Although I have published a magazine, and currently write and narrate all kinds of books, the bulk of my career has been spent as a television news and documentary film producer, cameraman, editor, and anything else that was needed to get the job done. I won’t bore you with the details here, but I have won quite literally dozens of major awards for my work. I am sharing a good many of my projects here absolutely free. These are documentaries and other, smaller productions of which I am particularly proud. So, get a bowl of popcorn, your favorite beverage, click on the image of your choice, and kick back to watch the show.
The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is a couple of million acres of the most pristine and breath-taking landscape you will see anywhere on this earth. It is also highly controversial. Preservationists want to save this territory for future generations to enjoy. Capitalists want to rip it apart for the small amounts of oil and gas beneath it. Cattlemen want to run huge herds of cattle to forage over it. The controversy has reached all the way to The White House. This documentary was originally produced for PBS.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration wanted to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo moon landings with a definitive documentary on the mission. NASA chose me to tell the story. Growing up as a young lad in the 1960’s, I was enthralled by the space race. The Apollo astronauts were my heroes! Forty years later, I found myself interviewing the men who flew to the moon, and those whose intellect made it happen. This is a pinnacle project in my life and career.
A year after celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic feat, it was time to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA again chose me to produce the documentary. This one would be hosted by Neil Armstrong, the first man to put a permanent boot print on the surface of the moon. Throughout the project I found myself directing Neil in the studio and sound booth. Imagine that! A true childhood superhero of mine, and here I am, telling him what to do and say! An honor I will never forget.
D-Day was the beginning of the decisive campaign that would strip Hitler from his iron grip on Germany and end World War II. The Discovery Channel gave nod to the 50th anniversary of this pivotal day with this documentary that I was fortunate enough to edit. This Peabody-winning project took a couple of years worth of work, more money than half a dozen normal documentaries, and a commitment by all involved that would be the most focused of our careers. After all, we owe those who fought this battle so much more than that.
It’s not all world-changing events in my life. Sometimes I have fun, too. A few years ago I traveled to the tiny Caribbean island nation of Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, which everyone does) with a group of other scuba divers. This little video is the fun result of that trip. This video will be appreciated by anyone who has ever gone diving, and perhaps it will inspire some who haven’t to give this amazing experience a try,