Although I have no personal experience to base this on, I always hear how different my apprenticeship has been compared to others. When I moved to Charlotte to work with Skip, I was supposed to be running audio for him and only him. That changed rather quickly when Skip moved to LA. This move left me to run audio with other camera guys in the Go To Team family. The dynamic of my apprenticeship changed quickly, but it changed for the better.
Instead of only working with Skip and Fox Sports, I got to work with a variety of different clients and shooters. In doing so, I saw the big picture—I understood what Go To Team does on a large scale. I worked on live shoots, corporate videos, and even ran audio for a few Dateline interviews. The outstanding talent of every Go To Team cameraman is a given, yet each cameraman has a unique approach and distinct workstyle.
Prior to the NASCAR season, I spent most of my time running with Dave Baker. In a lot of ways I was unofficially Dave’s apprentice. I asked a lot of questions at first and Dave answered all of them. One of the coolest shoots I ran audio for was working with Tom Wells. We met up in Charleston, SC to spend the day with Jenny Sandford for a Barbara Walters’ special. We shot b-roll of her morning routine and headed to Columbia where she gave us an incredible tour of the Governor’s Mansion. The only thing that would have put the icing on an already delicious day is if Barbara Walters had actually been there.
Every shoot, no matter who it is with, whether it is Skip, Dave, Tom, Jimmy, or Nick, really helped me become comfortable and familiar with Go To Team’s work culture. While it wasn’t originally in the plans, working with multiple cameramen from Go To Team enhanced my apprenticeship experience, provided me with greater variety, offered depth, and prepared me for my future with the company better than anything else could.
Written by Roger Woodruff