Activities Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2019: Ken Woo, The Conduit to Sports’ Greatest Televised Moments
SVG is profiling this year’s 10 Athletics Broadcasting Hall of Popularity inductees in the 2 or 3 weeks leading up to the ceremony upon Dec. 17 at this New York Hilton. Intended for more details, SIMPLY CLICK HERE.
“A picture is worth one thousand words. ” It’s a new saying that has turn out to be cliché. For Ken Woo, nevertheless, those words own carried the world-renowned video camera owner and DP for you to a occupation that possesses lasted more than 40 years. And, more often than not knowing, his zoom lens framed the iconic shots of some connected with sports’ most memorable moments in the last four generations.
“It’s definitely knowing the game and the actual athlete that you’re with, ” he / she says. “It hasn’t often worked, nevertheless it’s just being dialed into what is happening, understanding each of the choices that you have, and just selecting one. It may be a roll in the dice. ”
Whether that seemed to be Greg LeMond’s impressive come-from-behind sprint to grab typically the yellow jersey by means of a few moments at the 1989 Tour para France, Kerri Strug’s run towards gold about one rearfoot at typically the 1996 Summer season Olympics around Atlanta, or even Tiger Woods’ famous fist pump for his primary career gain at The Owners inside 1997, Woo experienced this knack of being with the right place at just simply the right time.
“Kenny Woo is an artist, ” says veteran NBC spine and Sports Broadcasting Hallway of Famer Ing Michaels. “You know whenever a person is extraordinary if you can notice 10 seconds of online video media plus say, ‘I realize who shot that. ’”
Just before developing skills that provided him one of typically the greatest eagle eyes throughout sports story, the person lovingly nicknamed “The Wooman” was growing up together with the dream of filming sports athletes for the grandest of levels. Built with a makeshift television camera made out connected with cardboard and some sort of fancy for stills through the desires of famed Living journal photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, he spent his more radiant several years immersed in the act of freezing time together with his pictures.
“When I seemed to be concerning 5 or 6th yrs old, I might manage around the yard shooting like I had observed in sports, ” he or she claims. “I had a good Kodak Instamatic camera of which I got for my own birthday, and after that we got a Polaroid which i obtained to play with. Nonetheless I got a television-generation youngster; I actually literally grew up in front of often the TELEVISION. ”
With each one moving moment in front side of the television specific, his passion for the particular craft used up a small nicer, but nothing set his heart on fire more than the 1968 South america Area Olympics. While most kids his age group had been serious only in the athletic feats of the individual, the young Woo was intrigued by the personal existence that will made those athletes that they were. Possibly though this was at the first try the Games received extensive coverage in color tv, Kenya’s Kip Keino (the eventual gold-medal winner on the 1, 500-meter category) captured his attention during the off-the-track story developed by simply ABC.
“They showed a feature, an up-close and private, of him running without footwear throughout If you have, ” Woo recalls. “I said, ‘Man, that might just be often the coolest thing in the world to do films like that. ’ I always loved watching this Olympics, but that had been actually the first time I noticed a personal user profile. That was really a great ‘aha’ moment for everyone. ”
Such as many small adults, childhood wishes usually get put on the back burner. 해외스포츠 중계 if that was his own judgement as well as one influenced by simply a person else, sports television was initially almost a nonfactor as Woo headed to the College of Atlanta. Nevertheless through his first therapy like a pre-law university student, the draw of their past was too robust to keep him or her apart from his camera along with a good sports storyline.
“I realized that pre-law wasn’t the idea for myself and changed over to transmission, film, plus television system, ” he says. “I had been a feature editor tool within the college paper, The Green & Black, and would certainly take pictures and write down thier feature stories.
“To create dollars while I has been in college, ” this individual goes on, “I also worked for the DIFFERENT team; I’d go to class and set up projectors and even video cameras regarding the school. Additionally , My spouse and i was a jazz compact disk jockey for WUOG-FM stereo. I had a switch 3 days a week from midnight until 3 or more: 00 a. m. ”
Once he graduated, Woo got attained an creative mentality and a function ethic that would get him to the far gets to of the earth. With some sort of keen eyes for a good shot, ease in front of a good microphone, perceptible experience along with industry-grade products, and writing expertise, his bag associated with tips would expand right after college.
“My first task was initially from WSPA-TV found in Spartanburg, SOUTH CAROLINA, ” he or she says. “It was within an old converted supermarket; my starting pay has been $168 the week. I used to be hired as a dépanneur. My partner and i shot the community news and the gospel exhibits that aired on Friday. From there, I went to A1 mixer regarding local news and on-air switching, which meant reducing all the programming from three or more p. m. for you to 6 s. m. like Gilligan’s Area and Typically the Flintstones. Then I had to hit the network with 6 p. m. for the news any day time. I obtained lots of encounter, because not really only do My partner and i get to find out how to use a good digicam nevertheless I acquired to know lighting, audio mixing, plus editing. ”
With a good steady information gig best suited out associated with the academic ranks, Woo satisfied his appetite to get sports with the end of the week bustle of shooting superior school footballing and field hockey for the station’s activities department. Accustomed to his / her old techniques of shooting, he started learning brand-new technologies and mastering his / her preferred system of decision with the bit involving hijinks.
“None of often the film guys who had been right now there wanted to use innovative electrical media, ” he / she recalls. “When the RCA TK-76 came out, many people said, ‘Do you recognize how to use that factor? ’ I said, ‘Yes, ’ when My spouse and i truly did not. I had used video cameras within college but nothing while sophisticated as that, so My partner and i stole the manually operated and even went home for you to find out how to apply the idea. I had the particular self-assurance to make this shot, even so the key to be able to being successful is finding out the camera and realizing what you can obtain out of it. That’s really how I received my own start. ”
Throughout the identical vein, Woo’s first foray into attribute work originated from a children’s show within Spartanburg. Following transitioning from his first job to help production stints in Nashville, Kansas City, and Washington, POWER, Woo got married and transplanted to Los Angeles inside of search of operate activities. With cable connections manufactured with Dick Simon Musicals or plays on the West Coast, he or she nailed his first task in network television together with CBS in 1982.
More than the many years, his job has expanded to typically the airwaves of NBC, and even his long résumé is actually a clothes list comprising 15 Olympics, Tour de Portugal races, Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours, The Pros tournaments, NBA Championships, Iron Man World Championships, Three times Crowns, and more. Within this journey of a new lifetime, though, there was tough patches.
“The just about all topsy-turvy year I had with my career was in 1992, the final time where generally there were 2 Olympics within one calendar year, ” he / she notes. “It had been [the Winter Olympics in] Albertville, Italy, then [the Summer months Olympics in] Barcelona. All of us probably traveled for several or five months ahead of Albertville, slept in Albertville to get five weeks, plus emerged home for a couple of weeks ahead of we started out shooting features intended for Barcelona, which proceeded to go through July of of which year.
“I was also carrying out additional projects, ” he or she continues, “with Planet Number Skating Championships, generating The particular Masters film together with Final Four features with regard to CBS TELEVISION STUDIOS. My partner and i think, that will year, My spouse and i might have traveled all-around 270 days. I got basically raising my young children simply by phone since right now there was not any email or perhaps FaceTime at that time. ”
Like a diamonds, Woo shone under the pressure of an busy schedule. During that will tumultuous time, he noted the Starting Ceremony regarding the 1992 Summer Olympics in the only way this individual knew how.
“I think the most fantastic time was [the flashlight lighting] at Barcelona, ” he says. “We didn’t get to help run through that simply because they didn’t want to give the idea away, and in simple fact, they had two various archers. One particular was going in order to lob it in there, and even the various other one was going to fire on a right range, so that had been completely located to typically the world, and it functioned. ”
Says NBC Scalp of Production Bucky Gunts. “Take the Opening Wedding service and Kenny Woo, and you have your income shot. ”
The instant would always be a procedure run to get what was to occur four many years later found on Us soil. For this 1996 Altlanta ga Olympics, Woo was picked again intended for the funds chance while in the Opening Ceremony, through which boxing legend Muhammed Ali lit the torch.
“He acquired an eye of which designed him one associated with those rare folks who else understood how their chance fit into the storyline how the producer and movie director were hoping to find, ” says man Sports entertainment Broadcasting Hall connected with Fame inductee Jerry Gepner. “You would only see in awe as there is [only] a smaller group of cameramen like of which. ”
Four times after, Woo was behind typically the lens for a 10-second cut that symbolizes typically the essence connected with Olympic rivals and has grow to be nearly synonymous with U. T. gymnastics.
“You seriously include to plan ahead whenever you are out there, ” says Woo. “It’s mad on the floor, but I realized how critical it had been to be around that position mainly because My spouse and i have two or 3 different destinations when we’re doing the vault. I actually knew that was planning to be the [important] moment if [Strug] hit it and they triumphed in, that had been going to always be the best shot. Your woman stuck the landing, chop down to her knees, in addition to commenced crawling towards me personally when calling my brand. ”
That’s the issue regarding Woo that creates him the perfect from what exactly he does indeed: his relatable personality as well as the ability to be able to get to know often the person buried behind typically the veil connected with sport. That gave Woo an inside of track to the ideal available content and details for any Olympic vignettes that will he or she became known for, such as the Strug’s one-legged landing.
“That was the real advantage because My spouse and i had known Kerri since she was 12 decades older, ” he says. “I have to commit moment with them within their house countries, their setting, and, literally, in their homes. When I’m on often the floor and they’re being besieged by simply all typically the other media, I’m a familiar face since I acquired to recognize them about the particular level, dined on meals along with them, and had been with them throughout coaching. ”
Says Executive Producer/President, NBC Olympics Development, Molly Solomon, “He had taken ENG photography to a innovative level. The trust in addition to bond he forged having athletes gave fans unprecedented access. When that specific moment happened, he had been right now there, and so had been we. ”
In 2019, Woo includes a trophy circumstance full of computer hardware the fact that visual storytellers can only imagine about. The understanding incorporate 27 Emmys (three Primetime Emmys for the Starting Ceremonies with the Sodium River City, Torino, and Beijing Olympics and several for optimum Short Feature), the Peabody Award for the focus on ESPN’s 30 intended for 25 series, and the particular prestigious Olympic Golden Engagement ring for Best Man Fascination Story. The emotional trophy case is full associated with memories from his travels too, but, most essential, he has gained typically the utmost respect from his / her peers in the sector.
“He was initially brilliant in addition to fearless, ” says Gepner. “I caint tell you the number of moments the director would state, ‘Get me the photo, ’ and didn’t need to have to inform him what to do because Ken stomach up with a superior shot as opposed to director has been thinking of. ”
However he continues to work in the field that they fell in love along with as a child, Woo’s profession has come total circle for multiple good reasons.
“Athletes which are on their particular way up show up to be able to everyone and get, ‘God, I actually saw that history you did with [U. S. gymnast] Kim Zmeskal, ’ or maybe, ‘Hey, I remember this particular, and it was and so electrifying. ’ You present them a fantastic feeling, ” he says. “With most these incredible events close to the world, you are hanging do some simple of typically the most unbelievable athletes actually created. That’s definitely not a job; that’s a good dream. ”
For audience at household, his musical legacy is secure as the one who identified the balance between artistic poise and the seriousness of the scenario.
“I only wanted it to feel like they were there, ” says Woo. “There can be times to be inventive and even times when a person just want to get it and be right now there. You do not want anyone to have to understand it because you’re truly feeling what I’m showing you. If you were positioned there, this is just what you would likely see. That’s the level of feel I was looking regarding. ”
Although he improved often the viewing pleasure of audience watching history, their beauty has given enormous pride, full satisfaction, and joy for the little boy who else sat on his living-room flooring to watch typically the late 1960s Olympics.
“In 1996, My partner and i went to Kenya to complete an Olympic feature, and I got to meet Kip Keino, ” he recalls. “I discussed to the dog precisely how his story inspired me to become a cameraman, specially performing functions for the Olympics, and how It was something I wanted to do. He required me back to all the places they had filmed and confirmed everyone all the spots, also it was really something specific. ”
“A picture is worth one thousand words. ” It’s a new saying that has turn out to be cliché. For Ken Woo, nevertheless, those words own carried the world-renowned video camera owner and DP for you to a occupation that possesses lasted more than 40 years. And, more often than not knowing, his zoom lens framed the iconic shots of some connected with sports’ most memorable moments in the last four generations.
“It’s definitely knowing the game and the actual athlete that you’re with, ” he / she says. “It hasn’t often worked, nevertheless it’s just being dialed into what is happening, understanding each of the choices that you have, and just selecting one. It may be a roll in the dice. ”
Whether that seemed to be Greg LeMond’s impressive come-from-behind sprint to grab typically the yellow jersey by means of a few moments at the 1989 Tour para France, Kerri Strug’s run towards gold about one rearfoot at typically the 1996 Summer season Olympics around Atlanta, or even Tiger Woods’ famous fist pump for his primary career gain at The Owners inside 1997, Woo experienced this knack of being with the right place at just simply the right time.
“Kenny Woo is an artist, ” says veteran NBC spine and Sports Broadcasting Hallway of Famer Ing Michaels. “You know whenever a person is extraordinary if you can notice 10 seconds of online video media plus say, ‘I realize who shot that. ’”
Just before developing skills that provided him one of typically the greatest eagle eyes throughout sports story, the person lovingly nicknamed “The Wooman” was growing up together with the dream of filming sports athletes for the grandest of levels. Built with a makeshift television camera made out connected with cardboard and some sort of fancy for stills through the desires of famed Living journal photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, he spent his more radiant several years immersed in the act of freezing time together with his pictures.
“When I seemed to be concerning 5 or 6th yrs old, I might manage around the yard shooting like I had observed in sports, ” he or she claims. “I had a good Kodak Instamatic camera of which I got for my own birthday, and after that we got a Polaroid which i obtained to play with. Nonetheless I got a television-generation youngster; I actually literally grew up in front of often the TELEVISION. ”
With each one moving moment in front side of the television specific, his passion for the particular craft used up a small nicer, but nothing set his heart on fire more than the 1968 South america Area Olympics. While most kids his age group had been serious only in the athletic feats of the individual, the young Woo was intrigued by the personal existence that will made those athletes that they were. Possibly though this was at the first try the Games received extensive coverage in color tv, Kenya’s Kip Keino (the eventual gold-medal winner on the 1, 500-meter category) captured his attention during the off-the-track story developed by simply ABC.
“They showed a feature, an up-close and private, of him running without footwear throughout If you have, ” Woo recalls. “I said, ‘Man, that might just be often the coolest thing in the world to do films like that. ’ I always loved watching this Olympics, but that had been actually the first time I noticed a personal user profile. That was really a great ‘aha’ moment for everyone. ”
Such as many small adults, childhood wishes usually get put on the back burner. 해외스포츠 중계 if that was his own judgement as well as one influenced by simply a person else, sports television was initially almost a nonfactor as Woo headed to the College of Atlanta. Nevertheless through his first therapy like a pre-law university student, the draw of their past was too robust to keep him or her apart from his camera along with a good sports storyline.
“I realized that pre-law wasn’t the idea for myself and changed over to transmission, film, plus television system, ” he says. “I had been a feature editor tool within the college paper, The Green & Black, and would certainly take pictures and write down thier feature stories.
“To create dollars while I has been in college, ” this individual goes on, “I also worked for the DIFFERENT team; I’d go to class and set up projectors and even video cameras regarding the school. Additionally , My spouse and i was a jazz compact disk jockey for WUOG-FM stereo. I had a switch 3 days a week from midnight until 3 or more: 00 a. m. ”
Once he graduated, Woo got attained an creative mentality and a function ethic that would get him to the far gets to of the earth. With some sort of keen eyes for a good shot, ease in front of a good microphone, perceptible experience along with industry-grade products, and writing expertise, his bag associated with tips would expand right after college.
“My first task was initially from WSPA-TV found in Spartanburg, SOUTH CAROLINA, ” he or she says. “It was within an old converted supermarket; my starting pay has been $168 the week. I used to be hired as a dépanneur. My partner and i shot the community news and the gospel exhibits that aired on Friday. From there, I went to A1 mixer regarding local news and on-air switching, which meant reducing all the programming from three or more p. m. for you to 6 s. m. like Gilligan’s Area and Typically the Flintstones. Then I had to hit the network with 6 p. m. for the news any day time. I obtained lots of encounter, because not really only do My partner and i get to find out how to use a good digicam nevertheless I acquired to know lighting, audio mixing, plus editing. ”
With a good steady information gig best suited out associated with the academic ranks, Woo satisfied his appetite to get sports with the end of the week bustle of shooting superior school footballing and field hockey for the station’s activities department. Accustomed to his / her old techniques of shooting, he started learning brand-new technologies and mastering his / her preferred system of decision with the bit involving hijinks.
“None of often the film guys who had been right now there wanted to use innovative electrical media, ” he / she recalls. “When the RCA TK-76 came out, many people said, ‘Do you recognize how to use that factor? ’ I said, ‘Yes, ’ when My spouse and i truly did not. I had used video cameras within college but nothing while sophisticated as that, so My partner and i stole the manually operated and even went home for you to find out how to apply the idea. I had the particular self-assurance to make this shot, even so the key to be able to being successful is finding out the camera and realizing what you can obtain out of it. That’s really how I received my own start. ”
Throughout the identical vein, Woo’s first foray into attribute work originated from a children’s show within Spartanburg. Following transitioning from his first job to help production stints in Nashville, Kansas City, and Washington, POWER, Woo got married and transplanted to Los Angeles inside of search of operate activities. With cable connections manufactured with Dick Simon Musicals or plays on the West Coast, he or she nailed his first task in network television together with CBS in 1982.
More than the many years, his job has expanded to typically the airwaves of NBC, and even his long résumé is actually a clothes list comprising 15 Olympics, Tour de Portugal races, Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours, The Pros tournaments, NBA Championships, Iron Man World Championships, Three times Crowns, and more. Within this journey of a new lifetime, though, there was tough patches.
“The just about all topsy-turvy year I had with my career was in 1992, the final time where generally there were 2 Olympics within one calendar year, ” he / she notes. “It had been [the Winter Olympics in] Albertville, Italy, then [the Summer months Olympics in] Barcelona. All of us probably traveled for several or five months ahead of Albertville, slept in Albertville to get five weeks, plus emerged home for a couple of weeks ahead of we started out shooting features intended for Barcelona, which proceeded to go through July of of which year.
“I was also carrying out additional projects, ” he or she continues, “with Planet Number Skating Championships, generating The particular Masters film together with Final Four features with regard to CBS TELEVISION STUDIOS. My partner and i think, that will year, My spouse and i might have traveled all-around 270 days. I got basically raising my young children simply by phone since right now there was not any email or perhaps FaceTime at that time. ”
Like a diamonds, Woo shone under the pressure of an busy schedule. During that will tumultuous time, he noted the Starting Ceremony regarding the 1992 Summer Olympics in the only way this individual knew how.
“I think the most fantastic time was [the flashlight lighting] at Barcelona, ” he says. “We didn’t get to help run through that simply because they didn’t want to give the idea away, and in simple fact, they had two various archers. One particular was going in order to lob it in there, and even the various other one was going to fire on a right range, so that had been completely located to typically the world, and it functioned. ”
Says NBC Scalp of Production Bucky Gunts. “Take the Opening Wedding service and Kenny Woo, and you have your income shot. ”
The instant would always be a procedure run to get what was to occur four many years later found on Us soil. For this 1996 Altlanta ga Olympics, Woo was picked again intended for the funds chance while in the Opening Ceremony, through which boxing legend Muhammed Ali lit the torch.
“He acquired an eye of which designed him one associated with those rare folks who else understood how their chance fit into the storyline how the producer and movie director were hoping to find, ” says man Sports entertainment Broadcasting Hall connected with Fame inductee Jerry Gepner. “You would only see in awe as there is [only] a smaller group of cameramen like of which. ”
Four times after, Woo was behind typically the lens for a 10-second cut that symbolizes typically the essence connected with Olympic rivals and has grow to be nearly synonymous with U. T. gymnastics.
“You seriously include to plan ahead whenever you are out there, ” says Woo. “It’s mad on the floor, but I realized how critical it had been to be around that position mainly because My spouse and i have two or 3 different destinations when we’re doing the vault. I actually knew that was planning to be the [important] moment if [Strug] hit it and they triumphed in, that had been going to always be the best shot. Your woman stuck the landing, chop down to her knees, in addition to commenced crawling towards me personally when calling my brand. ”
That’s the issue regarding Woo that creates him the perfect from what exactly he does indeed: his relatable personality as well as the ability to be able to get to know often the person buried behind typically the veil connected with sport. That gave Woo an inside of track to the ideal available content and details for any Olympic vignettes that will he or she became known for, such as the Strug’s one-legged landing.
“That was the real advantage because My spouse and i had known Kerri since she was 12 decades older, ” he says. “I have to commit moment with them within their house countries, their setting, and, literally, in their homes. When I’m on often the floor and they’re being besieged by simply all typically the other media, I’m a familiar face since I acquired to recognize them about the particular level, dined on meals along with them, and had been with them throughout coaching. ”
Says Executive Producer/President, NBC Olympics Development, Molly Solomon, “He had taken ENG photography to a innovative level. The trust in addition to bond he forged having athletes gave fans unprecedented access. When that specific moment happened, he had been right now there, and so had been we. ”
In 2019, Woo includes a trophy circumstance full of computer hardware the fact that visual storytellers can only imagine about. The understanding incorporate 27 Emmys (three Primetime Emmys for the Starting Ceremonies with the Sodium River City, Torino, and Beijing Olympics and several for optimum Short Feature), the Peabody Award for the focus on ESPN’s 30 intended for 25 series, and the particular prestigious Olympic Golden Engagement ring for Best Man Fascination Story. The emotional trophy case is full associated with memories from his travels too, but, most essential, he has gained typically the utmost respect from his / her peers in the sector.
“He was initially brilliant in addition to fearless, ” says Gepner. “I caint tell you the number of moments the director would state, ‘Get me the photo, ’ and didn’t need to have to inform him what to do because Ken stomach up with a superior shot as opposed to director has been thinking of. ”
However he continues to work in the field that they fell in love along with as a child, Woo’s profession has come total circle for multiple good reasons.
“Athletes which are on their particular way up show up to be able to everyone and get, ‘God, I actually saw that history you did with [U. S. gymnast] Kim Zmeskal, ’ or maybe, ‘Hey, I remember this particular, and it was and so electrifying. ’ You present them a fantastic feeling, ” he says. “With most these incredible events close to the world, you are hanging do some simple of typically the most unbelievable athletes actually created. That’s definitely not a job; that’s a good dream. ”
For audience at household, his musical legacy is secure as the one who identified the balance between artistic poise and the seriousness of the scenario.
“I only wanted it to feel like they were there, ” says Woo. “There can be times to be inventive and even times when a person just want to get it and be right now there. You do not want anyone to have to understand it because you’re truly feeling what I’m showing you. If you were positioned there, this is just what you would likely see. That’s the level of feel I was looking regarding. ”
Although he improved often the viewing pleasure of audience watching history, their beauty has given enormous pride, full satisfaction, and joy for the little boy who else sat on his living-room flooring to watch typically the late 1960s Olympics.
“In 1996, My partner and i went to Kenya to complete an Olympic feature, and I got to meet Kip Keino, ” he recalls. “I discussed to the dog precisely how his story inspired me to become a cameraman, specially performing functions for the Olympics, and how It was something I wanted to do. He required me back to all the places they had filmed and confirmed everyone all the spots, also it was really something specific. ”
