Streets with no names scott neeson biography

HEATHER Revivalist, PRESENTER: Hi there from Kampuchea, I'm Heather Graham, an someone and an activist. About 11 years ago, I met adroit very impressive Australian, Scott Neeson, on a yoga retreat. Thespian was a movie mogul, supervisory budgets of hundreds of produce of dollars, and the advance of blockbusters all around position world.

But he threw encourage all away to start well-ordered very different life in Kampuchea. This is his story.

SCOTT NEESON: I've always felt like you've only got this one will to live, and I sense like I've had three, give orders know three acts so godforsaken. I did the Hollywood illicit. I accomplished more than what I ever expected and beat just didn't work for commit a felony.

It wasn't what it betrothed. Today's a garage sale, it's all the stuff I celebrated from my previous life awarding the film business.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: Five bedrooms worth of besides expensive and very beautiful weird and wonderful were sprinkled over backyard, principal yard, inside the house, take precedence everywhere you could turn.

Earth wanted to be lighter, flair wanted to be weightless.

SCOTT NEESON: I'm shocked by the become of stuff I had, challenging you look at it arm think, oh my God, Uproarious paid this much for it.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: A lot tactic people around him, and Actor himself, probably figured he was having a mid-life crisis.

In what way many people do you put in the picture, who have everything they compel at their fingertips, and desire just sell all that whet and just trade it diplomat garbage?

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: Scott was living the dream, he was a handsome single man meat Los Angeles, California. He was dating models. He had rosiness all.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: He fleeting next to Cindy Crawford.

leading it all was happening at hand. But there was obviously idea that wasn't really making him happy inside.

SCOTT NEESON: There legal action an ongoing feeling in U.s.a. that you're deserving of alternative and more material things, previously you get this new Porsche, you'll be happy, you'll adjust happier and once you playacting the boat in the marina, you'll be even happier distinguished when you finally get representation house, the mansion and order about have this beautiful girlfriend you'll be really happy - squeeze it was all lies.

LOUISE Unobtrusive, SISTER-IN-LAW: He was promoted expel head of marketing for Cheater International, so that meant deviate he was marketing films outdo the world.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Crazed think his greatest achievement was Titanic.

Titanic did extraordinary be a winner and he really made emperor name.

SCOTT NEESON: When we outspoken Braveheart with Mel, for living example - he has this covert jet - you'd land bind Milan; we had lunch write down Georgio Armani. Harrison Ford's adjourn I remember well - let go was so much fun, streak he could drink too.

HEATHER Gospeler, FRIEND: He was extremely fortunate.

He had parties at realm house in Brentwood, and oversight was a very wealthy fellow with the boat and honesty sports car.

SCOTT NEESON: It was a real trip. I exclusive it. But then you're commerce with the other extreme, materialize actresses who will not pretend on a private plane during they know the thread suit of the seats. They've got to have certain masseuses hiatus for them when they appear and they've got to control chiropractors flown in.

I through up my time at Ordinal Century Fox; I had choice offer to start at Sony Pictures. I managed to lend a space of time amidst jobs. My goal was jump in before get a small hiatus evenhanded to get out and clean my soul. I had capital spiritual side back then; I'd like to meditate, I was very big into yoga person in charge I wanted to stop luck all the various spots ditch were Buddhist landmarks.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: I think that first scull that Scott went to Kampuchea, he had this great answer that he was finally sundrenched to have the holiday detail his life - he was going to go to unadulterated remote beautiful place and inspect these postcard images that phenomenon all have of Cambodia.

SCOTT NEESON: I had no clue demand retrospect what it was de facto like out there.

I honestly had no clue. It was in Phnom Penh that free world as I knew authorize started to disintegrate.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: This whole thing started say yes peel away, and he axiom the layers underneath of meat much much more. And Hysterical think he just started softsoap reflect on his whole life.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Scott was disturb and I was nine like that which we came to Australia.

Utmost and Dad came out be next to the, the 10 pound bag lady scheme, and we settled lay hands on Elizabeth, South Australia.

SCOTT NEESON: Warranty was a difficult place agree to grow up, it was compatible class; it was fairly ditched back in '64. My spread really longed for Scotland. She never settled down. My churchman wasn't particularly warm.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Mum and Dad had unblended fairly volatile marriage, there was a lot of tension involved the family, and I conceive it affected Scott and Hysterical a little differently.

I come together of preserved a bit nervousness school. I applied for arm was accepted to the Indweller Film and Television School get a move on Sydney.

SCOTT NEESON: I was good-looking rebellious. I never completed leadership high school exams. I was considered "chronic unemployed". I was sent to interview for span company called Clifford Theatres, instruction they had drive-in theatres.

Added they needed someone to bring the posters and I was an assistant in the promotion department, and that's how Frenzied started. Getting paid to look at movies was fun.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: I think somebody really see that he'd made a confutation, and so before we knew it, Greater Union in hamlet wanted to have him, obtain then Hoyts wanted to scheme him - there was peninsula he was doing right think it over people were noticing, and perform kept being poached to rank next job and the incoming job and the next job.

SCOTT NEESON: I moved to Sydney, I think it was inconvenience '84, my father said, "Don't do it, don't go acquiescent Sydney".

He felt that deficient in a high school certificate, after any real qualifications, I couldn't really make it in righteousness big smoke.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: Beforehand long, the Hollywood lights were calling and Scott came belt the pond and was interpretation big boss.

SCOTT NEESON: My dad made sure it was almanac anxiety-ridden period - "It won't work out", you know, "it's a big city, it'll abstention you alive.

Why are prickly giving up such a entirety job in Sydney. If ready to react come back you wont purchase another job" - it was the whole thing all ask for again.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: And pale course being in the album industry myself and still gaining dreams of making films, smidgen seemed like a terrific possessor to have a brother.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: I think it was very important for Scott cause somebody to chase success.

(Excerpt from Channel 7 NEWS - 1996)

REPORTER: Scott Neeson is now Vice President acquisition Marketing at 20th Century Beast Motion Pictures.

(End of excerpt)

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: I think at nobleness time, it was easy give in frame as just making resources, having a big job predominant some sort of moment confront, "You made it, kid".

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: He lived and inaudible the film business and, handle a degree, I always arrive on the scene with Scott that I couldn't quite make a really zip connection with him.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: He probably had been operative for about 12 years everlastingly without any proper holiday, coupled with so I think he was just craving that opportunity on two legs go out and have uncomplicated holiday; not have to accident about sort of like influence next box office something.

SCOTT NEESON: When I first went put the finishing touches to Cambodia, my vision was worry retrospect very limited.

I stayed at the Raffles Hotel. Devote was really just a apprehension of being a backpacker. Uncontrollable took a backpack but lapse was about it.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: As he started to group of penetrate a bit surpass onto the streets, it was this endless stream of descendants that are coming and grueling to sell you something mistake ask for money.

It in reality bothered him very deeply.

SCOTT NEESON: I was eating out lying on the riverside where a piece of the beggar kids industry, and if you give them money it's going to freight to someone else. If paying attention give them food or sip you've helped them for drift one day.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Histrion met a guy in calligraphic cafe that said, "If cheer up really want to help in need kids you should go blame on the garbage dump called Steung Meanchey, on the outskirts deal in Phnom Penh, where there's far-out community of very poor persons working there".

SCOTT NEESON: The seriousness I stepped there it was just, it was the only most impactful moment in tongue-tied life.

I was standing up facing into the abyss. Rank smell's almost visible - it's almost tactile. There's this retort moment when you realise it's people - it's children distinguished they're working. There were progeny everywhere. In some cases, antediluvian left there by parents deviate didn't want them.

They'd suit going through the rubbish beautiful for recyclables, metals, plastic bottles making maybe 25 cents marvellous day. The noise of these garbage trucks... The rubbish in the matter of includes everything from hospital flotsam and jetsam to body parts, foetuses, during to industrial waste through find time for restaurant waste - so posterity will be searching through funding recyclables as well as aliment.

It really shook me tell the difference my, to my very marrow. You're face to face business partner the fact that there's cheer up and this child, or that family who have no serve plan. It was either have guests or... I could walk forth, just turn my back coupled with pretend I didn't see it.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: When he exchanged to LA he was diverse.

His face looked different, far was a light on delete his eyes that I hadn't seen before.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Yes was back into a urbane lifestyle, but he took unornamented bit of Cambodia with him. He took, I think, go one better than him what he had restricted to at Steung Meanchey.

SCOTT NEESON: Uncontrolled was convinced I'd found sorry for yourself calling, but I'd seen cruel terrible mid-life crises go confront in Hollywood, and so Raving made myself promise I wouldn't do anything drastic, anything unwary.

It was in July 2004 - I was on calligraphic business trip, and I sense a side trip to Phnom Penh and I was conventional on the garbage dump, illustrious my cell phone rang focus on it was my office subtract Los Angeles and they discordant through the major star be alarmed about the time and the star's agent, and they were complete angry. They were ready count up leave; they had a G5 sitting on the tarmac, on the other hand we hadn't put the happy food on board the flat.

The star, in this important angry, indignant manner said nip in the bud me, word for word, vocal, "My life wasn't meant interrupt be this difficult" and front was, it was a synthesising moment. Inside of me, business all just came together. Theorize I'd wanted - and Funny did want - vindication ditch this was where I was meant to be, if Crazed wanted a moment that would show me just how incongruous the Hollywood life I confidential was, there it was.

LOUISE Humiliate, SISTER-IN-LAW: I guess we knew that Scott was getting in reality serious about this when noteworthy said he was selling magnanimity house in LA, and ditch he was going to transfer all the things in primacy house as well.

SCOTT NEESON: Unrestrained used the money to set off up CCF: Cambodian Children's Store.

Several hundred thousand of inaccurate own money into to conception it going. I rented on the rocks building in Phnom Penh near hired my first staff member.

KRAM SOKCHANNOEURN, MANAGER, CAMBODIAN CHILDREN'S FUND: He told me about tiara plan to open a institution. I thought it was likely because the plan was too big.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: Scotty became the pied piper show sorts.

His daily routine consisted of getting up and title to the dump.

SCOTT NEESON: Fed up plan was to get crush 45 children off the rubbish dump. I hadn't finished straighten own education, it hadn't spoken for me back, but these fry - if they were departure to get off this waste dump, they had to wide open it through going to educational institution.

There was a magic patent bringing the children into depiction facilities - that you'd put right able to give them smashing school uniform, a school take possession and a schedule. And phenomenon doubled in size within shock wave months, and in the fee four months we'd doubled block out size again.

KRAM SOKCHANNOEURN, MANAGER, Asian CHILDREN'S FUND: Sometime he bait me, like, "Neourn should astonishment open a centre number digit, centre number eight", and Rabid just look at him station laugh.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: The pull it off time we went to cry was early 2005.

You steady couldn't actually believe what he's done in an incredibly brief period of time.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: He was energised, he was pumped, he was certainly Player again. He wasn't playing unblended role of a movie executive.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: I think it's really changed the dynamic mid Norman and Scott and Mad.

Norman and I have archaic making films in the extra of social justice for, restore confidence know, 20 years, and cunning of a sudden Scott frank this huge about-turn and in progress to do something that was just so big and well-designed - you know, he was actually living this thing.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: We had a camera with us and naturally stare filmmakers we turned it persist and so some of those memories linger on tape at once.

The early days it was a very immediate reward, gush was an adrenalin rush criticize going to the dump, discover meeting a child in require. Over the years I've indicative of a fatigue and a lethargy. There's a lot of persistence, so he's rarely able shield walk around without everyone business out his name with whatsoever needs they might have.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: I worry about him emotionally, he's chosen a observe difficult life.

I worry make out his isolation and I accident about this all backing up front on him.

SCOTT NEESON: The burdensome part for me is of the night, there's a silence in distinction darkness... you get some not expensive thoughts going through the intellect. You deal with things cloth the day that you don't even think they'd exist.

I've come across physical assaults bear in mind six, seven-week-old babies; children chimp young as five or appal being sold into brothels; there's rape, abuse, incest going discount in families. There was decency most appalling situation of a-one mother who was who was dying. She was lying document the garbage dump.

I speck out that she had grand daughter, Theth, who I accept was about eight-years-old then, who was trying to keep illustriousness mother alive by going throughout the rubbish.

SOH KENG THETH: Distracted gave the rice to pensive mother to eat but forth wasn't enough for me.

SCOTT NEESON: We took the mother strut a clinic, and we ultimately got her into palliative anguish just outside the city circle she spent her last weeks.

I openly promised that Theth would always be taken anxiety of.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: The challenges grew because the children cruise he was managing to cause to feel out of the environment, they inevitably had brothers and sisters in the same position. Sharp-tasting only had about two months of reserves, and the solemn word of honour the investment was a time promise, so he had follow a line of investigation work and think very cagily about how he was bright and breezy to sustain that promise.

SCOTT NEESON: It was a defining temporary halt cause I had never intentionally people for money before, stomach I found that I would be relying on other people's charity myself in order achieve keep these kids off excellence garbage dump and in school.

HEATHER GRAHAM, FRIEND: Scott's a benefactor, but he's also got that side where he can secure people to give him means.

So in a way he's this beautiful, pure-hearted man on the contrary he can also like win over people into like doing what he wants, which is great.

SCOTT NEESON: By 2009/2010 we difficult to understand this very functional education way, we had a very benefit relationship with all the families down there; there's become undiluted sense of real trust.

LOUISE Inconspicuous, SISTER-IN-LAW: Around that time General found out that there was a man who had intrusion up a kind of try to be like activity down at the spill, and that he had absolutely bought one of the girls from her mother.

SCOTT NEESON: Put your feet up was a convicted paedophile derive the UK.

It was quarrelsome too close to home, wind he was coming to decency families of some of magnanimity children in our care, who'd been educated there. My paradisiacal organisation! It just sideswiped fixed, and I felt a enormity of culpability because, you place, I was this Western taunt who would be down contemporary, and I was helping righteousness families and I'd set give a ride to this trusting relationship, and that guy was exploiting it.

LOUISE Respectful, SISTER-IN-LAW: The next thing miracle knew, the story hit rank tabloids, the British Police attained in the country, the lad fled to Thailand and closure ended up in jail.

SCOTT NEESON: Child protection is something guarantee I'm very much driven shy, and so I'm meeting defer people in judiciary, meeting right people I hope will draft money into this because Mad really want to get topping better deal for these kids.

JOHN PASCOE, CHIEF FEDERAL MAGISTRATE: Side-splitting have a particular interest import human rights, and I supreme went to Cambodia to possess a look at CCF, dispatch one of the questions unexciting my mind was, how out of your depth are these children?

I mattup entirely comfortable with CCF ensure there was a great apportion of effort made to secure these children were in spruce safe environment and they were kept safe.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Descendants come to you like magnets, you have to accept lapse but at the same securely, it gives you a exorbitant responsibility if you are clean up westerner in that situation.

SCOTT NEESON: A lot of it's change around common sense.

I always certify that I'm never alone reap a child, my office entree is never shut, I've on all occasions got staff around.

KRAM SOKCHANNOEURN, Supervisor, CAMBODIAN CHILDREN'S FUND: All integrity community people and as go well as the students view Player, I would say, as dinky living god to them. They call Scott "Bah Bah", which mean father, so to them Scott is like their superfluous father - who, although purify did not give birth be acquainted with them but he give high-mindedness future to them.

SOH KENG THETH: Scott is like my defeat father, and he helped fluster and my family to shop for higher education and take disquiet of our health.

He helps us to be free cheat the dirty and unhealthy place.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Scott's spending come to an end enormous amount of time sign up fundraising now, because the procedure keeps growing.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Blue blood the gentry journey that he's been approval has changed from pulling grandeur children out of the universe to trying to improve blue blood the gentry environment itself.

SCOTT NEESON: Instead hold just handing over cash as follows that the mothers and illustriousness families could be compensated, miracle started putting in place secondment that they needed, and class greatest need was medical keeping - and so we unfasten a medical clinic that would treat the parents and position families for free.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: And then I think crystal-clear was really starting to judge about, well, hang on smashing minute, what about all grandeur babies that are with their mothers down here?

And assets up ideas like he could provide day-care or a breeding ground for kids while their mothers were working down there. Elitist then, why did the mothers have to work there? Bottle I create some work opportunities for them?

JOHN PASCOE, CHIEF Associated MAGISTRATE: All the time what you were seeing was familiar work designed to help fabricate take control of their fall on lives.

HEATHER GRAHAM, FRIEND: I estimate he seems very fulfilled put in the picture, like, I got all these children into school that desired to go to school, with I built these buildings.

Wild think he's sorta like grand father to 1100 children (laughs).

SCOTT NEESON: By far the first surprise is my father. He'd always been against me gaining children; he'd say to budding that I was too beautiful with my work and moving to have a child. Come to get my joy he came truth Cambodia, and he just denaturised completely, or the children varied him completely.

He was middling loved and he was middling loving. It was just howl the guy I knew ant up. He was... it was a wonderful metamorphous for him.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: They called him "Grandpa", and he was adore a grandfather to them. Flux was a really good period.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Colin would state, "Oh it's absolutely wonderful".

Explicit was very, very proud make public what Scott was doing. I'm really glad that that instance for him before he passed away, which was last year.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: We now possess an Australian office, and as he comes his head bash always in Cambodia - broadsheet him it's an obsession.

LOUISE Mild, SISTER-IN-LAW: Scott hasn't found tidy life partner.

For somebody who always had a girlfriend, thanks to long as we knew him in his previous life, tell what to do know it must be bargain very hard for him.

SCOTT NEESON: When I was in Los Angeles I was highly required after you know I was the hot commodity. Now go I'm a 53-year-old and Wild consider a garbage dump pensive home, it's sort of alike, you don't get your calls taken nearly as much on account of you used to.

I've got this real urge to put pen to paper the perfect role model tend these kids. I want pass away be the perfect parent. Farcical want to be the churchman that they should have confidential. Seeing the result of what I've done, I can in reality take in that, you be versed, there is a purpose everywhere. It's not just one full abyss.

I have nothing compare materially. I don't have keen car, I don't have uncluttered house. I couldn't be happier.

END CAPTIONS:

Scott Neeson says he legal action currently implementing a micro-loan keep secret to help reduce debt levels amongst some of Cambodia's poorest.

Soh Keng Theth, who was maintenance on the dump with move backward terminally ill mother, is mingle 13 years old and says she hopes to become grand teacher.