Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inductee Deena Sheldon: Nine-time Emmy-winner on Cartoni Camera Supports

Deena Sheldon is a woman filled with surprises. With a warm smile, she has the ability to put everyone around her at ease. But behind that friendly demeanor, it’s hard to shake the sense that this is a woman with a steel resolve. And you wouldn’t be wrong.

In 1977, Sheldon was the National Champion in the Ballroom Formation Team category. During her College years she was also performing with Jazz Dance Companies…but made the decision to concentrate on her passion of being a camera operator.

As a result, Sheldon has become one of the most formidable forces in sports behind the camera for the past four decades and this year, Sheldon was honored by being inducted into SVG’s Sports Broadcasting’s Hall of Fame, Class of 2022. She joins other inductees and sports legends, including Terry Bradshaw, Joe Buck, Roger Goodell, Drew Esocoff, Ross Greenburg, Terry Adams, Manolo Romero and Darrell Wenhardt.

“My Parents instilled in me the belief that I could accomplish anything I wanted to with good work ethics, preparation and always practicing one’s craft. Go out there and do the Best you can. To them, I will be forever grateful.”

She adds, “It also means so much to be trusted as a camera operator by Directors and Producers and to represent companies like Cartoni and Canon.”

As my father once wrote to me in a letter decades ago, ‘To be honored by one’s peers is the greatest honor of all.'”

For Sheldon, the induction into SVG’s Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame is the latest accomplishment in a career filled with highlights. As a camera operator and technical innovator, she’s done it all. Her resume includes nine National Sports Emmy Awards, 12 Super Bowls, 17 Daytona 500s, 17 Indy 500s, 24 Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown races, two Triple Crown Winners, six U.S. Open Tennis Championships, three Olympics, and 11 years shooting ABC’s Monday Night Football and 14 shooting NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Sheldon’s accomplishments aren’t just limited to sports. She’s also been an integral part of the coverage for nine Presidential Inaugurations, three Presidential Funerals, Presidential Debates, Conventions, along with being a Producer on seven 3D Feature Films, where she was the Co-VP, alongside Jeff Zachary, of the Sports and Entertainment Division for the Cameron|Pace Group, for Oscar Winning Director James Cameron and Emmy Award Winner Vince Pace, ASC.

While some people see her as a female trailblazer in a male-dominated industry, Sheldon credits her accomplishments with her philosophy of always being prepared.

“I enjoy preparing for an event by studying, being ready for anything, becoming familiar with my environment and the challenges it may present, along with making sure all of my equipment is ready and tested. You’re responsible for everything you do when you’re out on camera. In a live event, anything can happen, and you have to be ready for it. I am also a part of a Team, the Broadcast Team and the Far Side Cart Team. For the Cart Team, we all make sure that we are moving together as one unit…which I have the utmost respect for the precision driving by incredibly talented Chapman Cart Drivers. Doug Convente, John Trussell, Yo Mallen and Rob Lombardi. Who have always had my safety and that of others and my camera responsibilities, as all of our priorities.”

This philosophy has worked for Sheldon. Since getting her first big break in 1982 while working for CBS Boston, Sheldon has been a trusted presence behind the camera covering everything from Super Bowls to the World Series to America’s Cup and the NBA Finals.

Some of the challenges that Sheldon has encountered at these high-profile events…are braving sub-zero temperatures, for instance at President Barack Obama’s 2009 Inauguration where she was positioned right behind the podium, windchill of 13˚F and the third coldest game in NFL History with a windchill of a -25˚F, January 10, 2016 for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

The Cartoni Magnum has withstood the rigors of NFL Seasons and the different climates she has encountered. Performing flawlessly at cold temperatures.

For Sheldon, her most memorable moments include being behind the camera at President Barack Obama’s First Inauguration, Jan. 20, 2009 and being a part of the 3D Film Crew for a private U2 Concert in Buenos Aires to capture the closeups on stage.

For Sheldon, another highlight was on ABC’s Monday Night Football on December 22, 2003, when Brett Favre threw 399 yds and four touchdowns the day after his father passed away.

She recalls, “I was on the Chapman Cart on his side of the field and zoomed into his expression and his eyes. He exhibited this sense of ‘out of worldliness. He was so focused and determined.”

It’s no accident that for the biggest moments in sports and live events, since 2017, Sheldon has continually turned to Cartoni Camera Supports as her go-to professional support.

“The technology and quality was what first opened my eyes to Cartoni. They understood exactly what was needed in the field, and the Cartoni Magnum pan head is the most technologically advanced in the industry. It provides the smoothest and silkiest movements I have ever experienced,” explains Sheldon.

She continues, “My world changed 100% when Elisabetta [Cartoni] provided me the opportunity to try it out. My mindset changed! I no longer had to be concerned about my pan head. It gave me the freedom to create and go after any shot I wanted to with a sense of confidence, especially when shooting at the end of my 122x Lens with a max of 2000mm. Before using the Cartoni Magnum head, I would have to anticipate a staccato pan or tilt. But no longer.”

Since being introduced to Cartoni, Sheldon has gone on to work closely with the brand to field test other products, such as the Sports 200 heavy-duty legs. She’s used the Cartoni Magnum head for NBC’s Sunday Night Football Seasons, Super Bowl LII, Super Bowl LVI, Kentucky Derby’s, Triple Crown Winner Justify in 2018, and Presidential Debates.

Sheldon has almost a sixth sense for what to anticipate in camera movement. So what does she look for in good camera movement?

“My goal is not to distract away from the subject. The Cartoni Magnum head allows me to make these subtle adjustments in my framing and movements and to have confidence in my panning and tilting ability.”

While Sheldon has made a name for reliability behind the camera, what has meant the most has been able to share the experience.

“I am so grateful to have been invited to incredible games and historical events. What I am also grateful for…is that I have been able to have experienced most of them with my partner in Life, Jeff Zachary. A Steadicam Operator for the past 44 years, who introduced Steadicam to the world of sports, beginning in 1978. He has this innate awareness of his relationship to his subject and his surroundings. I have always been awed by his camera work and positioning and how seamlessly I feel that I am in the center of the action and how I forget that there is actually a camera and operator between what I am watching and the subject.”

“Together we create new technology based on our experiences in the field…to see what we can provide.”