S25 - Ep 4 - Navy Public Affairs in Hollywood

Before there were military consultants on movie sets, there were officers like Jon McBride — servicemen who understood how stories shape public perception. On this Veterans Day episode of Below the Line, we look at how the Navy’s storytellers helped connect the worlds of service and cinema.

This week, Skid is joined by Jon McBride, a former U.S. Navy officer whose service from 1964 to 1968 led him from the deck of the USS Kitty Hawk to the Navy’s Public Affairs Office in Hollywood — bridging two worlds that rarely meet but often influence one another.

We explore:

• Jon’s path from Yale graduate to Naval officer during the Vietnam War era, and how chance and persistence steered him toward public affairs
• Life aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, where he volunteered for the ship’s public information role — discovering a talent for storytelling under pressure
• How a Pentagon connection set Jon on the path to Hollywood, joining the Navy’s West Coast Public Affairs Office on Sunset Boulevard
• The Navy’s relationship with the film industry — reviewing scripts, assigning project officers, and shaping depictions of sailors on screen
• Behind-the-scenes memories from Operation: Entertainment, Yours, Mine and Ours, and an unexpected day serving as Dionne Warwick’s “agent”
• Encounters with Ray Charles, the Blue Angels, and the surreal overlap between show business and service
• How McBride’s later work with the grassroots Beyond War movement reframed his understanding of conflict and communication

Episodes like this one reflect a recurring theme for Below the Line — the shared discipline, teamwork, and creative purpose that link filmmaking and military service. Jon’s story captures that connection with humor, humility, and a deep sense of how storytelling itself can serve a mission.

🎧 Press play and go Below the Line for a Veterans Day conversation that spans from the bridge of the Kitty Hawk to the backlots of Hollywood. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.