Ask Jeff Reilly about his reaction to winning a Sports Emmy for editing and he pauses, then admits “I was stunned.”  Reilly, Editor/Producer at Televersemedia in Connecticut, was honored at last week’s award ceremony for his work on ESPN’s “Ali’s 65”, the last of a three-part project about Muhammad Ali.   Reilly was also nominated last year for his editing of “Ali Rap,” the first contribution to the trilogy.  

The one-hour “Ali’s 65” is a tribute to Ali presented on his 65^th birthday, and the 25^th anniversary of his final professional fight. The program debuted on ESPN in January 2007 and features ‘never before told stories’ from Spike Lee, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Ali’s brother Rahman Ali and Ed Bradley in his final interview.   

Working with producer Johnson McKelvy, who Reilly calls “a terrific filmmaker," the two crafted a story about both the athlete and the individual. "There aren’t many characters as magnamous as [Ali]," says Reilly. "The challenge was trying to show the fighter, and show the man."

The program was off-lined on Avid Express Pro in standard definition, and finished in 720P using Avid DS Nitris.

For Reilly, the project was one of pride and discovery. "I always admired him as a fighter," he admits.  "But, I really didn’t know that much about him as a man. He became much more impressive to me. I really admired his tenacity in everything."

In cutting the show, Reilly says "pacing and rhythm and tone to me are the most important things when it comes to editing. I usually can't stop tweaking things until I’m completely happy. I tried to capture the essence of Ali’s personality and incorporate that into the editing and pacing of the documentary."