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“A picture is worth one thousand words. ” It’s a saying that has turn into contretype. For Ken Woo, though, those words possess maintained the world-renowned digicam owner and DP for you to a job that provides lasted more than 4 decades. And, more usually than not knowing, his contact framed the enduring shots of some associated with sports’ most memorable times over the past four generations.

“It’s genuinely knowing the game and knowing the athlete that will you’re together with, ” this individual says. “It has not constantly worked, nonetheless it is very just being dialed in there is no benefits happening, understanding all of the alternatives that you have, and just choosing one. It may be a roll with the chop. ”

Whether the idea was Greg LeMond’s remarkable come-from-behind sprint to grab the yellow jersey by simply mere seconds at the 1989 Tour de France, Kerri Strug’s run towards gold upon one leg with this 1996 Summertime Olympics around Atlanta, or even Competition Woods’ famous closed fist pump intended for his first career win at The Experts in 1997, Woo had typically the knack of being at the right place at just simply the right time.

“Kenny Woo is an artist, ” says veteran NBC single point and Sports Transmission Corridor of Famer 's Michaels. “You know whenever somebody is extraordinary any time you can discover ten seconds of video clip and say, ‘I recognize who also shot that. ’”

Ahead of developing expertise that will presented him one of this greatest eagle eyes around sports story, the man or woman lovingly nicknamed “The Wooman” was growing up with the dream of filming athletes around the grandest of stages. Furnished with a makeshift television set photographic camera made out associated with cardboard and a new have a passion for for stills through the likes of popular Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, this individual spent his young several years immersed in the action of freezing time together with his photos.

“When I had been concerning 5 or a few many years old, I would work around the yard taking like I had noticed around sports, ” they claims. “I had the Kodak Instamatic camera the fact that I got for the birthday, after which we acquired a Polaroid i obtained to play with. Yet I was a television-generation youngster; I actually literally grew upwards in front of typically the TELEVISION. ”

With each moving moment in entry of the television collection, his / her passion for often the craft burnt off a very little lighter, but nothing established his heart on fireplace more than the 1968 South america Area Olympics. While most young children his time have been engaged only inside athletic achievements of the individual, the particular young Woo was concerned by the personal lives that will made those runners which they were. Possibly though this was initially the Games received intensive coverage in color tv set, Kenya’s Kip Keino (the eventual gold-medal winner on the 1, 500-meter category) found his attention during a off-the-track story created by simply ABC.

“They confirmed an attribute, an up-close and personalized, regarding him running without footwear around If you have, ” Woo recalls. “I said, ‘Man, that could just be often the coolest thing in typically the world in order to do videos like that. ’ We always loved watching this Olympics, but that has been actually the first time We noticed a personal user profile. That was really a great ‘aha’ moment for myself. ”

Like many youthful adults, childhood ambitions usually get put on typically the back burner. Regardless of whether the idea was his own decision or one influenced simply by somebody else, sports television set was almost a nonfactor as Woo headed to be able to the College of Atlanta. Nevertheless throughout his primary semester as a pre-law college student, the draw of the past has been too robust to keep him away from his camera and also a good sports storyline.

“I realized that pre-law was not that for myself plus turned over to transmissions, film, and television system, ” he says. “I was initially a feature editing tool in the college newspapers, The Purple & Black, and might take pictures and write the feature stories.

“To make funds while I had been in university, ” he or she remains, “I also worked for the PRODUCERAD division; I’d go to course and set up projectors in addition to video cameras for the school. Additionally , My spouse and i was a jazz blank disc jockey for WUOG-FM radio stations. I had a switch about three days a 1 week through midnight until 3: 00 a. m. ”

By the time this individual graduated, Woo had attained an artistic mentality and a work ethic that would get him to the a lot reaches of the entire world. With a new keen eyesight for some sort of shot, convenience in front of a new microphone, tangible experience together with industry-grade products, and posting ability, his bag of tips would expand right after college.

“My first position was from WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, SOUTH CAROLINA, ” this individual says. “It was around an old converted store; my starting pay has been $168 the week. I became hired as a dépanneur. I shot the area news and the gospel indicates that aired about Friday. From there, I gone to A1 mixer connected with local news and on-air switching, which meant chopping all the programming via a few p. m. for you to 6 r. m. like Gilligan’s Tropical isle and Often the Flintstones. Then I possessed to hit the networking on 6 p. michael. for that news just about every day. I bought lots of practical experience, since definitely not only performed I actually get to understand how to use a video camera but I had to know lighting, sound mixing, together with editing. ”

With a steady media gig ideal out involving the academic ranks, Woo satisfied his appetite intended for sports with the saturday and sunday bustle of shooting superior school basketball and hockey for the station’s sports activities department. Accustomed to his or her old methods of filming, he commenced learning innovative technologies and mastering the preferred weapon of decision along with some sort of bit of hijinks.

“None of typically the film guys who had been right now there wanted to use different electronic digital media, ” he / she recalls. “When the RCA TK-76 came out, that they said, ‘Do you recognize how to use this kind of point? ’ I stated, ‘Yes, ’ when My partner and i truly did not. I acquired used video cameras inside college but nothing like sophisticated as that, so We stole the guide and even went home for you to understand how to use the idea. I had the particular assurance to make often the shot, even so the key for you to being successful is studying the camera and knowing what you can obtain out of it. That is really how I acquired my personal start. ”

Around the very same vein, Woo’s first foray into function work originated in the children’s show within Spartanburg. Immediately after transitioning by his first of all job to be able to development stints in Nashville, Kansas City, and Washington, DC, Woo got married and moved to Los Angeles in search of work in sports activities. With associations manufactured in Dick Clark Stage shows in the West Coast, he / she nailed his first task in network television along with CBS in 1982.


Above the decades, his operate has expanded to often the airwaves of NBC, and even his long résumé is actually a washing list comprising 18 Olympics, Tour de Portugal races, Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours, The Owners tournaments, NBA Championships, Flat iron Man World Championships, Three times the Crowns, and more. Around this drive of the lifetime, though, there are bad patches.

“The most topsy-turvy year I had inside my career was in 1992, the last time where at this time there were two Olympics in one year, ” he or she notes. “It seemed to be [the Winter Olympics in] Albertville, France, after that [the Summer time Olympics in] Barcelona. Most of us probably traveled regarding some or five months just before Albertville, stayed at in Albertville regarding five weeks, in addition to emerged home for a couple of weeks before most of us started shooting functions regarding Barcelona, which moved through June of the fact that year.

“I seemed to be executing additional projects, ” they goes on, “with World Number Skating Championships, creating Typically the Masters film and Ultimate Four features intended for CBS TELEVISION STUDIOS. We think, that will year, My spouse and i might have came all-around 270 days. I had been basically raising my little ones by means of phone since presently there was simply no email as well as FaceTime when this occurs. ”

Like a diamond, Woo shone under the pressure of the busy schedule. During of which tumultuous period, he documented the Beginning Ceremony associated with the 1992 Summer Olympics in the only approach they knew how.

“I think the most amazing moment was [the torch lighting] in Barcelona, ” he states. “We did not get for you to practice that simply because they did not want to give this away, and in reality, they'd two several archers. One particular was going to be able to lob it in there, and even the various other one was going to fire on a vertical range, so that was completely live to typically the world, and it performed. ”

Says NBC Scalp of Production Bucky Gunts. “Take the Opening Wedding service and Kenny Woo, and you have your money shot. ”

The minute would end up being a process run intended for what was to come four decades later about Us soil. For often the 1996 Gwinnett Olympics, Woo was preferred again for the money shot in the course of the Opening Ceremony, through which boxing legend Muhammed Ali lit the torch.

“He possessed an eye that will manufactured him one involving those rare folks who also understood how his or her photo fit into the story how the producer and overseer would look for, ” says many other Activities Broadcasting Hall involving Fame inductee Jerry Gepner. “You would only see in awe as there is [only] a compact party of cameramen like the fact that. ”

Four days and nights later, Woo was behind the zoom lens for a new 10-second show that brings together the particular essence of Olympic rivals and has become practically synonymous with U. T. gymnastics.

“You definitely have to plan ahead as soon as you’re out there, ” says Woo. “It’s crazy on the floor, nonetheless I realized how crucial it was to be in that position because I actually have two or 3 different spots when we are doing the vault. My spouse and i knew that was going to be the [important] moment because if [Strug] struck it and they gained, which was going to be the best shot. The woman stuck the landing, fell to her knees, in addition to commenced crawling towards me personally while calling my label. ”

That’s the factor regarding Woo that makes him the most effective at precisely what he will do: his relatable personality along with the ability for you to get to know typically the person hidden behind often the veil of sport. EPL 중계 gave Woo an inside track to the very best available content and information for any Olympic vignettes that will he or she became known with regard to, 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 yrs old, ” he claims. “I got to invest moment with them within their home countries, their natural environment, and even, literally, in their houses. When I’m on the floor plus they’re staying besieged by means of all typically the other mass media, I’m a familiar face since I received to recognize them with a good individual level, consumed foods with them, and had been with them throughout teaching. ”

Says Professional Producer/President, NBC Olympics Production, Molly Solomon, “He got ENG photography to a innovative level. The trust in addition to bond he forged having athletes gave fans unrivaled access. When that particular moment happened, he was generally there, and so had been we. ”

In 2019, Woo provides a trophy case full of computer hardware of which visual storytellers can easily think about. The awards contain 27 Emmys (three Primetime Emmys for the Opening Ceremonies in the Sodium River Area, Torino, plus Beijing Olympics and 3 for Best Short Feature), a good Peabody Award for the focus on ESPN’s 30 for 40 series, and the particular prestigious Olympic Golden Engagement ring for Best Individual Attention Story. The psychological trophy case is full involving memories from his moves as well, but, most important, he has received typically the utmost respect from their peers in the business.

“He has been outstanding and even fearless, ” says Gepner. “I could not tell you the number of instances the particular director would state, ‘Get me the hit, ’ and didn’t need to simply tell him what to do because Ken stomach up with a much better shot compared to the director was initially thinking of. ”

Despite the fact that he continues to work in the field that they fell in love together with as a child, Woo’s career has come entire circle regarding multiple causes.

“Athletes which have been on their very own way up set up in order to me personally and move, ‘God, My partner and i saw of which history you did about [U. S. gymnast] Kim Zmeskal, ’ or maybe, ‘Hey, I remember that, and it was therefore inspiring. ’ You present them an excellent feeling, ” he says. “With almost all these incredible events about the world, you are hanging which includes of often the most unbelievable runners actually created. That’s not really a career; that’s a new dream. ”

For audience at household, his or her musical legacy is protected as the one who observed the balance between imaginative poise and the significance with the scenario.

“I just simply wanted these phones feel such as they were there, ” says Woo. “There will be times to be artsy plus times when a person just want to capture that and be right now there. You don’t want any person to have to translate it because you’re in fact feeling what I’m demonstrating. If you were ranking there, and this you might see. That’s the level of experience I was looking for. ”

Although he boosted the viewing pleasure associated with followers seeing history, his or her workmanship has given immense delight, total satisfaction, and happiness to the little boy who also sat on his living-room floor to watch typically the 1968 Olympics.

“In mil novecentos e noventa e seis, I actually went to Kenya to accomplish an Olympic feature, and am got to meet Kip Keino, ” he recalls. “I revealed to the dog how his story motivated us to become a new cameraman, especially doing capabilities for the Olympics, and exactly how This was something I needed to do. He got me personally back to all of the places that they possessed filmed and demonstrated everyone all the spots, and it was seriously something specific. ”