Bill Gates Shows Self-Mocking Video by Tri-Film Productions at CES

January 9, 2008--You’ve spent 30 years of creating one of the biggest technology companies in the world and racked up billions of dollars. Now what? Microsoft Founder Bill Gates decided to have the last laugh as he showcased a brief video created by Tri-Film Productions during his keynote speech Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show 2008.

The video, called “Bill’s Last Day,” is Gates’ riotous spoof illustrating how he might spend his last full day at Microsoft, and his relentless pursuit of a new “day job.” Since it aired yesterday morning at the Show, hundreds of thousands have viewed audience-attending, bootleg tapes of the video, uploaded onto popular Internet site, YouTube.com.

During Gates’ keynote speech, he explained it will be the first time since he was 17 years old he wouldn’t be working full-time at Microsoft come July. “I’m not sure what that last day is going to be like, so I asked some friends to help me prepare for that, and we got together and did a little video,” he said, smirking on stage and cueing the Tri-Film short before a live audience of thousands.

Mark Dickison, Tri-Film writer, producer and director, spearheaded the video project within a miraculous seven-week window, traversing three major holidays to pull together an all-star cast, cross-country shoots and edits. With a near 20-year history of creating hilarious video shorts for Microsoft product launches and keynote appearances, the crew and Microsoft executives whipped up a wish-come-true list of the hottest celebrities and political figures to play parts in “Bill’s Last Day.”

What follows are laughter-inducing vignettes of Gates: Pursuing manly perfection in the gym with his trainer (played by Matthew McConaughey); white-guy rapping in the sound studio with a weary Jay-Z at the engineering controls; interrupting Bono’s U2 concert to vie for a spot in the band; beseeching Steven Spielberg for a movie gig (and George Clooney’s subsequent mock refusal to play Gates); approaching Jon Stewart for a co-anchor spot on The Daily Show; and making calls to be the nation’s next running mate (in successive phone conversations with Clinton, Obama, and Gore—in that order).

The skits are loaded with self-mockery--from counsel with his desk-side Star Wars figurines, to falling off an exercise ball, to jamming glory on his Guitar Hero game. Cut-in’s with Gates’ colleagues explore the future of their chief executive with jesting commentary.

“Bill Gates is a master of poking fun at himself, and I appreciate the risks he takes and the trust he places in our entire creative process,” Dickison said. “He appreciates good humor and he has an amazing sense of humor that I think few people realize.” Dickison said he has additional footage with Gates and other celebrities, which may be edited into refreshed versions and released online this year.

To view the clean “Bill’s Last Day” video and select past Microsoft shorts, visit http://trifilm.com.

SOURCE Tri-Film Productions

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