The Canadian Kicks It

Working at El Ocho just became a little less fun, now that Tim Bateson has officially left the building. It was seven years ago (or so) that the wily Canadian first snuck past security and somehow landed an overnight gig in the feed room. There he learned to edit videotape - an ancient art that brought him into contact with many a surly photog; vested ruffians who impressed upon him the wisdom of the street, before weaseling out of doing their late show re-cuts. Inexplicably, this prolonged exposure only made Tim want to join their ranks and before anyone could think better of it, he scored himself his very own fancycam.

From that point on, The Canadian (as he came to be known) soaked up all things photog. He even came equipped with his own bullshit detector - a handy enough device when you’re learning the trade from a bunch of salty blowhards like the crew who keeps El Ocho out of the black. Maybe that's why this UNC-G Grad completed his degree in cameramanthropology so quickly. I first realized how far he'd come several years ago, when I found myself molesting a most unconsenting live truck. Producers were counting backwards in my ear, mourners were crying just off screen and large splotches of rain were darkening my shirt. Worst of all, I couldn't get the cursed audio set-up to work as advertised. The truck was parked at the top of a hill and I was seconds away from dropping the damn thing into nuetral and watching it roll away. That's when Bateson rolled up. With barely a word he walked up to the side of the truck, switched a few cables until the problem was fixed, then left without ever giving me the grief I so richly deserved. The student had become the teacher...

But it wasn't Tim's skills that endeared him to the El Ocho staff. It was...Tim. Unlike most people with tripods in their background, the dude's intensely likeable. Witty and laid-back, he can brighten a room without ever breaking out his light kit. This made him invaluable in the trenches, where deadlines and edit bays can spark delusion, mutiny and repeated trips to the Chinese buffet. Sadly though, our little Canadian is all growed up. A new groom and an expectant father, Tim looked around at what TV news had to offer and decided he could do better. Smart. Man. Drawing on the feelings he got while shooting a controlled burn, he surprised alot of us cynical bastards by admitting he wanted to become ... a fireman. Thus, he's left us, hanging up his camera and tripod for turn-out gear and a more noble profession. While his departure has saddened many who share my logo, we're all very proud of Tim and look forward to harrassing him at structure fires in the future. His abilities and attitude will serve him just as well there as it did here.

Besides, as a photog, he already knows a lot about getting hosed...