Description
A veteran military photojournalist with over 35 years of EMMY award winning experience in news, news magazine and documentary content. Considered a specialist in remote locations, Weston Productions has pioneered the term "remote" when going live from locations such as Alaska, Greenland and Iceland.
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Russ Weston has been on assignment to every corner of the world. A master at the art of matched-action sequencing, his technique for working wide and close, draws the viewer into the story. Visual story-telling with the use of natural sound is a signature element of Weston's Emmy Award winning work as a Director of Photography.
Weston’s credits include the 5-day live remote broadcast of ABC's Good Morning America from over a dozen locations throughout Alaska. Historically, the largest single televised event ever to take place in the state. A year in the planning, Weston performed as Technical Manager for the project and Photographer/Editor for over 30 taped segments. This was the first attempt by a network to broadcast a show from Alaska with multiple live locations. The project showcased the talents of over 100 technicians from Alaska and garnered the support of numerous commercial enterprises throughout the state. Weston even managed to secure support from the Alaska Air National Guard with transportation of crew and equipment between Anchorage & Sitka in two C-130 aircraft.
When NASA attempted its first rocket launch from Alaska, Weston was contracted to coordinate and engineer the live remote world-wide broadcast of the ATHENA rocket with the Kodiak Star Satellite. This broadcast was made available to hundreds of news organizations around the world in real time from the Kodiak Launch facility and involved the first Ku band remote satellite link ever attempted from Kodiak, Alaska.
With so many successful firsts in remote broadcast technology it is easy to see why organizations such as the Today Show, Late Night with David Letterman, the BBC and many others rely on his expertise in remote broadcast situations. From the northern most city in North America to the spectacular glaciers of Southeastern Alaska, no challenge is too remote.
As a producer and photojournalist Weston’s work is part of many award winning programs such as 20/20, Dateline, National Geographic, Unsolved Mysteries, World of Wonder, Martha Stewart, Oprah, War Stories with Oliver North and numerous Discovery Communications programs. A veteran of covering over 20 Iditarod Sled Dog Races, the logistics of working from remote locations is second nature.
Weston is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the National Press Photographers Association and a member of the Silver Council, the TELLY Awards. A pilot of both single engine land and sea aircraft, Weston is also a graduate of the Department of Defense Jungle, Desert, Winter and Water Survival Training Schools.
Weston Productions has been in the industry since 1972.