Here’s an excerpt from my book about producing the 1992 Official Summer Olympics Highlight Video for NBC Sports and Blockbuster Video, and my work with the legendary Bob Costas. I also produced the Official Dream Team #1 video for NBC Sports and Blockbuster Video.
Once the Olympics ended, I had eight edit stations going simultaneously. My editors were already tired from working long hours and were ready to go home. Unfortunately, I was just beginning and under extreme pressure to finish both highlight tapes in one week. One by one, each editor said they had nothing left. Too worn out. There was no way I could complete the videos. Moreover, the International Broadcast Center (IBC) was being dismantled around my edit bays. We barely had one week until technicians would cut the cords. By the time the final day arrived, all I had left were two edit bays. We had made progress, yet needed more time. I alerted David Neal, who let Blockbuster know about the delay. He allowed me to fly to Dallas with the tapes and complete them at a facility of my choosing… but quickly. I was already dragging, having endured many late nights. Welcome to the Olympics.
After completing the editing in Dallas, I needed the host, Bob Costas, to re-voice and lay down new tracks. David arranged for me to fly to St. Louis where Costas resided, and set up a session at a professional audio house to record his voiceover. We only had one day.
The audio session took longer than planned, so Bob could not finish. He had promised to take his son to the Cardinals game that night. I understood and asked if he would just lay down a few lines that I thought we’d need. He kindly agreed. I thought that would be it, so I thanked him for his time. My plan was to fly back to Dallas that night, but the editing (synching his voice with the video and mixing) took more hours than I expected. My editing crew and I were still there when I received an 8 p.m. phone call from Bob Costas. Wow, was there a problem? No, Bob called to see if I was happy with his work. I said he did fine, but there were spots I thought could be improved with different wording. “We’ll make it work,” I assured him.
Instead, Bob promised to return to the audio house immediately following the Cardinals game to finish the job properly. He wanted me to be satisfied that things were perfect. About 90 minutes later, he was back in the studio, revoicing his segments. I was beyond impressed with his professionalism and dedication to his craft. He understood the significance of this project to NBC Sports.
That’s what makes Costas one of the elite broadcasters — his drive for perfection. On top of that, he knew I planned to fly to Dallas that night and correctly assumed that I missed my plane. He then invited me to stay at his house, which I really appreciated. I had a few more hours of editing to do, however, so I would contact NBC, get a hotel, then fly back the next morning. He insisted, but I simply could not intrude like that. Again, what a class act. We could have had some great conversations about the old American Basketball Association, as he was the voice of the Spirits of St. Louis while I was a teenager attending Dallas Chaparral games.
The two videos were successfully completed and were well-received.