♪♪
Tom_shannon Silver Circle.mov
-In 1966,
a high school senior from Ottawa, Kansas,
showed promise as a cinematographer
with a knack for capturing the personalities of people
and a sense of place.
-First, while we're downtown, I'd like to try on a new coat.
-By the way, I could use a new sport jacket.
-Shortly after, Tom Speer began his full time career
as a television photographer in Nebraska,
at such varied places
as the University of Nebraska Medical Center,
Cinegraphics...
[jingle plays]
-You harvest grain in the fall.
-And Nebraska Educational Television.
♪♪​
-Dateline Nebraska now
in its fifth season, continues...
In 1979, Nebraska's loss was Seattle's gain,
when Tom moved west to join the team at KCTS-9,
Seattle's public television station.
-In those days at KCTS
there was a public affairs unit.
And then we actually created a cultural affairs unit.
♪♪
-Straight down there’s some pretty big waves in there.
-He was just excited about everything.
It was kind of his attitude I thought was contagious
and he could do anything and he would do anything.
And he said, “Let's go do it.”
♪♪
-Along with giving audiences [throat clearing]
an intimate look at events around town....
-I work for Safeway.
I'm a meat wrapper. [laughter]
-Tom continued to highlight places and people
and the issues they faced.
[children’s mobile music]
-You know, when somebody's is here,
you think they're going to be here.
Especially a sister,
because we were younger and, you know,
I thought we had plenty of time.
-16-year-old Opal Charmaine Mills is one of possibly
40 victims murdered by the Green River killer.
[roaring airplane]
-See, planes take off and land toward the wind..
-Tom photographed the experiments of “Bill Nye
the Science Guy,”
and the streets of New York with Nick Stellino.
[speaking Italian]
-This is a pretty unique situation,
you know, it's Nick Stellino’s dinner party,
but it's not... -The heat of the Southwest desert
♪♪
And the
cold at the top of Mount Rainier.
-We worked a lot together,
and so I traped him up over hill.
And Dale...
I mean, that
was really rough sometimes, because I'd make him carry
his camera up the steep slopes that were soggy snow,
and he'd have to. Oh, he was.
He was such a good sport about that show.
It was always an adventure to work with Tom.
You already knew you were going to laugh,
but you knew you might get mad to.
He didn't suffer fools easily, but yet, when he
was involved in the project, you can imagine anyone better.
I think he had the steadiest hand of anybody in town.
-Tom also brought his talents and the ability to carry
all his equipment
at once to the look and feel of travel around the world,
photographing a number of programs
that would become staples
of the public television travel show genre.
-You know, he just sort of helped us invent the style.
People really trusted him, and it's like he can
coax real life out of people in a very special way.
And it's it's
just amazing the quality of work
that he has done all the way along.
-Tom shoots edits and produces most of the stories
that you see on CityStream,
and a lot of the work that you see
on Seattle Channel in general.
So we said
this is the perfect person to host our holiday special. And
here is Tom Speer right now.
Hi, Tom.
-Hi, Marci.
-Guess what, Tom?
You are going to host our holiday special.
She sees a lot of light.
-So we're here at a place that you almost never
will find, Tom.
-The Seattle Channel was more than fortunate to land Tom.
His friendly enthusiasm and keen eye helped make
the channel a go to resource for Seattle arts and culture,
and local public and community affairs.
-Having somebody
who is not afraid to just jump in and do it,
it was a little bit of the Tom Speer Tom Sawyer,
“Hey, let's all get together and, you know, put on a show.
[chorus sings] -Tom has done more than support
and mentor coworkers, build community bridges and innovate
and enhance the countless number
of programs that have crossed his lens:
♪♪
from somehow covering an event with three cameras
all by himself; or earning the nickname “The Human Tripod”
for his steady handheld work,
one could always rely
on Tom to get the shot.
-He's a guy who who has just a huge passion.
I think about what he does, and the city has been richer
for it.
The arts community has been richer for it, and
certainly I have working with him.
He's the hardest working guy in show business.
They say that with James Brown, but I think it's Tom Speer.
I really do.
-Though he is now driving off into the sunset,
Tom Speer can be sure his television family and friends
will continually look to him to help point the way
and inspire us to put on a show.
♪♪