lasted only thirty-six minutes and when it was over, much
of the earth remained untouched. But in those thirty-six minutes, a
world had been destroyed. Seven million Americans died in the immediate
blast. Millions more would die of radiation, famine, and disease during
the next five years. Millions also lived, strung out across a country
that knew it had been hit – but not why. Or where. Or how. |
| The Last Vampire / Lilith's Dream Television miniseries for Sci-Fi Channel 2004 Not developed |
On 11 January 2004, Whitley Strieber reported “The Sci-Fi project is a mini-series based on The Last Vampire and Lilith's Dream. Whether they will do it or not remains to be seen. I've written a treatment for a six-hour mini-series based on the books. But one never knows where these things will go.” This plan for a television miniseries comes after Whitley reported in an interview with LesbiaNation that Colmbia pictures decided to let their option expire on the feature film rights to The Last Vampire. Synopsis of original book (excerpt): |
| The Coming Global Superstorm Television miniseries for Turner Broadcasting Not developed |
Before Whitley Strieber's novel The Coming Global Superstorm became the basis of the feature film The Day After Tomorrow, there had been the possibility of a television movie or television miniseries. |
| Beyond Communion Television movie for Sci-Fi Channel 1999 Not developed |
Variety (30 April 1999) confirmed that the Sci-Fi
channel has made the following announcement: “BEYOND COMMUNION: The long-awaited sequel to
the 1989 theatrical release is based on New York Times best-selling author
Whitley Strieber's real-life experiences with alien abduction. First they
took him. This time they've come for his son. SCI-FI brings Strieber's
astounding tale to television in this exclusive original production.” No writer, director, or cast has been confirmed thus far, but Whitley
Strieber is believed to be writing the script. Since April 1999, there have been no press releases mentioning this project. Update: A year after this announcement (in May 2000), Whitley conveyed to me that he did not believe they were still pursuing this project, and he suspected his script may have been “insufficiently sensationalistic.” Incidentally, the April 1999 announcement by the Sci-Fi Channel that they committed to this telefilm meant development of the potential series NightWork (detailed below) was suspended, prompting NightWork's Steve Neill to decide to move on to non-alien related projects, and causing some love lost between Neill and Strieber. |
| Confirmation NBC Television Special; Broadcast February 17, 1999 An edited version is believed to have been broadcast in Japan in late 2000  Executive Producers: Mark Wolper and Whitley Strieber Writer/Director/CoExecutive Producer: Starling Price
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A two-hour network special exploring questions raised in Whitley Strieber's
book of the same name, Confirmation: The Hard Evidence of Aliens
Among Us? presents a general review of major UFO and alien encounter
events from the last fifty years. The program is hosted by Robert Davi
of the NBC cop show Profilers, who appears to be on the verge
of laughter as he ominously intones the possibility of aliens among
us while walking around a dark forest.
Alien figures by Steve
Neill (pictured behind the scenes)
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Television Series Pitch; Preview reel completed 1999; not developed.  NIGHTWORK demo reel credits Whitley Strieber ... Host |
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Project: Communion |
Project: Communion was proposed by Jim O'Connell sometime before 1996 as a documentary
series that would have followed Whitley Strieber and the producer
on the road, visiting areas of visitor activity and meeting other
experiencers for the purpose of hearing their stories and trying to
make progress with our knowledge of alien encounters. |
On June 6, 1998, after 20 months of no encounters, Whitley
Strieber had what he describes as “the best, the most incredible, the most
enlightening encounter of his life.” He describes the face to face meeting
with his visitor as a “marvel” and one that left him in a “kind
of spiritual whirlwind.”
Since that fateful
meeting, the pace and intensity of Whitley's life has increased. His current
involvement in the visitor experience hasescalated his creativity to an all-time
high. He is working on a new book, entitled The Coming Superstorm, about
his incredible encounter; he is actively involved in an ongoing battle in what
he terms as “the war for the human soul.” His June 6, 1998 encounter
was the most profound of all. Every word the visitor uttered contained “whole,
vast oceans of other words and meanings.”
As we journey toward
the millennium, enjoy a special conference treat as we get an overview of what
the visitor experience has meant to our world and what it may mean in the new
millennium, told by one of the greatest scribes of our time as only Whitley
Strieber can say it.
Our Exploding Future
Cost as of 1999 was $15.95 for the
tape, plus $2.00 shipping and handling.
Check the Project Awareness website for current information on availability.
The first videocassette produced by Whitley Strieber. Originally sold via mail
order from the Communion Homepage (and now available from Amazon.Com), this
brief video demonstrates meditative techniques, and also shows snippets of some
of the best video footage of unidentified aerial phenomena (including a particularly
convincing “foo fighter” playing peek-a-boo with some clouds, seemingly
aware it was being observed).
The following synopsis (written by Whitley Strieber
and presented on his website) was created when the working title was the First
Contact Management Video, in early June 1996. The actual tape was produced a
bit later.
The First Contact Management Video
We Have A Problem
Close encounter is among the most challenging of all human experiences, and in general we don't handle it well. Some of us love it and can't get enough of it, others hate it and can't make it stop. Most of us have very mixed feelings.
We have trouble remembering what happened to us, and when we are in the contact environment, most of us feel as helpless as animals on a veterinarian's examination table.
This can all change. Over the past ten years, I have evolved powerful meditation techniques that make my encounters more fruitful.Now There's A Solution
The video I have made reveals my techniques in action. It includes the multi-tone chanting process that I have evolved as a powerful focusing tool. You will not have heard anything like this before, not even if you are familiar with overtone chanting.
Use of the techniques in the tape, I feel, can really help the close encounter witness to become an active participant in his or her relationship. Armed with the video and lots of determination, you can make your relationship into what I promise is the most incredible of all adventures, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
You can also use it to end your relationship if you prefer, or at least change it to be less rough and more enriching.
You can even use it to start a relationship if you are willing to work hard and be patient.How You Can Do It
It took me ten years of close encounter to get to the point that I could create a system that would be genuinely effective, and twenty years of meditation before that. But it won't take you that much time, because you can leapfrog on my work.
As more and more of us do this, our relationship with the visitors will come into better focus. They will see that we are trying, for the first time, to communicate, and what is now a confused, often dysfunctional relationship, is going to start to work better — maybe a lot better.
Pure Balance
© 1997 Whitley Strieber
Six Days in Roswell is a mockumentary from the team that created the more-or-less officially sanctioned Star Trek documentary Trekkies. In dead-pan style a la Spinal Tap, the film purports to document Minnesotan Richard Kronfeld's experiences at the 50th anniversary of the Roswell event in Roswell, New Mexico, in July 1997. In fact he is an actor, but not everyone he interviews, including Whitley Strieber (seen briefly), seem to have been aware of this.
Six Days in Roswell
© 1999 Benevolent Authority Productions
Produced by Roger Nygard, Directed by Timothy B. Johnson, Starring Richard Kronfeld
Whitley showed the people who attended a 1996 workshop a special video tour of the cabin. It was done by a friend of his who was a video producer/artist of some type. The video was excellent and very informative. It also showed a funny side to Whitley. The artist did a lot of Twilight Zone type of references complete with psychedelic special effects. Whitley often was self deprecating and laughed at the many “wacky” references to Communion (at the same time, he also spoke very eloquently and frankly about it). One thing that came across from that workshop is that Whitley Strieber is a very fun loving person. He can be a bit too earnest, serious, whatever you want to call it. But it is much more accurate to say that he has a very good sense of humor, maybe it's one of the things he uses to deal with all of this. Whitley said that he does not show this video in public, it's a “limited release” type of thing. [Thanks to L. for this description] [Drew Cummings may have been the videographer; Whitley Strieber has mentioned Cummings as one of two videographers who have stayed at the cabin].
A professionally recorded videotape of Whitley's discovery of the ruins of the secret school in San Antonio's Olmos basin (a wooded area of about 8 square miles that subsided about 40 feet during an earthquake four centuries ago). This was shown to the public during the book tour for the Secret School. The video was originally intended to be a segment on a SIGHTINGS type of television series that was to have been called Contact. Unfortunately the program was never developed so these public showings were the only chance people had to see this segment. Perhaps this videotape, and the one filmed at the cabin described above, will turn up on an authorized biography program sometime in the future.
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Update: The video footage of the discovery of the “secret school” is believed to have turned up on a DVD titled Exploring the Supernatural Vol. 3: Miracles, Mysteries. The DVD, which Amazon.com described in it's official review as “crappy”, can be found with a little searching for less than six dollars. Exploring the Supernatural Vol.
3 |
Aliens Among Us, the first disc
in the box set Aliens: The Complete Truth, could easily have been subtitled “An Interview With Whitley Strieber.” But for some reason, Whitley's name is nowhere on the
outside of the packaging, so the fact that this disc presents a nearly full
length interview with Whitley is something of a secret.
The program begins with snippets of comments
from David Jacobs and other researchers of alien encounters, and then the focus
quickly shifts and stays with a highly charged interview with Whitley. The 40-minute
interview appears to have been recorded in England behind the scenes of BUFORA's “A Day of Abductions” event in 1996, or possibly at the 1996 UFO Expo West held in southern California
at which Whitley presented not one but four separate lectures and workshops.
This was clearly a time in Whitley's life in which he had much to say; he had
been in a self-imposed exile from the subject of alien encounters for nearly
five years.
The interview is disturbing and provocative.
Coming about a year after the release of Breakthrough, Whitley is quite
vocal about his motivation for taking his life story to the public, the repercussions
from doing so, and his thoughts on how the alien encounter experience may require
mankind to take the next step in our evolution towards a consciousness free
of hierarchy. People, Whitley says, are powerful and creative creatures, and
the potential that people may become aware of this as they enter into relationship
with the visitors threatens the status quo; Whitley condemns the shadow government
– elements funded by but not answerable to the elected government, who
in the past allowed such criminal and unethical experiments as MK Ultra to victimize
innocent people – who may now be engaged a sinister effort to prevent an
evolution in consciousness from occurring. During this part of the discussion,
Whitley's left ear turns red and Whitley suggests that a small object that he
says was placed within his ear by the shadow government (an episode described
in Breakthrough) has “turned on” during their conversation, leading to speculation that the subject may have
upset whoever was listening. (Whitley has subsequently mentioned this incident
in other interviews).
The interview is presented largely without edits,
which is to the program's credit and is most welcome, though the program is
visually uninteresting (amateur quality). They seemed to know they had a good
interview on their hands and they let it run. At the very end of the program,
there is an additional couple minutes of comments recorded in a pipe-filled
service area of the convention building, presumably a few moments before Whitley
went on stage. I had seen a part of this “pipe” footage before (a few seconds of it appears on
the BUFORA lecture tape) and it was nice to see it gathered here. In short,
this is a nearly complete interview in a generally unobtrusive program, and
for that reason is highly recommended.
Aliens: The Complete Truth
© 2000 Madacy Entertainment Group
Breakthrough: Beyond Transformation
Direct-to-Video, 1996
also known as
An Evening With
Whitley Strieber at the Writers Guild
A presentation by Whitley Strieber on stage at the Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA. Amateur video quality. (The front of the video box reads “Breakthrough Beyond Transformation by the Author of Communion” – could they possibly have fit in more book titles?).
Breakthrough: Beyond Transformation
© 1996 MUFON Los Angeles
Whitley Strieber's first talk in the UK in several years, a presentation in Sheffield, England on April 20, 1996, titled “The Secret School” (part of the “BUFORA: A Day of Abductions” event). He relates a couple stories from The Communion Letters, and plays selections from Tim Edwards' videos of unidentified flotsam jetting through the air, but this second-hand material seems to be presented without an overall theme. Despite the title of the talk, nothing from the then-upcoming Secret School is spoken of.
UK title: The Secret School (1997)
US title: Abduction 2: Into the Unknown (1999)
Warning to UK readers: In the UK there is another video called Abduction
2: Into the Unknown, featuring almost exactly the same cover art, but having
nothing to do with Whitley Strieber. It appears that the box art was produced
by a freelance graphic artist who sold the cover art to two different companies
on two different continents, each of which used it for entirely different videos.
A superior effort for a direct-to-video release, Encounters of the 4th Kind interviews with Whitley Strieber, his friends and family at the New York countryside cabin made famous by the book Communion. In addition, the video presents a behind the scenes look at the making of the film Communion. A “panel of experts” including Report on Communion author Ed Conroy are also interviewed in mock-Larry King style. Hosted by actor Roddy MacDowell, who also voiced the audiobook edition of Communion.
Encounters of the Fourth Kind: A Report on Communion
© 1991 MPI Home Video
Out of Print
Video recording from the 1987 Angels, Aliens and Archetypes Symposium, an event put together by U. Conn professor Ken Ring and Alice Agar of the Omega Foundation. Angels, Aliens and Archetypes was a two-day symposium featuring some of this country's foremost visionary thinkers considering the premise that human encounters with the Other are real on many levels. They are perhaps most real “at the seat of the soul,” where, as Novalis wrote, “the outer and inner worlds meet.” Whitley Strieber's presentation, previewing the release of Transformation, is still available from Sound Photosynthesis as a Video #V69-87, or Audio #A251C-87 (main presentation) & #A251cc-87 (question and answer)
Many such videos of live presenations exist, usually in poor quality. We list this one because it is one of the few videos from the era.
