When it comes to life on the front bench of a sports production, it is often the technical director who is in the hot seat. The role demands a tremendous amount of focus and clearheadedness, for it is the technical director (TD) who turns the mental vision of the director and producer into a comprehensive story that smoothly takes the viewer from one camera shot and replay to the next.<\/p>\n
At first glance, the position can appear to be nothing more than pushing buttons on a production switcher. But the late Steve Laxton, who served as technical director for NBC Olympics beginning in 1988 and also freelanced for ABC, CBS, ESPN, and HBO, transformed the role for future generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was not just a button pusher,\u201d says Dave Mazza, NBC Olympics, SVP of engineering and Laxton\u2019s predecessor as NBC Olympics TD. \u201cHe would design and develop graphic looks and transition elements, and he would build disks of effects for other TDs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laxton\u2019s creative juices surfaced in his personal life through a love of music, playing guitar, and gourmet cooking. \u201cHe was very thoughtful and caring,\u201d says Nancy Laxton, his widow. \u201cHe loved the beach and was always on the edge with things like cave diving and ice climbing.\u201d<\/p>\n
His desire to push the limits surfaced professionally in a love for the creative process. \u201cHe would get involved in the creative process earlier than most,\u201d says Mazza, \u201cand he had a knowledge of what was possible with the tools.\u201d<\/p>\n
More important, Laxton had strong relationships with his directors, particularly with Bucky Gunts. The two began working together in 1988 on NBC\u2019s late-night show from the Seoul Olympics. Gunts and Laxton would work together on five Olympics, the last four as director and technical director, respectively, of the primetime Olympics broadcast.
\n\u201cHe was very creative as well as a tremendous engineer,\u201d says Gunts. \u201cHe also wouldn\u2019t allow anything to go on the air that wasn\u2019t perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
That perfectionism resulted in long hours of building effects and other elements. Often, he would use subtleties, such as shadows, that would be appreciated only by him and Gunts, but they were part of his quest for perfection.<\/p>\n
Solid, intuitive communication between the director and TD is the key to on-air success. For Gunts and Laxton, that communication often didn\u2019t need words because they both knew what to do in certain situations.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Steve-Laxton-post.jpg\" "\\"Steve-Laxton-post\\"")
Opening Ceremonies like those at the Athens Olympics were a favorite, and Gunts recalls Laxton\u2019s simply giving him a quick look when he thought Gunts was staying with a shot too long: \u201cHe was always making sure the right thing was on the monitor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laxton was born on Oct. 18, 1955, and, the son of Navy officer Roy Laxton, lived in numerous places, including Morocco, Taiwan, Japan, and the U.S. He graduated from high school in Japan in 1973 and attended Florida State University. He began his career at WTSP Tampa Bay, FL, in 1982 and joined F&F Productions, located in Clearwater, FL, as editor in 1987. While there, he began to build a reputation as a top-level talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was extremely talented in all facets of the job, whether the creative side or the editing side. He was a great guy to work with.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 Bill McKechney, F&F Productions VP of Engineering<\/p>\n
In 1988, Laxton made the jump from F&F Productions to NBC Olympics, working on the Seoul Summer Games. That move began a period of his career in which his work influenced a generation of technical directors.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was always very generous with his time and more than happy to teach and spend time with other TDs,\u201d says Gunts.<\/p>\n
Technology Innovator
\nWhile Laxton spent most of his professional time driving production switchers for major sporting events, he also drove innovation and product development for such manufacturers as Sony, Abekas, and Philips. Helping Sony build a production switcher capable of competing with the Grass Valley production-switcher line was a key contribution.<\/p>\nCharlie Steinberg, then president of Sony Broadcast, brought Laxton in as a consultant based on input from those who worked in the sports-production field. Laxton relished the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came to us and used the production switcher extensively,\u201d says Steinberg, \u201chelping us know what features were needed and what features could be cut because they were of little value and, by cutting them out, we could cut costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The real benefit was making the switcher easy for technical directors to use. \u201cYou can do almost anything technically, but the question is, what is required by the technical director and what is the man-machine interface?\u201d says Steinberg. \u201cFor a technical director, you need an absolute perfect interface that is readily operable by the user. And Steve gave us the input to make that happen.\u201d
\nLaxton died of a heart attack on Dec. 2, 2005, but his legacy lives on and, next February, will once again be front and center during NBC Olympics coverage of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.<\/p>\n\u201cHe was the best,\u201d says Gunts. \u201cWe always prided ourselves on being a step above, and he helped us have a very classy and clean look on air. He is sorely missed.\u201d<\/p>\n