What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?

I was an engineering apprentice for a company that builds out television production trucks. Looking back, it ended up being the best job to start in my field, because it truly allowed me to learn the technology behind a TV control room all the way down to the thinnest cable. Thanks to the knowledge gained under the hood, it has helped me understand things on a deeper level.

What project are you most proud to have worked on?

Probably touring with MotoAmerica and World super bike. I was the technical director for the English and Spanish broadcast for BeIN Media Group, and traveled with the league for three seasons. It blended my love for television and motorsport, while meeting amazing people in every city we visited.

What’s the best part of your job? What’s the most challenging?

Definitely the fact that no day is alike. A day for me could start at 5am, directing musical performances, or in the middle of the night broadcasting a soccer game happening on the other side of the world. The most challenging aspect of my job must be the fact that in live television, you have to make split second decisions, all day every day, while ensuring a clean product on the air.

What do you look forward to most as a new Judging Council member?

I look forward to enjoying and keeping up with what the industry is creating, while getting inspired with new ideas along the way. I love being involved in the industry and meeting interesting people and hearing their stories, and what better way to do that, than through their work, which is a reflection of their core identity.

How do you unwind from work mode?

My two passions aside from TV are classic cars, and cigars. My father and I share the classic car passion so I would say I unwind by enjoying car shows with my pops, and enjoying a nice cigar with the people closest to me. I am also very much into golf, so a day out on the course smelling the greens is the definition of meditation in my world.

How do you stay up-to-date in your industry

I try to research constantly on new technology and methods of execution in television. I also try my best to attend demos and shows/conventions as much as I can.

What inspired you to join the field and create the kind of work you do?

My father was a media executive before he retired, so I have been around TV ever since I can remember. I always saw the passion he worked with, and I really admired that. He showed me how beautiful life can be when you work in what you love. Thanks to that, I wake up every morning with smile, excited to go work as someone would be excited to go to a social gathering on a Friday night. My biggest blessing is that TV bug that bit me. The cause for those goosebumps I feel every time that on air tally turns red.

When did you realize your worth?

Before I was a show director, I was a photographer, and I realized my worth when I saw people would compliment my work often, and I realized that I wasn’t putting in a lot of mental effort into the work. It would just come naturally. That’s when I realized that I had a born ability to work with a lens.

What’s a work tool you use every day and what’s one that is obsolete that you wish still existed?

Black and white Camera viewfinders… not a fan of the color Viewfinders…might sound weird to most, but if you know you know!