Since its inception in 1981 the program known as Orco Development has had the privilege of featuring over 1,300 notables from the worlds of film, politics, the military and many other endeavors. The vast majority of our subjects have either written a memoir or had a biography done on them. During our over 30 years in operation, we have interviewed 5 U.S. Presidents (Nixon thru George Bush Sr.), 8 Secretaries of State, some of the greatest literary figures of the 20th century, many Academy award winning actors, and some of the great sports icons of all time.

 

If you go to our YouTube page you will note a 3 minute interview done by CBS News with our lead educator, Alan Greenberg. Due to the fact we've attracted such highly regarded people, many colleges and universities across the country look toward our website when choosing which books to use in their various courses. We often receive feedback from educators that they share our website with many of their peers, as well as the students that attend their classes. We have also heard from many book clubs and think tanks that have taken a strong interest in the memoirs and biographies of our subjects. This gives publishers a great advantage, and we have received review copies of their books for many years. Listed below are 7 authors whose interviews are featured on our YouTube channel

 

1 – James Michener – The author of over 40 bestselling books and sold 75 million copies of his works worldwide. He is the recipient of the 1948 Pulitzer Prize and his books are often included in “Book of the Month Club” selections. We interviewed him in 1985 for the re-release of his book TEXAS. You can access a short clip from the interview on our YouTube page under the “Authors” playlist.

 

2 – William Styron – One of the great authors of the 20th Century, he won the National Book Award in 1980 for his work SOPHIE'S CHOICE. The book was made into an Academy Award Winning film starring Meryl Streep. Interviewed in 1990 regarding his book DARKNESS VISIBLE.

 

3 – George Plimpton – The founder of the famous PARIS REVIEW he is the creator of what is known as participatory journalism, where he trained himself to be a boxer (actually boxed lightweight champion Archie Moore) and a quarterback. Interviewed in 1997 for his biography on Truman Capote.

 

4 - Shirley Temple – The greatest child star in the history of Hollywood. She is often credited as lifting the American public from its low morale during the 1930's. Interviewed in 1998 for her memoir CHILD STAR.

 

5 – Senator Barry Goldwater – U.S. Senator from Arizona and the Republican nominee in 1964. He was interviewed on his bestselling book THE CONSCIENCE OF A CONSERVATIVE which was re-released several times. You can see a picture of educator Alan Greenberg interviewing the late Senator in the Gallery section of this website.

 

6 – Rosalynn Carter – Former First Lady of the United States – a champion for those with mental illness. Interviewed in 2013 for her book HELP OTHERS: A BOOK FOR CARGIVERS.

 

7 – Louis Zamperini – The great hero of WWII who survived on a life raft in the Pacific only to be captured by the Japanese and tortured in a prison camp. A bestselling book by author Laura Hillenbrand was released in 2014 entitled UNBROKEN.

 

If you peruse our YouTube channel there are slightly over 100 other interviews with subjects. We continue to do these interviews and invite publishers who have books that would fit into our program to send review copies to our address:

 

Orco Development

5424 Bragg St.

San Diego, CA

92122