In January 1997, I was walking curbside at Boston's Logan Airport. Waiting patiently in a line in the freezing temperatures was a guy named Steve James, the director of the documentary film Hoop Dreams. Steve was standing there by himself, minding his own business. I recognized him because he had just given a speech to a packed auditorium at a local university. I attended the speech, pressed up against the back wall due to the incredible response Hoop Dreams was getting in theaters at the time. When I saw him standing there on the curb, I walked up to him like a little kid and blurted out, "Hi. You made the best documentary I've ever seen in my life."

He looked at me and said "Man, you just made my day!"

We proceeded to talk at length about Hoop Dreams. It was fascinating to hear such passion in Steve's voice when it came to the topic of Arthur Agee and William Gates, the two friends with ambitious basketball dreams that together form the basis of the film. It was obvious that Steve cared deeply about Arthur, William and their families. I asked him about various nuances of the film, and he answered me with an excitement and sincerity in his voice, as though this were the first time anyone had asked him about this film that was generating such buzz across the country. At the end of our conversation, I shook his hand and left to catch my plane, comfortable with the knowledge that such an incredible film was made by a genuinely good guy.

Steve James is the real deal, as is his documentary, Hoop Dreams.

Please, if you have not seen this film, take the time to watch it. You won't regret it. It is a story that is painful and uplifting at the same time. And in my opinion, it possesses perhaps the most poignant and unvarnished line uttered in a documentary over the past 15 years. (Hint: it is a scene where William wonders aloud about the loyalty of his friends.)

Steve James, if you are reading this, thank you again for such an incredible film.

Jason Kilar
jason.kilar@hulu.com
CEO, Hulu