Bucky Gunts wins primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for Vancouver Olympics Opening Ceremony

NEW YORK – August 30, 2010 – Bucky Gunts, Head of Production, NBC Olympics and the leader of the newly formed “NBC Olympics Production Group,” won a Primetime Emmy Award last night for Outstanding Directing for Variety, Music or Comedy Special for directing the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games on NBC. The Emmys are awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

“It really is an honor to cover the Olympics,” said Gunts during his acceptance speech. He also thanked his family, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol and numerous coworkers.

The Vancouver win was Gunts’ fourth Primetime Emmy, having previously won for directing the Opening Ceremony for Salt Lake, Athens, and Beijing. Gunts, who has been with NBC Sports since 1983 and has worked nine Olympic Games, has directed every Olympic primetime program since 1996 and every Opening Ceremony since 2002. For his Beijing work, Gunts also won a Director’s Guild Award and the Opening Ceremony won a Peabody Award. He has also won 20 Sports Emmy Awards.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in February was watched by 190 million Americans on the networks of NBC Universal, making it the second-most watched Winter Olympics ever, surpassing Salt Lake City (187 million) and ranking behind only the tabloid-fueled Lillehammer Games.

MORE ABOUT BUCKY GUNTS:

One of the most respected live television directors in the industry, 20-time Sports Emmy Award and four-time Primetime Emmy Award winner Bucky Gunts was promoted to Head of Production, NBC Olympics in 2002 after serving as Coordinating Director of NBC’s Olympic coverage beginning with the 1996 Atlanta Games. As the Head of Production, Gunts’ day-to-day responsibilities include supervising all broadcast and cable production units. In particular, Gunts is at the forefront of NBC’s continued evolution of the use of new technology to enhance its coverage of the Olympic Games.

In June of 2010, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol announced that Gunts would lead the newly formed “NBC Olympics Production Group,” which is responsible for overseeing all production elements for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Gunts has played an integral role in NBC’s Emmy Award-winning Olympic coverage, directing NBC’s primetime show for every Olympics since the 1996 Atlanta Games. He also directed every Opening Ceremony since the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics and won a Director’s Guild Award, Peabody Award and a Primetime Emmy for the Beijing Opening Ceremony.

Gunts has directed "Football Night in America” since 2008, and directed the Super Bowl XLIII pregame show in 2008.

He returned to NBC Sports from NBC News in February 1994 when he was named Coordinating Director for NBC's 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In addition to his Olympic duties, Gunts has served as the lead director for NBC’s Emmy Award-winning golf coverage. He also worked on NBC Sports’ coverage of the NBA and NFL. Gunts has directed NBC Sports' U.S. Open Golf coverage since 2005; the 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2002 Ryder Cup; and handled directing duties for the 1994-97 NBA and NFL seasons. This is Gunts' second stint with NBC Sports—he had previously served as an NBC Sports Staff Director from 1983 through 1990, before directing NBC News' "Today" show from 1990 through 1993.

During Gunts’ first run with NBC Sports, he served as a key director of NBC's Emmy Award-winning coverage of the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. In 1988, he directed the studio portions of both the late-night coverage and the telecast of the Opening Ceremony of the Seoul Olympics, for which he also earned an Emmy. Additionally, Gunts directed NBC's NFL pre-game show "NFL Live" for six years, as well as the Super Bowl pre-game shows in 1986 and 1989. He also directed coverage of numerous Major League Baseball games—including the 1987 National League Championship Series.

Gunts began his career in his hometown, Baltimore, Md., as a Staff Director for WBAL-TV from 1972-78. He later worked at KPNX-TV in Phoenix, Ariz., and directed newscasts at WNBC-TV.

Gunts graduated from Cornell University in 1972 with a degree in economics. He was a member of the school's 1971 NCAA-champion lacrosse team. Gunts and his wife, Dennyse, live in Wilton, Conn., with their two children, B.J. and Kate.