Over 40 years of television production from camera operator, technical director to directing.
Dare to be entertained…
Watch my 2005 Directing Reel.
Includes highlights from Prime Time Country, The Other Half, Dennis Miller, Entertainment Tonight, The Jerry Lewis Telethon and more with clips including Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Kermit the Frog, John Williams, Dolly Parton, Wynona, The Dixie Chicks, Dudley More, Kenny Loggins, Reba McEntire and many more.
HOW IT ALL GOT STARTED
Born and raised on a grape ranch near Fresno, California, it took one trip to Hollywood as a teenager to watch a taping of an ABC gameshow, “Split Second”, and instantly I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to direct television shows. I have been blessed to see that dream become reality and over the years I've shot everything from concerts, award shows, telethons, talk shows, beauty pageants, sports, documentaries and even gameshows. Currently, I'm honored to be directing a show that has become a part of the fabric of Americana, JEOPARDY!
In 1974, I decided to attend Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma and major in telecommunications, knowing that the students at the school worked on the Sunday morning shows and the quarterly primetime specials that Oral produced at that time. That allowed me to enter the workforce in 1978 after graduating with both a degree and a resume in the industry.
My career started in Las Vegas, originally to direct a Sunday morning television show for a local pastor, but God had other plans. At that time, many major Hollywood productions were traveling up to Las Vegas to produce their shows: Dinah Shore, Merv Griffin, Hollywood Squares, Mike Douglas, Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, The Jerry Lewis Telethon. I worked on every one of those shows. It turned out to be the perfect place to start a freelance career as a camera operator, then quickly moving into the technical directing position.
On a blind date in 1981, I met Cindy Gardner and knew I’d found my partner for life. We got married in June of 1982 and have two beautiful daughters, Shay who works at Access Hollywood, and Shelby who runs her own production company with her fiancé, Viby Creative. Both daughters are getting married in 2019, Shelby to Daniel Robinson in March, and Shay to Dave Rocha in June. We are blessed to be adding these awesome men into our family. We also have two awesome pups; Jazzy, an Australian Shepherd and Arie, a mini Aussie. When the kids were young, we lived in Las Vegas, Studio City, Chicago, Valencia, Nashville, and almost ended up in New York at one point.
In 1987 I received the opportunity to join the Director's Guild of America when I took over directing the final two seasons of The All New Dating Game. Not long after that, Jerry Lewis shocked me at home one night when he called and asked me to direct his National MDA Telethon from 1991 through 1996. We lived in Nashville from ‘96 through 2000 while I was directing “Prime Time Country” for Dick Clark Productions. When that show wrapped up, it was back to Southern California, directing shows like Dr. Laura, The Other Half, Soap Talk, Dennis Miller and Jeopardy! It’s been a wild ride, and I’ve loved every minute of it.