DEENA SHELDON

In 40 years as a camera operator and technical innovator, Deena Sheldon has truly done it all. Not only has the nine-time Sports Emmy Award winner worked nearly every major sports event many times over, but her trailblazing work behind the camera has helped revolutionize the way live sports broadcasts are presented.

“A simple listing of the events Deena has covered over her long career in sports TV is impressive enough and speaks to her mastery of her craft,” said Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Bob Costas, a longtime friend and mentor. “What that list would not reflect is Deena’s endearing personality. It could be 5 degrees below zero in Green Bay, and, even under those brutal circumstances, her ever-present smile, love of her work, and appreciation for her colleagues shine through. Deena is not only great at what she does; she is simply one of the nicest people I have ever worked with.”

On the lengthy list of events for which Sheldon has run camera are 12 Super Bowls, 17 Daytona 500s, 17 Indy 500s, 24 Triple Crown races (including two Triple Crown winners), six US Open Tennis Championships, and three Olympic Games. She spent 12 years shooting ABC’s Monday Night Football and another 12 shooting NBC’s Sunday Night Football in 36 years covering the NFL for various networks.

“Deena is one of the most prepared and knowledgeable camera operators I’ve ever worked with,” said Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Fred Gaudelli, who has worked alongside Sheldon regularly during his 33 seasons producing NFL games for primetime. “Her ability to identify players, coaches, general managers, owners, and wives is unparalleled. Her ability to get those shots prior to being asked is part of what separates her as a member of the crew. Her devotion to making the show great is on display for all to see just by observing her work.”

Sheldon’s accomplishments aren’t limited to sports, however. She has also been an integral part of the coverage of nine presidential inaugurations and three presidential funerals, as well as countless presidential debates and political conventions.

“In the trenches, she was always a step ahead, creating the right shots at the right moment and capturing the big action down to the smallest, impactful, emotional details,” said legendary ABC News director Roger Goodman. “She always had the shot.”

In addition, she is a technological innovator who helped create multiple custom-camera systems and a pioneering 3D producer, having worked on eight 3D feature films and served as co-VP of the Sports and Entertainment Division of Cameron | Pace Group for Oscar-winning director James Cameron and Emmy Award-winner Vince Pace ASC during the heyday of live 3D sports broadcasts and 3D concert films in the 2010s.

“Deena Sheldon is built for this job, mentally, physically, and professionally,” said Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and on-air talent Lesley Visser. “Have you ever seen her high-beam smile right before she goes into the middle of a postgame scrum to get the perfect shot? She’s enormously talented, people love her, and she gets the job done. Those of us on this side of the camera get to thank her every time we work with her. She does everything at the highest level.”

In 1985, she started at CBS O&O WSBK-TV Boston, covering the Red Sox and Bruins. She soon found herself operating the first-base–dugout camera for all Red Sox productions and, by 1986, was regularly running camera on NFL and MLB broadcasts for various networks.

In 1994, ABC’s Monday Night Football director Craig Janoff and producer Kenny Wolfe offered Sheldon her first opportunity to operate a handheld camera, during a Steelers-Vikings game. She would go on to capture some of the most iconic moments in NFL history during 12 years working handheld, sideline cart cam, and multiple other positions on MNF before transitioning to NBC’s Sunday Night Football in 2006.

“Deena is today and was for us at ABC Sports a remarkable and very talented woman, who — during Monday Night Football, the Kentucky Derby, or any other presentation — completely understood the needs of the production and her purpose with fitting in,” said Janoff. “She always fulfilled the need of the producer and director and, beyond that, brought to the table a great attitude and consistency, always with a smile.”

That energy is especially apparent whenever she works the NFL sidelines, where she has arguably made her most indelible mark on the art of sports storytelling.

“Deena has always prepared like a coach, talent, or producer,” said longtime NBC Sunday Night Football director and fellow 2022 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee Drew Esocoff. “She knew every nuance of the subject matter, whether it was for a football game or a horse race. She is the consummate pro.”

In 2005, Sheldon and her longtime partner in business and in life, Jeff Zachary, were asked by Vince Pace to join him at his company PACE. Sheldon and Zachary contributed significant input in designing and testing the 3D-camera rigs that would be used on the early live-3D sports productions and 3D concert films of the early 2010s.

“Deena has been well-known for her camera expertise for years,” said Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and Hall of Fame Chairman Ken Aagaard, “but what stands out about her in my mind is her ability to innovate new types of camera systems that have been able to enhance sports broadcasts.”

Throughout her career, Sheldon has also worked closely with major camera and lens manufacturers, including Canon and Cartoni, to field-test products and provide invaluable feedback to improve products for the industry at large.

“Deena Sheldon is a passionate, strong, trailblazer who contributes to prove women’s excellence as a camera operator in a male-dominated industry,” said Cartoni President/CEO Elisabetta Cartoni

Canon USA National Accounts Sales Director Rich Eilers added, “You always knew how to find Deena at the NAB Show: she would be in our booth on the pedestal holding court by one of our longest field lenses, with a crowd of Canon engineers surrounding her. Her incredible operational knowledge would have all of our engineers busily taking notes to understand from Deena how to make our lenses more comfortable and efficient for the camera operator to use. From those discussions, lots of important functional improvements were made that all big lens operators benefit from today.” – Jason Dachman