When John Perry was 10 years old, he told his mother he was moving to Los Angeles to work. Twelve years later, he made good on that promise. It turned out to be a great decision.

Perry, 37, a '92 Franklin Pierce graduate, is the supervising segment director for the "Dr. Phil" show, the second highest rated daytime talk show in the nation (second only to "The Oprah Winfrey Show"). That means he supervises the segment directors who shoot stories on site, directs whenever Dr. Phil McGraw, the show's host, is not on the soundstage, and oversees all the network promotions for the show.

In addition to his daily Dr. Phil show duties, he directs Dr. Phil's CBS prime time specials -- eight so far. He has traveled with Dr. Phil to Crawford, Texas to interview President and Mrs. Bush and to film the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, among many trips for special on-location productions since the show was launched in 2002.

"…make sure the cameras are in the right place at the right time."

Last year, Perry had the opportunity to help develop the "Dr. Phil House," an actual home fitted with cameras and television screens where people live for a short time while they are observed 24/7 and receive counseling from Dr. Phil. Perry oversaw the design of the entire production facility, which includes 22 robotic, built-in cameras.

"Dr. Phil and I work very well together," Perry says. "We've developed a short-hand that makes it easy to communicate. His attitude is that he's not here to do TV but to assess the real-life situation and give advice – the cameras just happen to be there. My job is to anticipate and to make sure the cameras are in the right place at the right time."

Perry credits his television production classes at Salem High School in Massachusetts and his studies at Franklin Pierce for preparing him to jump into the demanding field of television producing and directing.

"I needed a school where I could touch the equipment my freshman year."

"I had three years of hands-on experience by the time I graduated from high school," Perry says. "My guidance counselor tried to steer me toward colleges with large communications programs, but I needed a school where I could touch the equipment my freshman year. I didn't want to study theory for three years before I got to actually produce something."

Dr. Phyllis Zrzavy, professor of media studies at Franklin Pierce, advised Perry for two independent studies classes in which he made two feature-length films. "John is one of the most remarkable students I've ever had," she says. "He was very motivated and had a way of envisioning a project and carrying it out. He didn't think small and he made great use of the resources we had."

This was before the modern production studios in the Fitzwater Center were available, she says. "We were in a basement with no windows, but John worked with the limitations in imaginative ways. He wasn't constrained by them."

Zrzavy describes how Perry filmed from the top of the bell tower and the building that now houses the Fitzwater Center. And how he would hand out a professional schedule for his productions at the beginning of the semester and even hold formal opening nights for them. He also has a great ability to work with people, she adds. "He has an understated but very strong presence."

Franklin Pierce alumni instrumental to his success

When Perry moved to Los Angeles, the Franklin Pierce family was instrumental in his success, he says. He was hired as a page by Paramount Pictures in April of his senior year through the help of Matt Reise, an '82 Franklin Pierce graduate. He moved with his college roommate, Jason Lassen, and they made contact with a group of alumni already living there, many of whom were in the film and TV industry.

"At one point, we had 13 alumni in one apartment complex," Perry says. "Even if we didn't hang out in school, the Franklin Pierce bond was very strong. We became instant companions and we all offered help, advice and meals to each other. We became sort of an unofficial alumni chapter."

Perry moved to the Leeza Gibbons Show, where he was promoted from production assistant to senior segment director over the course of the show's seven-year run. He then spent two years directing "Remember Your Spirit" segments for the "Oprah Winfrey Show."

"Oprah is larger than life," Perry says. "She walks in the room and radiates energy. I feel lucky to have worked for such an amazing woman and organization."

In 2002, Perry moved to the newly-created "Dr. Phil" show. Dr. Phil had been a regular guest on "Oprah."

"I've been with the Dr. Phil show since day one," Perry says. "It's been an amazing experience. He is the smartest man I have ever encountered – and I feel privileged to be working on a program that isn't just for entertainment's sake – people's lives are changed for the better because of him, and the show. And the opportunities, directing and otherwise, have been tremendous. We've flown many cross-country trips on Dr. Phil's private plane. I've done shoots on top of skyscrapers with helicopters circling around."

McGraw is happy to be working with Perry as well. "John Perry is an amazing artist," he says, "whose canvas is the television screen. His ability to see something in his mind and powerfully translate it onto the screen is absolutely unrivaled in Hollywood. He never lets 'television' get in the way of the human element or the compelling stories he so passionately shoots, always preserving the dignity and respect of those he films. His craft impacts millions of lives each and every day. There is but one John Perry."

"A life-changing experience"

One of his most memorable experiences with the show, says Perry, is the coverage of Hurricane Katrina. "It was a life-changing experience. I didn't want to go but my wife told me I had to – that it was a moment in history - and I'm glad she insisted. To be honest, I was nervous about what I would see.

"It (New Orleans) was basically like a war zone," he says. "It went beyond horrible. The devastation was awesome. We saw bodies floating in the water. Those images are burned into my brain. It reminded me again that we're pretty small in the big picture."

Over the years, Perry and his family – wife Cheryl and sons Jack and Hayden – have grown close to Dr. Phil and his wife Robin. When Cheryl had back surgery, Robin cooked meals and brought them to the house. "You just don't expect that our here," he says. "The McGraws have been extremely generous with us."

Surrounded by 'family'

Perry has returned to the Franklin Pierce campus twice to speak to classes. Recently, he signed on for the new alumni PACE program – Pierce Alumni Career Education. It pairs current students with alumni who agree to mentor them and offer opportunities for career exploration.

Even if Perry wanted to get away from Franklin Pierce, he couldn't. Many of his Franklin Pierce friends still work in Southern California. And he just started sharing an office with Andrew Scher, '88, whom he had never met before. "I count people from Franklin Pierce as my best friends," he says. "I've enjoyed my continued relationship with the people and the school.

Not only is Perry surrounded and supported by the Franklin Pierce family, he also works with a member of his own family. His brother, James, 32, is a senior editor on the "Dr. Phil" show, and between them, they've received eight Emmy nominations. They previously worked together on Oprah and Leeza.

"I hired him on Oprah," John says, "but he was hired separately on Dr. Phil. We spend everyday in the bay together. We still have sibling spats but we're good work partners." For two guys who could only watch one show on TV when they were growing up -- "The Wonderful World of Disney" -- they've done pretty well in the world of television production.

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