The Nashville Crew was one of six Go To Team crews in Charlotte for the DNC. I was one of NBC’s ENG crews. Armed with a Panasonic HDX 900 and Nano Flash I got to work in the Queen City.
Everyday was different. Sometimes our days started with standing by. Eventually we’d get our “marching orders.” The first day I shot a Today Show segment on DNC fundraiser parties with correspondent, Michael Isikoff. We shot an interview with a lobbyist. Afterwards we shot a lot of b-roll of people partying and having a good tim. We even got into a party that was hosted by Jeff Bridges. The next day we shot live shots in the NBC Workspace area.
On the third day the DNC decided to move the last day of the convention indoors. This meant all the staging at the Bank of America stadium had to be broken down. This turned out to be the big story of the day so I spent the afternoon shoot b-roll of crews striking stage platforms and equipment. Later in the day we shot a stand up to tape with Kristen Welker. Then we shot a live shot of President Obama’s motorcade entering the Time Warner Cable Arena. That was probably our longest day but it was awesome to be kept that busy.
We started the last day of the convention on stand by again. We waited for our orders, anxious to get cooking. Later in the day we were told to set up a live shot of Bank of America stadium. Unfortunately they never took the shot but sometimes that’s how it goes in news.
It was truly an amazing experience to be at the DNC. Regardless of political beliefs it was just cool to be a part of history. It was so much fun working for NBC. After the final night of the convention NBC held an after party. It was a blast getting to hang out with producers, correspondents, and other cameramen outside of that sometimes-grueling news environment.
Although I had a once in a lifetime experience I was happy to be heading home to Nashville. There’s nothing like the feeling of sleeping in your own bed after spending a week in a hotel. I can’t wait to see the out come of the election!
