{"id":1779,"date":"2023-07-31T15:39:11","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T19:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/?post_type=inductees&p=1779"},"modified":"2024-01-10T16:47:27","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T21:47:27","slug":"jeff-zachary","status":"publish","type":"inductees","link":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/inductees\/jeff-zachary\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Zachary"},"content":{"rendered":"

It isn\u2019t very often that a child who finds themselves in front of the camera becomes enraptured by what is going on behind the camera, but that is what happened to Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer\u00a0Jeff Zachary<\/strong>\u00a0who, as a child, appeared in Armour hot dog commercials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was more intrigued by the behind the scenes and shooting it,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n

That intrigue at a young age resulted in a Hall of Fame career as Zachary is considered one of the all-time-great Steadicam operators. He was the first person to bring Steadicam to NFL coverage, Super Bowls, PGA Golf, MLB All-Star Weekends and the Home Run Derby, the Kentucky Derby, FIFA World Soccer Finals, college football starting in 2006 at the BCS Rose Bowl Championship Game, the XFL, and the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethons. And he also was an innovator, creating specialty camera systems as well as playing a big role in 3D handheld, Steadicam and hard camera rig designs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always intrigued with adding lateral movement to a shot,\u201d says Zachary of his love of running a Steadicam. \u201cI was always thinking about if I could get 20 yards in front of the receiver so that when the ball drops in near me, I can take off and make it to the goal line with them, providing a lateral stabilized tracking shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zachary says he is grateful for Director\u00a0Craig Janoff<\/strong>\u00a0deciding to incorporate the Steadicam for the National Anthem and game coverage at Super Bowl XXXIV as it then led to\u00a0Don Ohlmeyer<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Drew Esocoff<\/strong>\u00a0incorporating the Steadicam for the whole next NFL season. In turn, Esocoff and\u00a0Fred Gaudelli<\/strong>, tapped it for the next 17 years for Monday Night Football and then Sunday Night Football.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am grateful for allof their support as well as the support of Hall of Famer\u00a0Dick Ebersol, Mark Lazarus, Ken Goss, Mike Sheehan, Sam Flood, Mike Meehan, Pierre Moossa, John Roche, Tim DeKime, Diane Solomon\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Rob Hyland<\/strong>,\u201d he says. XFL Director\u00a0John Gonzalez<\/strong>\u00a0would also embrace Steadicam.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially I was allowed on the sidelines, then onto the field, but only to the numbers,\u201d he says. \u201cThen after \u2018good behavior\u2019\u2026 then to the huddle\u2026 then to the endzone. Getting to that point took time and the trust of the NFL.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zachary has received 11 Sports Emmys, often working at some of the most important events in sports history. Among the highlights of his 47-year career as a camera operator and Steadicam operator are working the Ali vs. Holmes fight in 1980; FIFA World Cup Finals 1994; 26 NBA All-Star Games\/Slam Dunk Contests; 12 Super Bowls; 15 Kentucky Derbys; 13 MLB All-Star Home Run Derbys; U.S. Open Golf; Indy 500; 36 years of ABC\u2019s\u00a0Monday Night Football<\/em>, ESPN\u2019s and NBC\u2019s\u00a0Sunday Night Football<\/em>, Fox NFL, CBS NFL, and TNT NFL; 25 Pro Bowls; World League Football, XFL, NFL Network\u2019s\u00a0Thursday Night Football<\/em>, and the College Football Association (CFA); F1 Las Vegas 1982 and F1 Phoenix 1989; nine Presidential Inaugurations; presidential debates; Democratic and Republican Conventions; four Olympics; 33 years of boxing; 7 Ironman Triathlons; The Masters, The Ryder Cup, and NCAA Final Four in 3D; X-Games; World Figure Skating; The Skins; the Goodwill Games; and two America\u2019s Cups. He has also been an operator and producer on nine 3D feature concert films.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it all starts when a director, producer, and executives invite me to join them for their productions and to be able to experience some memorable moments, both in sports, historical events, and in film,\u201d he says. \u201cWithout those invites, I don\u2019t have the opportunities in my career that I am so grateful to have experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Chris Matthews (13) celebrates his touchdown catch during the second quarter in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Key moments in Zachary\u2019s career included in 1987 when ESPN Director\u00a0Marc Payton<\/strong>\u00a0and Producer\u00a0John Wildhack<\/strong>\u00a0asked him to join the\u00a0Sunday Night Football<\/em>\u00a0package; in 1991 when\u00a0Ken Aagaard<\/strong>, then working for NBC Sports, asked him to use the Steadicam for the first time on a live broadcast on a vehicle mount for the Moscow Peace Marathon; in 1992 when ABC\u2019s\u00a0Craig Janoff<\/strong>\u00a0and Producer\u00a0Kenny Wolfe<\/strong>\u00a0asked him to join\u00a0Monday Night Football<\/em>; and working with legendary Director\u00a0Roger Goodman<\/strong>\u00a0with ABC on Super Bowl half time shows, Rose Bowl parades, Presidential inaugurations and funerals, and the\u00a0Oprah Winfrey<\/strong>\u00a0special with\u00a0Michael Jackson.\u00a0<\/strong>Zachary continues to this day to work on high-level historic and special events with Director\u00a0Jeff Winn<\/strong>. And then there were 26 years working on the NBA Slam Dunk contest with Director\u00a0Lonnie Dale<\/strong>\u00a0and Producer\u00a0Peter Lasser.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Says Gaudelli: \u201cJeff is one of the finest camera operators I ever worked with. He has many qualities that earned him induction to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, but none larger in my book than creating a position that didn\u2019t exist and then turned into a mainstay camera on all major sports telecast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lighting the Spark<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It was a few years after the Armour hot dog commercials, in 1969, that Zachary\u2019s future career came into sharper focus. His family was living in Las Vegas and his mother,\u00a0Joyce Wilson-Zachary<\/strong>, took him to\u00a0The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSusan Anton was singing and I told my mother, \u2018I want to do that!\u2019 and she then asked, being a singer herself, \u2018be a singer?\u2019 and I said, \u201cTo be a cameraman,\u201d says Zachary. Zachary watched the floor monitors and the big screen on stage and what the camera operators were focusing on. He was intrigued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was seeing the line cut when they were coming in and out of breaks,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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A Super-8 camera jump started Zachary\u2019s interest in shooting with a camera.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Zachary\u2019s formative years had several kismet moments, like attending the telethon or, getting a Super 8 film camera with a Slow Motion Feature at 12 years old. And in the seventh grade another teacher, Stan Johnson, asked if Zachary and some classmates wanted to turn two empty classrooms into a TV studio, which included childhood friends\u00a0Steve Curtis<\/strong>\u00a0(who later would become a production partner) and\u00a0Allan Wells<\/strong>\u00a0(who is now a TD in the entertainment industry). Zachary was working as an intern at KLAS Las Vegas and managed to get the station to donate some equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey donated a news desk, weather map, a small transmitter, and a switcher,\u201d says Zachary. \u201cWe did weekly newscasts but mainly we recorded the local PBS station and transmitted it to 52 classrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also very influential was the well-respected\u00a0Mr. Bob Amblad<\/strong>, a local Vegas DJ and teacher, who invited Zachary and his partner Curtis to join him at his state-of-the-art broadcast facility.<\/p>\n

In 1978 Zachary\u2019s family owned their own real estate and video production company, called The Zachary Company, creating videos of the real-estate properties they were representing. The goal was to shoot high-quality video walk throughs of the properties and then provide buyers a way to see multiple listings without having to leave their air conditioned office in Vegas. Zachary, along with his father, John, his mother, production manager Tony Bond, and his brothers Tony and Roy developed an industry first: \u201cReel T Vision.\u201d They also landed a contract with the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Bureau and shot commercials for hotels, live entertainment shows, casinos and restaurants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only way to accomplish that quality was to be fluid, and we tried a Dolly, but it was too time consuming to operate,\u201d recalls Zachary. \u201cMy father and I were watching the movie\u00a0Bound for Glory<\/em>\u00a0and there was a camera shot where the cameraman was walking through the set with real fluid movement. So, we purchased the product, a Steadicam, from Cinema Products.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amazingly, it was only the 13th Steadicam ever built and Steadicam inventor\u00a0Garrett Brown<\/strong>\u00a0(also a Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer) worked on\u00a0Bound for Glory.<\/em>\u00a0Two years later, the two would meet at the first Steadicam workshop that Brown and his wife, Ellen, ran in Rockport, Maine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI received very valuable advice from Garrett: to keep the horizon level at all times and how little pressure to apply to the gimbal,\u201d says Zachary. \u201cThose two pieces of advice really changed the way I was operating and shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Beginning\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The launching point for Zachary\u2019s professional career was a local kids news program called\u00a0Kids Watch,<\/em>\u00a0which he co-created, produced, directed, and shot with Curtis. They shot the show at KLAS Las Vegas (where they were interns) as well as KTNV Las Vegas and they were also co-MDA Youth State Chairmen for the MDA Jerry Lewis Association. Each year, there was an episode of\u00a0Kids Watch<\/em>\u00a0that they dedicated to the Jerry Lewis Telethon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe received a letter from\u00a0Jerry Lewis<\/strong>\u00a0that he loved it and he wanted to make sure that we were invited to his production meeting for the Telethon that year,\u201d says Zachary.<\/p>\n

A year later,\u00a0Packey Brown<\/strong>, the production manager for the Telethon, hired Zachary to work on the Telethon as both a handheld and Steadicam operator. He would work on the telethon for the next 13 years, most of them with legendary Director\u00a0Arthur Forrest<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned so much because of Jerry Lewis\u2019s deep knowledge on every aspect of production, like to always be on headsets and always be ready and standing by for whatever he wanted to do,\u201d recalls Zachary. \u201cWorking with Jerry prepared me for what was to come in my career. It was his attention to detail and the philosophy of always being ready and in position for any moment. All of the directors and producers that I have had the great fortune to work with had the same level of intensity and preparation of being ready for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

That exposure, and being in the Las Vegas market, led to a call in 1980 to work on the Larry Holmes and Muhammad Ali fight documentary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my first sporting event with the Steadicam and once the fight started, I had free rein,\u201d he says. \u201cI eventually made my way to the apron and, as Ali was wrapping up his career, I had the opportunity to document it firsthand.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1981 his sports-related career took another step when a ringside handheld cameraman was not able to work a fight for ESPN.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen ESPN launched, there were a lot of new opportunities,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI was being offered everything from gymnastics to CART auto racing Indy car series to NASCAR and golf and working with directors, producers, mentors, and executives, like Hall of Famers\u00a0Don Ohlmeyer, Steve Bornstein, Howard Katz, Steve Anderson, Scotty Connal, Drew Esocoff,\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Geoff Mason<\/strong>. And there were others at ESPN who were key to my success, like\u00a0Mike Wells, Steve Beim, Paul Spengler, Tim Corrigan, Terry Linger,\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Ralph Mole<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

When ESPN\u2019s College Football package in 1986 started up Zachary had a chance to work with Payton, Director Chip Dean and Hall of Fame Producer Gaudelli. While working with ESPN Zachary also was able to work with HBO (ultimately for 33 years) alongside Payton and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Ross Greenburg on big-time fights like Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvin Hagler, and the legendary Mike Tyson fights.<\/p>\n

By the time the late \u201980s rolled around, Zachary seemed to be everywhere: with ESPN for\u00a0Sunday Night Football<\/em>, with NBC for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul (using a new wireless system), and bringing Steadicam to golf coverage for the first time on the Golf Channel in 1997 with Director\u00a0Emmett Loughran<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The 1992 America\u2019s Cup in San Diego is another fond memory for Zachary. Following the U.S. win, led by Syndicate Owner\u00a0Bill Koch<\/strong>, Koch did the unexpected and Zachary was there to capture it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working with ESPN\u2019s Producer\u00a0Jed Drake<\/strong>, Associate Producer\u00a0Jamie Reynolds<\/strong>, and Director\u00a0Doug Holmes<\/strong>\u00a0and, after six months of racing, it\u2019s time for the trophy presentation,\u201d he says. \u201cI see someone running across the boat at a speed that means he is definitely not going to be able to stay on the boat. I just stayed with it as Koch went off the boat and swam to the dock, to hoist the America\u2019s Cup. That was a unique and very exciting moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Capturing Steadicam shots at Triple Crown races was always a challenge due to the track as well as navigating in between horses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In 1997, Zachary had the chance to do another first as legendary ABC Sports Director\u00a0Craig Janoff<\/strong>\u00a0brought the Steadicam to the post parades at the Triple Crown races. Zachary had covered the Kentucky Derby that year with a handheld and he suggested using the Steadicam to get a more stabilized image, especially going through the deep sand, for the next race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Steadicam has been in place since that day, as it was the perfect tool for that shot,\u201d says Zachary.<\/p>\n

Adds Janoff: \u201cJeff\u2019s energy and commitment was key to the success of the shows he resided on and the networks and viewers benefited greatly! He brought a great vibe to our telecasts and always demonstrated a top-flight attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Innovator by Trade<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Always an innovator (in 1979, he was part of a design team for a Steadicam helicopter mount), he also introduced, along with his longtime partner in business and in life (and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer)\u00a0Deena Sheldon<\/strong>, the RoverCam at CBS\u2019s PGA Championship and Fox\u2019s US Open Golf, inventing the BoatCam where it has been used for NBC\u2019s Super Bowl LVI and CBS\u2019s Golf coverage, providing a new perspective for sports coverage. And he and Deena continue to innovate, working with Canon\u2019s\u00a0Rich Eilers<\/strong>, and Cartoni\u2019s\u00a0Elisbetta Cartoni<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Jacques Goyard<\/strong>, who have all been very supportive in new ventures.<\/p>\n

He was also part of the team and instrumental in contributing to the design and operating, for Innovator\u00a0Vince Pace, ASC<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Patrick Campbell<\/strong>, the first 3D Steadicam used on the U23D Concert Film; Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, in 3D; and Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, in 3D.\u00a0 He was also the first to demo it in 3D for various sports, such as the NFL, NASCAR, NBA, X Games, Tennis, Golf, WWE, and MotoGP.<\/p>\n

Pace and Oscar Winning Director\u00a0James Cameron<\/strong>\u00a0brought Zachary and Sheldon on as co-VPs of the Sports and Entertainment Division of the newly formed Cameron|Pace Group. The pair played a major role in producing and shooting live 3D sports broadcasts, including the first-ever live transmission of 3D during the 2007 NBA All-Star Game with the NBA\u2019s\u00a0Steve Hellmuth<\/strong>\u00a0(also a 2023 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee) and\u00a0Mike Rokosa<\/strong>, as well as the Ryder Cup, The Masters, and the NCAA Final Four Championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had the time of our life as we loved the 3D images,\u201d he says. \u201cWe wanted to be part of 3D and shoot everything possible because we just loved the depth to the images, and it was about great friendships and trying to tweak it and make it better. And Vince and James Cameron gave us all the tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zachary says he owes a debt of gratitude to everyone for what has and continues to be a dream come true career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat this career has also done for me is left the most indelible mark in my heart with the many friendships that I have with so many in this industry,\u201d he says. \u201cA family, along with my own, that I cherish.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1780,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[61],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/inductees\/1779"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/inductees"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/inductees"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}