Every now and again, I’ll be catching up with those who call sports or elements of sports their job, profession, livelihood — to help give those outside of the business a better understanding of what goes on around the game…
To kick things off Portland native, old school R&B/hip-hop and shoe game aficionado, John Lukrofka of Portland Trail Blazers Broadcasting (have never seen the guy not with a smile on his face, in a good mood) shares his thoughts on a variety of topics within the business of sports television broadcasting, from how he got started to his hard-working career these days.
You are Portland through and through. From graduating from Grant High School to studying at Mt. Hood Community College and working for the Portland Trail Blazers Broadcasting, what do appreciate the most about that journey from then until now?
Growing up in Northeast Portland definitely impacted me in many ways. You might say it made me tough. It laid the foundation for sure, but I didn’t really have a plan coming out of Grant. I think I needed to struggle for awhile to really figure out what I wanted to do in the real world. I washed cars on a lot for 8 years after high school, minimum wage.
Now don’t get it twisted, I wouldn’t give up that experience for anything. It made me the man I am today. Living check to check for that long puts a lot of things in perspective.
When the opportunity came across to makes some changes in my life, I jumped on it and never looked backed.
I didn’t necessarily start at the bottom, but I was damn close. Getting through that struggle on my own, grinding day in day out, makes the success I’m having now that much more fulfilling.
Was working in broadcasting on the television side always something you saw yourself doing and how did you come to work for Trail Blazers Broadcasting?
No way! If you would have told me I’d have the pleasure of working on the Blazers TV crew, I would have said you were crazy! I attended Mt. Hood CC for their Television Production program. For our final project, I made a short documentary about basketball and the love for the game itself. How it was engrained in our lives and how it played a part on who we were as kids growing up. I think after I made that I needed to be a part of sports broadcasting in some capacity or another. I had a passion and respect for sports. I had a vision of how a real sports fan wants to see the game covered. And if I had a chance to actually earn a living working in that industry, it was a no brainer. Got a call from a local company hiring guys to set up and hold cables for the camera guys on the court, and the rest is history.
I believe your title now is EVS operator – what does that position entail and what other positions have you held with the company?
I am in charge of all the replays, highlight packages you see and music videos. We work with the referees to make sure they get the call right. I’ll also edit sound bites from interviews we get with the players or coaches. Basically when you see the super slo-mo replays of dunks, touchdowns, players reactions etc, thats me and my boys.We are constantly recording and saving everything that happens out there on the court/field. Save everything onto a hard drive and move on to the next city and do it all over again.
What do you appreciate the most about what you do?
Couple things — this career has allowed me to go to places and meet people around the world I never would of had a chance to do back on that car lot. I’m a people person and this is the field to be in if you want to meet new people, good or bad. Also I can walk away from a broadcast feeling proud. Knowing that I/we the crew busted our tails for 10 hours that day and brought a sporting event into fans living rooms and bars across the world. Sounds kinda’ cheesy, but I remember watching Blazers games and boxing matches with my family growing up and it was always something I looked forward to. An event that brought us all together. You always remember where you were when Jordan hit that game winner against the Jazz in the Finals or when Buster Douglas knocked out Iron Mike! I like that I have a hand in making that happen for another generation. Sports is in my blood man! I guess that and whenever you see something you put together show up on Sportscaster, that’s always very cool!
What is the toughest part?
As cool as some of the places are you get to visit, its real tough being away from the family. As I type this at 35K feet aboard Blazer1, I am on a stretch of either working or traveling 30 of the past 35 days. As a freelancer, you never quite know when that iPhone is going to ring. So you jump on that work when you can. Especially working in a market like Portland that doesn’t have a lot of broadcast opportunities with us only having two major sports teams, you know going in you are going to have to grind it out on the road to get those bills paid. I would say the other part that might get to some is the stress level. This is LIVE TV we’re talking about. Some guy messes up behind his desk, nobody notices. I screw up, it gets tweeted about!
Walk me through a typical work day, especially on game day?
Each sport I cover is different. As far as an NBA show it’s jammed packed. We show up to the arena 6-7 hours before tip off. We broadcast out of a mobile studio usually parked down in the loading dock of the arena. I travel hard drives with me that I load up with highlights from past games and other elements. Load them into my EVS machine and get to work editing. Like today for example, our matchup was CJ McCollum vs James Harden. I pick plays from past games showing their strengths and what they do on the court. Got to give good visual examples of what our announcers Mike Barrett and Mike Rice are trying to get across to our viewers. What to expect from them that night. I also build more artsier pieces that are like music videos that set the tone for the night. Once the game gets going it’s organized chaos.
I work with an amazing crew. Pretty much the core has been together for over a decade. John Burns our technical director, John McConnell runs our graphics. Producer Dan Hyatt joined us this year and Jeff Curtin is our director. I would consider not only a good friend, but a mentor. He cuts a damn good basketball show. I mentioned the Mikes, not only do they know hoops inside and out, they are a blast to work and travel with. That’s my road family! And let us not forget we won an Emmy for Live Sports Production in 2014.
If I remember correctly, back in 2012 – 2013, you hosted a web series on Blazers.com about life on the road. What did you enjoy the most about working in front of the camera? And is there any chance we’ll see more of that in the future?
Road Trippin’ w/ Big John! Oh I have fond memories of doing that. I was always told by my guys that I had a face more for radio than TV, but I think I did a damn fine job. I’ve never had a problem striking up a conversation or a relationship with people. I don’t care if you make 50,000 a year or 5,000,000 . I think thats what helped the guys like Nic Batum, Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, Mo Cheeks and the boys feel comfortable around me. I wasn’t asking them about rebounds and pick and rolls, I was talking to them about music, movies they’d seen or what they had for lunch. One of my episodes with Hersey Hawkins got picked up by Yahoo Sports and another with Brandon Roy and the guys spent a few precious moments on the front page of NBA.com. You might say for one day I was the face of the NBA along with the logo himself Jerry West! They decided to go a different direction and not bring it back. To be honest I think my fans demand a return of the show. Let’s work on that! Funny thing is with Instagram/Twitter/Periscope and other social outlets, I could probably just do it myself huh? #RoadTrippin’
Those who follow you on Twitter and Instagram also know you travel a ton when not working for Trail Blazers Broadcasting. You do work for HBO Sports and the Golf Channel…am I missing anything? How did you get involved with those outlets?
I hooked up with my HBO Boxing family during the NBA lockout a few years back. What a great experience that has been! Working with the best of the best right there when it comes to covering the “Sweet Science” Jim Lampley, Max kellerman, Roy Jones Jr. Sitting in production meetings and looking to my left and right and seeing these guys at the next table…..Goosebumps. Done some great fights in places like Buenos Aires and London. Pacquio, Maywether, you name it, I’ve worked their fights.
And on the complete opposite end of the spectrum Golf. Yes, I’ve worked every TPC Sawgrass, US Open, PGA Championship and a few Ryder Cups since 2008. I work the LIVE FROM show for The Golf Channel. Now as slow and methodical the game of golf is, the broadcast side of it is the complete opposite. It’s bananas! It’s safe to say I’m the odd man out at those tourneys though. Not too many people show up to Pebble beach in Air Jordans and a Trail Blazer hoodie! Absolutely love those guys as well. Class acts!
Those two and the Blazers are my main employers, but if I’m free, I’ll work anything they want to cover. Ducks and Beavers football games. Timbers soccer games, you name it. Even worked a few dog shows out at the Expo Center!
How has the business changed since you first broke in?
As with other industries out there, it has to be the technology! Man, it seems like every few months something new comes out that can change how we do things. Whether it’s a new kind of HD camera or a way to walk away at the end of the night with a copy of our show. Used to be DVDs….. now we have this little box that lets me record our game to a flash drive and slap it on laptops and iPads on the team plane. You gotta stay on top of it or it can be overwhelming. I think that’s why Blazers Broadcasting is among the best. We’ve got guys that can harness that technology and use it to our advantage. I’m learning new stuff almost every show, and I love that about my career…… never gets stale.
What advice would you give to those looking to get started in a television broadcasting career?
You have to get some sort of a foundation. Local schools now have these “multi media” programs that will plug you right in. Once you get out there though, it’s on you. As a freelancer in this industry, it’s cut throat. Sink or swim time. Like I said earlier, when you make mistake, there’s no UNDO button. It’s out there. I’ve seen guys freeze up on shows and never see ‘em again. They’re probably out there washing cars now!
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