Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Hugh Williams update

"Huge" Hugh Williams worked as a cameraman for Cable News Network after graduation from KU in the mid 80's; first in Atlanta and eventually in Australia where he still works as a videographer and producer for CNN. You never forgot Hugh Williams whether you heard him on KJHK or knew him in person. He's the kind of guy that left an impression - 6'7", smiling, Australian accent.

Hugh and I were students in a video production class at KU's Jolliffe Hall back in 1986 and he impressed me with his flair for shooting and editing. He did a piece where he shot footage of downtown Lawrence street scenery and edited it with music by Kraftwerk. It flowed from shot to shot, something that didn't come easily for most beginners, but it did for Hugh. Our university equipment was ancient but that didn't phase him. There were no camcorders. We carried a large VCR with shoulder strap for location shooting and we had to "white balance" the camera everytime we used it to get the proper spectrum of colors. Hugh's the kind of guy who shouldered a big load and he's seen some big events too.

He witnessed the Mir space station's fall to earth. He got a kiss from Elle MacPherson, a childhood friend. And most recently, Hugh the hero, though I'm sure he wouldn't be comfortable with that moniker - tried to save the life of Richard Carleton after the reporter for the Australian version of 60 Minutes collapsed during a press conference last Sunday, May 7th.

Thanks to Tim Savage for the update.

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