Utah broadcast crews capture top Olympic moments in Beijing

BEIJING — The Olympics are always filled with memorable moments and images we’ll never forget. But did you know, some of those shots, and the sights and sounds of the Games, were captured by a Utah broadcast crew?

It’s just another example of how Utah is tied to the Olympics, beyond just athletes and coaches.

When Alex Hall and Nick Goepper, both from Utah, won Gold and Silver in the men’s freeski slopestyle competition, the crew doing the camerawork and production at that venue is from Utah. And getting those perfect shots is something they take a lot of pride in.

You would need more than two hands to not only run a broadcast truck by yourself, but also to count the number of Olympics Nate Hill has been involved with.

“It’s been a few Olympics for sure,” Hill said.

Beijing is number 13. But Hill, who lives in Utah, will always remember the Atlanta Olympics, and then, the Salt Lake City Olympics, for giving him his start.

“When the Olympics came to the U.S. in Atlanta in ’96, they hired a lot of freelancers. And I was a young freelancer there,” Hill said. “I did replays for that Olympics, but then, it really, the big break for me was the Olympics coming to Salt Lake City.”

He made a bunch of connections during the 2002 Games. To now, he runs a broadcast production team, covering all kinds of sports, including the Olympics.

“I put together a team, a lot of Utah people, because they’re great at what they do,” Hill said.

That’s right — most of the people on his crew, capturing some of the moments you’ve seen during these Olympics, are from Utah.

“I work all around the world and all around the country, and I would put Utah crew up against anybody, and they’re great,” Hill said. “They’re hard working. Everybody gets along. We love working together. And yeah, I take them everywhere.”

And for the second time at an Olympics, Hill also brought along his son Adam.

“I started out doing this when I was so young, you know, pulling cables when I was 13 for my dad and everything. And it’s great kind of being in a family business, working with him,” said Adam Hill, production crew camera operator. 

“Utah’s kind of interesting that way where it’s kind of a family trade,” Nate said. “A lot of father/sons, a lot of mother/sons that are in production.”

But there’s nothing quite like an Olympics assignment — nearly a month where you have to be at your best because the athletes are the best.

“I definitely feel pressure,” Adam said. ” I mean, it’s definitely not as much pressure as like directing, or some of those guys in the truck. Those guys have a really stressful job.”

No matter the pressure, though, they feel it’s an honor to broadcast the Olympics — knowing the images they’re capturing are being seen around the world, even back home in Utah.

“No, I love it,” Nate said. “I mean, it’s the highlight of my career. I do a lot of different kinds of productions. But man, the Olympics is nothing better.”

They really love when an American wins a medal, especially if that athlete is from Utah — which, in the Winter Olympics, there are quite a few of them.