That's the finesse of Jim Shasky, instructor of telecommunications at Ball State University---and it doesn't hurt to be the next-door neighbor of the big guy, either.

Shasky talked John Worthen, the recently retired president of Ball State, into starring in the short film "How I Trained John Worthen."

The film is from the point of view of Worthen's Labrador, Typhoon (or Blackie, as he calls himself in the script), as the two go to the pet store to pick up a "Stoop and Scoop."

"How did I get the idea for the script? Worthen's dog kept using my yard as his own personal toilet," Shasky said. "I said, look, John, what are we going to do about this?"

What Shasky did was invite Worthen to play himself as the goof who owns the intelligent and thoughtful Blackie. Shasky directed the filming and gave his gravelly voice to Blackie's character.

The film was shot by Brian Miller and edited by Tim Peresie, both telecommunications students. Miller is a junior from Glenview, Ill. Peresie is a sophomore from Muncie.

In the movie, Blackie leads his owner to McDonald's Pet and Gift Shop, where Worthen wants to ride the purple hippo.

"He was happy to do it," Shasky said. "He has a sense of humor, and he liked the script."

And of course, Worthen had already been well trained---by Shasky---to do whatever the script called for.

Worthen's acting career already included a scene of grovelling and clutching at Shasky's leg while the director filmed him from above. The clip was used in a fund-raising video sent to Ball State alumnus David Letterman.

Shasky came to Ball State in 1997 after 15 years in New York and another 15 in Los Angeles directing Jerry Lewis telethons and other high-profile shows, including one of the first newsmagazine shows on the air, "PM Magazine." He has directed live coverage of Richard Nixon's impeachment hearings, pursued stories for CBS, and founded his own production company with "Tron" writer Bonnie MacBird.

Shasky's specialty is telling the stories of normal people instead of celebrities. And the president of a university---his own boss---is the perfect subject.

"Nobody asked me to do it," Shasky said. "I was just bored. We had a lot of fun with it."

Typhoon's debut in "How I Trained John Worthen" will air sometime this fall on the student-produced news show "Connections." Shasky is the advisor for the show, which was recently nominated for a regional National Academy of Television, Arts, and Sciences Emmy.

By Lori Rader, Communications Manager