TLC announced today journalism professor Dan Birman (pictured) will produce Brace for Impact, a biographic documentary of captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III, who rose to national acclaim when he successfully landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River on Jan. 15.
The special, produced by Birman's Daniel H. Birman Productions Inc., revisits the circumstances of the extraordinary landing, and will show the flight from Sullenberger’s perspective. The documentary will explore what "Sully" was thinking and doing during the headline-making event. The film will also explore and reveal a life of extraordinary preparation that enabled the captain and his crew to save the lives of the 155 people on board that flight.
“The intent of this show is quite simple," said Birman, who is also the executive producer of USC Annenberg's Impact student-produced news magazine and a 1985 M.A. graduate of the Broadcast Journalism program. "This is a story about being the best we can be no matter what we do. For Chesley Sullenberger, it's about being a pilot with skill, discipline, and a cool head to be able to do what no pilot has done before — land a plane on a body of water without anyone getting hurt. We will look at the flight through his eyes, understand the variables he had to deal with, but all within the context of a human story.”
Joining Birman are two USC Annenberg Alumni. David Eisenberg (M.A. Broadcast Journalism ’06) will be the show's associate producer, and Adriana Padilla (M.A. Broadcast Journalism '08) will serve as the production coordinator. “It's pretty cool that we can look to graduates from our school who can step into a project like this — it says a lot about our program,” Birman said.
“It isn’t often we can accurately use the word ‘hero’ to describe an individual, but it is the best possible description for Capt. Sullenberger,” said Eileen O’Neill, president and general manager of TLC. “The awe-inspiring events of that day are matched with a compelling and fascinating personal history. Telling this remarkable story of an ordinary man who rose to an extraordinary challenge is a perfect fit for our network.”
Sullenberger safely landed a fully loaded and crippled aircraft in the midst of one of the world’s most densely populated cities. Sullenberger shares some of the experiences that prepared him for greatest test of his life.
"Sully and I spoke shortly after the incident. What impressed me is that his personal story is not about heroism, rather, it's about being the best we can be — no matter what we do," Birman said.
“The lessons of Flight 1549 will likely be studied for years by aviation professionals,” Sullenberger said. “I’m eager to share the story of Flight 1549 and the remarkable safety record of American commercial aviation with the general public, and I trust that this documentary will help serve that goal.”
