Uploaded May 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I'm so not above the embarrassment here. This was a technical test while learning to operate the ancient, huge and complex Ampex videotape machines which used the original 2" wide videotape. Much of my initial work and production ideas on projects looked terrible, and the final product the result of experimentation and learning to throw out everything I thought not up to par, experimenting until only "nice looking things" remained. All a matter of personal taste from my standpoint as a viewer, and not being a professional designer by any means.
I cut a quick voice track (my Southern accent abounding) and put this together, managing to run all of the tape machines, laying elements off to tape ... and everything! For me at the time, a Ga Tech student doing audio on wrestling each Saturday - a super accomplishment haha.
I remember good friend Tony Marshall being the first one I showed this to. He happened through Control B while I was finishing. He asked, "you did this?", and asked if I had made the Coming Up next move from the lower left to upper right, and I told him yes. I knew the ending was beyond awful. He asked if I did the font and box outline and lines, and I told him yes. This was a surprise to him, but his attitude as a director friend was curiosity and support. Like, cool man, keep this shit up! Most everybody, all friends and great people at TBS, were the same way with help and encouragement, except for a few obstacles that either went against the rules of qualification to run certain equipment, or problems I brought upon myself from stupidity. Mostly the former, and that's where Production boss Pooch Johnston told me exactly what to do, and who to ask for help, to be able to run all the equipment in both control rooms alone. That means tape expertise, chyron, switcher, ADO, CMX editor, color framing, keeping legal levels, and a lot more technical learning. With Pooch's guidance and full support one summer to "do whatever you want to and keep learning", and incredible help from everyone to "check me out" and approve me on the various equipment, I read all the operation and technical manuals, and learned everything I could as Pooch had instructed me to.
I think Skip Ellison, top-notch Director among many other talents, gave me the same reaction as Tony. My two main challenges were John Burns, because he was legitimately in the control rooms doing all of TBS's highest-profile on-air material, whenever the rooms were available, and the other problem was just being accepted as someone who could legitimately run all of the gear. John was the only person, a video wizard, who did the high-end production work, although the directors (Skip, Tony, Jim, Wayne, etc.) all pretty much ran tape and everything else themselves too, so it wasn't terribly unusual when I began doing the same, though still very strange as I was only a part-time student doing audio on wrestling each week.
Pooch had left no stone unturned that I couldn't do, and he had given me total freedom to learn and teach myself anything I wanted to. I had been stunned by Pooch and this incredible opportunity. Pooch had given me the decision-making ability to alone choose any projects I thought I could handle to make TBS look better on-air.
Two faves are the Morning Movie opening and the Dodge Scoreboard open. This Scoreboard was a request from Mike Price for Sports, and I chose to say yes and give it my best shot, wanting to use my math knowledge and newly-learned computer tape editing skills to create a truly 3D stadium scene, using math instead of the usual joystick manual operation of the ADO, and having learned the frame-accurate computer editing gear. I loved doing almost all Sports stuff and was anxious to try these new learnings and ideas out on Mike's open. The SuperStation Morning Movie open used the same techniques, and with music I loved, that is also a favorite and one I put some emotion into wanting it to be "beautiful" instead of "fancy high end".
I still find it hard to believe that Pooch Johnston foresaw some ability in me that I did not know I had, and gave me the freedom to learn everything, with incredible help and encouragement from everyone in the Production Department, most of whom became a supportive family to me who I loved, and I am proud to be able to say have been cherished friends ever since. :)
I'm so not above the embarrassment here. This was a technical test while learning to operate the ancient, huge and complex Ampex videotape machines which used the original 2" wide videotape. Much of my initial work and production ideas on projects looked terrible, and the final product the result of experimentation and learning to throw out everything I thought not up to par, experimenting until only "nice looking things" remained. All a matter of personal taste from my standpoint as a viewer, and not being a professional designer by any means.
I cut a quick voice track (my Southern accent abounding) and put this together, managing to run all of the tape machines, laying elements off to tape ... and everything! For me at the time, a Ga Tech student doing audio on wrestling each Saturday - a super accomplishment haha.
I remember good friend Tony Marshall being the first one I showed this to. He happened through Control B while I was finishing. He asked, "you did this?", and asked if I had made the Coming Up next move from the lower left to upper right, and I told him yes. I knew the ending was beyond awful. He asked if I did the font and box outline and lines, and I told him yes. This was a surprise to him, but his attitude as a director friend was curiosity and support. Like, cool man, keep this shit up! Most everybody, all friends and great people at TBS, were the same way with help and encouragement, except for a few obstacles that either went against the rules of qualification to run certain equipment, or problems I brought upon myself from stupidity. Mostly the former, and that's where Production boss Pooch Johnston told me exactly what to do, and who to ask for help, to be able to run all the equipment in both control rooms alone. That means tape expertise, chyron, switcher, ADO, CMX editor, color framing, keeping legal levels, and a lot more technical learning. With Pooch's guidance and full support one summer to "do whatever you want to and keep learning", and incredible help from everyone to "check me out" and approve me on the various equipment, I read all the operation and technical manuals, and learned everything I could as Pooch had instructed me to.
I think Skip Ellison, top-notch Director among many other talents, gave me the same reaction as Tony. My two main challenges were John Burns, because he was legitimately in the control rooms doing all of TBS's highest-profile on-air material, whenever the rooms were available, and the other problem was just being accepted as someone who could legitimately run all of the gear. John was the only person, a video wizard, who did the high-end production work, although the directors (Skip, Tony, Jim, Wayne, etc.) all pretty much ran tape and everything else themselves too, so it wasn't terribly unusual when I began doing the same, though still very strange as I was only a part-time student doing audio on wrestling each week.
Pooch had left no stone unturned that I couldn't do, and he had given me total freedom to learn and teach myself anything I wanted to. I had been stunned by Pooch and this incredible opportunity. Pooch had given me the decision-making ability to alone choose any projects I thought I could handle to make TBS look better on-air.
Two faves are the Morning Movie opening and the Dodge Scoreboard open. This Scoreboard was a request from Mike Price for Sports, and I chose to say yes and give it my best shot, wanting to use my math knowledge and newly-learned computer tape editing skills to create a truly 3D stadium scene, using math instead of the usual joystick manual operation of the ADO, and having learned the frame-accurate computer editing gear. I loved doing almost all Sports stuff and was anxious to try these new learnings and ideas out on Mike's open. The SuperStation Morning Movie open used the same techniques, and with music I loved, that is also a favorite and one I put some emotion into wanting it to be "beautiful" instead of "fancy high end".
I still find it hard to believe that Pooch Johnston foresaw some ability in me that I did not know I had, and gave me the freedom to learn everything, with incredible help and encouragement from everyone in the Production Department, most of whom became a supportive family to me who I loved, and I am proud to be able to say have been cherished friends ever since. :)
