By Mackenzie Payne ‘17
For Jim Tanker ’72, live television is more than just something he watches on TV. It’s what he does every day.
Tanker has worked as the associate director on the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards and the iHeart Music Awards, as well as seven Olympic games for NBC and CBS. Tanker is also returning to CBS’s Big Brother this summer, which he had directed for 12 years.
“Part of the thrill of live, big-event television is working on a one-time special event and knowing whatever happens, everyone sees the results of your work live,” said Tanker. “Most people have time to go back and reflect on their decisions; you get one chance on live television to make the right choice.”
Tanker started his television career at Bradley University broadcasting instructional programs to regional schools. While Tanker was a student, WTVP was established, and the station started using students, including Tanker, to crew its shows. After graduating, Tanker was offered the production manager position.
“I really fell in love with live television and continued to pursue that aspect of the industry rather than commercials, documentaries and other genres that are heavily edited,” said Tanker.
From there, he worked at WMAQ-TV in Chicago before he decided to work freelance in Los Angeles.
Moving to Los Angeles and sacrificing a regular income ultimately offered Tanker the chance to work for the Academy Awards for more than 15 years. By jumping markets, he opened up a world of opportunities in live television such as the SAG awards, the Grammys and iHeart Music Awards.
Those high-profile opportunities stretch his ability to stay on top of the moment in the spotlight. Live productions with national audiences mean quick-thinking decisions when the script doesn’t go as planned.
“My job on a daily basis is to carefully prepare for all possibilities,” said Tanker. “I think the appeal of award shows is the complex nature of the genre. You have to block (or stage) the moments of dialogue, learn music for the acts that will be performing live and consider all the timing aspects of the show. The nail-biting part is when a show runs long (or short) and to have contingencies to cover those moments. And of course you have to make those decisions in real time.”
The importance of preparing for all possibilities is something that applies to Big Brother. Because of federal regulations, there are strict fairness standards for the members of the Big Brother house. This includes using stand-ins to approximate the behaviors of the cast members when faced with different challenges.
“What the stand-ins do is not always the same as the cast, so we have to be prepared for variations of movement and dialogue,” said Tanker.
Based on his vast experience in the entertainment field, Tanker suggested, “I think the one bit of advice I would offer students is to move to the market you ultimately want to work in and establish a network of colleagues who can assist you and offer job opportunities.”
