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casual viewer might think NBC has Olympics coverage down to a routine by now. It’s Rebecca Chatman’s job to make it look like that, but behind the scenes is a totally different story.
And now her 10th Olympics, the 2016 Rio Summer Games, will pose possibly the biggest challenge yet, given the network’s planned volume of live prime-time coverage. She took one last vacation in August and is now ready for a wild year — and an even wilder three weeks in Brazil next year.
“It’s going to be exhilarating because … this is going to be the most live Olympics ever, and there’s a lot going on,” said Chatman, who is most often the voice in Bob Costas’ earpiece as he anchors the network’s signature blend of live events, athlete features and stories from the host city.
Rebecca Chatman
NBCUniversal |
Coordinating Producer, Olympics
Chatman came to NBC in 1998 and has seen it all as a producer, working a range of events that includes Wimbledon, Notre Dame football, the U.S. Open and the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. But she has a special place in her heart for the Olympics.
She was promoted in 2014 to the network’s prime-time Olympics show, which remains NBC’s showcase during the Games. It falls to her, Joe Gesue (senior vice president, production) and Jim Bell (executive producer) to oversee the managed chaos of the control room, where dozens of sports and storylines will again compete for TV time in Rio. And like always, at the end of the Games, more than 100 NBC workers will crowd into the control room to watch the event’s closing montage and celebrate.
“You realize the emotions like this are unlike anything else,” Chatman said. “For us, because we work on it so much, it’s like a family, a team. It’s such a special moment.”
— Ben Fischer
