William J. Bruce III is a talented multi-genre creative. He is an internationally known Canadian writer, film producer, celebrity publicist, and actor. He has published two books and is working on a third.
When I was asked to write an article about William J. Bruce III, researching his many achievements was daunting. Few people have his kind of exciting and varied career background. How did he achieve so much success? And what makes this man tick?
With a name like BRUCE… straight from the Scottish Lowlands.
Speaking of traditions, we often find family traits that shine through even generations later when we look into our genealogical pasts. As I look at William’s photographs over the years, I see his facial features maturing. He is also developing the robust look of a Scotsman, braids and all.
Clan Bruce produced two kings of Scotland (Robert the Bruce and David II) and a disputed High King of Ireland (Edward Bruce). The clan’s origins can be traced back to Bruys in Normandy. Traits known to belong to the Bruce family are courage and the ability to overcome hardships; they are nature lovers, writers, and sometimes poets.
Being aware of the creative genius of some and knowing that the purpose of an article such as this is to give others hope and perhaps even a road map of sorts for their own lives, I needed to delve deeper into who William J. Bruce III is. None of us spring full-fledged into the kind of career he has without some deep soul searching and perhaps more than a few painful searching experiences along the way.
Pain, Perseverance, and Prayer.
Reading between the lines, William has had his fair share of wrestling with the angels, as did Jacob. Genesis 32:24-32 In other words, our trials are often both a challenge and an opportunity. It was as if angels were saying, “You want a blessing? You’ve got to fight for it!”
In his memoir and first book, Penholder, which he published in 2010, William begins with just such a time in his life when he struggled with the pain of Depression, which took him to the brink of death.
It seems an ironic juxtaposition that in light of wrestling with his Depression, he was working as a Publicist and Booking Agent for Ted DiBiase, also known as the Million Dollar Man, of World Wrestling Entertainment and a three-time WWE Tag Team Champion Wrestler.
In Penholder, William describes his journey back from that dark world through prayer and the grace of God as he submitted his life to Jesus Christ. Ted DiBiase, also a devout Christian, wrote the forward for Penholder.
Book Cover Credit: Penholder courtesy of Queensbridge Publishing. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
In and Out of the Shadows
William continued his career as a publicist and ministerial booking agent, creating relationships with ministries, pastors, and other organizations to book speakers, musicians, and other public figures for events. The list of things he has accomplished and the famous people he has worked with is long! In addition to the rest of his career, William has written two books and had articles published in magazines in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.
A New Book is in the works!
William J. Bruce III is currently working on his third book, a thriller tentatively entitled “Hate.” The book promises to be a chilling story about a promoter named Irvin who is dealing with the mysterious death of his friend. Inspired by William’s experiences, the story delves deep into the promoter’s psyche. Irvin eventually comes to terms with what happened and tries to move on.
As we look at the tentative book cover, we speculate about the novel’s working title, “Hate.”
Will it arouse feelings of intense hatred in Irvin? Will we emphasize with Irvin? Will something positive come out of this? Is there something to be learned that can inspire the reader? It may help some to overcome the feelings of hate that can be so paralyzing.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
It is not easy writing a dark novel. As so many writers must, they use a process similar to what actors call Method Acting, where they pretend to be experiencing the life or phenomena of a character to write more vividly about it. This often means a writer must delve deep into their past emotions, which can be a double-edged sword when reliving traumatic moments in their lives.
William finds this process slows things down sometimes. Still, the resulting drama and intensity can help readers deal with issues, read a book that makes them think about a situation they have not experienced, or be glad that the drama is not personal to them.
Finding Love and Kindness along the way.
William met his soul mate, May Roble, a Cebuano descendant of Indigenous Philippine and Spanish heritage whom he calls “aking Hinigugma an akon Prinsess” which means beloved darling and Princess in Cebuano.
“To be fair, there have been many kind things that people have done for me over the years. I created a small talent agency and signed Shawn Harper of the NFL. I was in talks with Alvin Powell (formerly of the NFL and former bodyguard to Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Justin Timberlake, and Madonna); I mean, sure, we talked cost, metrics, and expectations, but somehow the conversation switched to talking about my girlfriend who was over in the Philippines. Alvin offered to give me money to go see her and put a ring on her finger. For the life of me, I don’t understand why. He didn’t really know me that well, but he sent me a check. That girlfriend is my wife today, and Alvin, if you’re reading this, thank you again, buddy!”
William J. Bruce III
The Cebuano treasure three elements in their culture: Espirituhanon, a belief in God, spiritual beings, and life after death; Garbo, the dignity and pride with which the Cebuano protect their sense of self-esteem; and Lumadnon, Love for one’s family, origin, and community.
William’s spiritual journey has undoubtedly found a home. He and his wife May were married in October of 2014, surrounded by loving family and close friends.
How William J. Bruce III got his first few breaks.
William looked up to Ted DiBiase as a kid, little knowing he would be working alongside him later in his career. He describes praying and going out on a “Bruce-like” quest to see if he could work on a film. After serendipity took its course, he met film producer Byron Jones, producer of Home Beyond the Sun, after just happening to walk into an office in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, William’s hometown.
- Images Above from left to right:
- William J. Bruce III met Ted DiBiase in December 2007 for the first time in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. This is where the segment was filmed for E! True Hollywood Story: Wrestling with Demons-NBC.
- Henry, a best friend, Ted DiBiase and William J. Bruce III in Hamilton, c. 2008-2009 with Ace Clark event.
- Robert White of Quail Communications and William J. Bruce in Kitchener February 2010.
- In 2009, ManKind, William and Ted on the set of Off the Record with Michael Landsberg (TSN)
“Byron took me in first working for Pure Flix (now a part of Sony), and later, while still working for Pure Flix, I was able to take on the role of publicist and agent to the infamous WWE Superstar heel “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. Those early day experiences laid the backdrop or road map for how I got to where I am today.”
William J. Bruce III
- Images Above from left to right:
- Mankind, William J. Bruce II and Ted DiBiase in the Greenroom of Off the Record.
- William J. Bruce III playing “Mario Kingpin Harris” in the film “Lost Penny” 2014
- Virgil and William with Ted DiBiase.
- The Aussie Osbourne Show Album Cover – 2016 William J. Bruce III produces and hosts the Aussie Osbourne Show. The show featured in-depth interviews with celebrities such as Mike Mullane (former NASA astronaut), Alveda King (niece of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the daughter of civil rights activist A.D. King), and Charlene Li (business tycoon and NY Times bestselling author). Image Credit: Aussie Osbourne Show courtesy of Aussie Osbourne. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved, used with permission.
A short list of some great gigs, William J. Bruce III
Demons
William wrote the introduction to the 150th Anniversary Edition of Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Book Cover Credits: Demons courtesy of Queensbridge Publishing. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
- William J. Bruce III has written cover stories with former Victoria’s Secret model Kylie Bisutti.
- William’s work in film and ability to hone the craft of writing has assisted him in his role as script revisionist for the Eric Roberts film “In the Blink of an Eye.”
- Publicist for The “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase (WWE Hall of Fame wrestler) during Ted’s peak in Google Trends.
- Author of Penholder, William’s Memoir.
Bridge Wars
- As executive producer of the compilation album Bridge Wars, he brought together artists such as F.E.R.N (produced by DukeDaGod of The Diplomats) and Mahogany Jones (four-time Champion of BET’s “Freestyle Fridays”).
As a publicist, William represented Shawn Harper (former NFL tackle and MTV Made Coach)
For a complete list of accomplishments, view William J. Bruce III’s website.
Yes, William J. Bruce continues to go places and surprise us all. We can’t wait to see where he takes “Hate,” his newest book, which is currently in progress. What will be its resolution?
Any photographs not accredited are courtesy of William J. Bruce III
The composite image art is by Trina Astor-Stewart
Please note: The author of this post has received no financial remuneration for mentions of creative people, books, products, places, or businesses mentioned in this post.
