On Day 3 of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, NBC’s Coordinating Producer of the Games asked me to produce, write and narrate a feature that “would be light and fun” and have it done in no more than 72 hours. Topic, length, style and tone were up to me. “Just make it great,” he said. It took me 24 hours to come up with the idea to do a feature about Olympic athletes legs, 10 minutes to write, and 24 hours to edit. The two-minute feature was the only feature that aired three times during NBC’s Olympics coverage, and it received an EMMY for Writing.

Almost every TV commentator has a “resume reel,” which is a composite video that shows about four to five minutes of their work. The reel is usually requested by producers unfamiliar with your work, so the commentator (generally called “the talent”) sends out their reel for review. The first segment of a reel has to be captivating and compelling, or the talent review is over before it begins. You try to show a variety of your work. Judging the reel is highly subjective. You submit, you wait, you hope.

The International Skiing History Association presented me with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 20__, for my contributions to skiing and broadcasting, I covered innumerable World Cup Alpine racing events, ski jumping, cross-country, and freestyle, including the debut of moguls competition in the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France. My first TV assignment from NBC was a World Pro Skiing, head-to-head race. My career in network television evolved from that single event.