The freelance TV cameraman got his start at Continental Cablevision.
Marc J. Sotiropoulos, freelance sports videographer, will be covering the upcoming NFL Super Bowl for CBS. He is shown here at his home in Ludlow , with the Emmy Award that he received for his work with Fox Sports.
LUDLOW - Listen to the players of each Super Bowl team, and they talk as
if they knew they would get there.
Marc Sotiropoulos did not.
For the freelance TV camera man who has worked his way up the broadcast
ladder, this year's game in New Orleans is a dream come true.
"I didn't know it was coming," said the 46-year-old Sotiropoulos, who
has been added to the crew for CBS, which will telecast Super Bowl XLVII
on Feb. 3.
Sotiropoulos sees this assignment as his best and latest reward for a
career that had humble origins. The 1984 graduate of Springfield's
Classical High School began as an intern with Continental Cablevision,
where his discovered his true calling was in off-air technical
expertise.
"I liked the behind-the-scenes stuff. It was more than two years before
I got my first paid gig," he said. Sotiropoulos grew up in Springfield
and now calls Ludlow home.
The experience, however, was invaluable. By seizing whatever
opportunities presented themselves, Sotiropoulos acquired the all-around
technical knowledge that serves him well today.
"When people ask me about getting into the business, and I am asked
frequently about it, I tell them to learn as much as you can. You can
decide later about what type of work you want to do," he said.
With Super Bowl XLVII, Sotiropoulos will add the NFL's premier event to
a personal resume that includes coverage of the World Series, NBA and
NHL championships and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
As a freelancer who can work for various networks, Sotiropoulos feels he
has the best of all worlds. He was part of the Fox Sports broadcasting
team that won an Emmy Award for its coverage of the 2011 Major League
Baseball season.
Sotiropoulos likes football because the sport lends itself so well to
the broadcast, but he's not choosy.
"TV is TV. I do all different sports, and I don't root for teams. My
gratification is a good broadcast," he said.
Living in New England has nonetheless had its advantages. The annual
playoff presence of the Patriots has kept Sotiropoulos' name on
speed-dial for network playoff coverage.
In turn, that work has allowed his name to become familiar to those in
the industry. Sotiropoulos was part of the broadcast team for the AFC
championship game at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 20, which saw the Patriots
suffer a 28-13 defeat to Baltimore.
Weeks earlier, Sotiropoulos had already been assured he would part of
the Super Bowl crew, regardless of which teams were playing.
Sotiropoulos did not play on varsity athletic teams at Classical.
"I went to work at age 16. I play golf now," he said modestly.
Growing up in Western Massachusetts, his sports heroes included
legendary Boston Bruins superstar Bobby Orr. As he entered the industry,
Sotiropoulos learned to admire an entirely new element of the sports
scene.
"One of the people I really admired was Bob Fishman at CBS. He has
directed (NCAA men's basketball) Final Fours and the Daytona 500 among
many events," Sotiropoulos said. "Not everyone has heard of him, but
within the industry, he's famous."
Sotiropoulos has been a fixture at almost all significant sports venues
in New England. He lists the Boston Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins,
and University of Connecticut and University of Massachusetts basketball
among his credits.
He has also covered the U.S. Open tennis championships and NCAA Final
Four basketball events.
At Super Bowl XLVII, where CBS is introducing new broadcast technology,
Sotiropoulos will man the "All 22 Cam." At CBS, it is also known
casually as the "Phil Simms Cam."
It gives Simms, a former quarterback and now an analyst, a view of all
22 players on the field. Working so often in Foxborough has given
Sotiropoulos unusually good training.
"One of the good things about the Patriots being so good is that when
CBS does them, they send their top crew," he said. "Their success has
helped me. I'm on the bandwagon."
In some respects, working the Super Bowl will be easier than working at
Gillette Stadium. Weather is a factor in New England, but the San
Francisco-Baltimore title game will be played in the covered
Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
Covering the Patriots from high above the 50-yard line, Sotiropoulos
also learned to keep up with the pace of New England's "hurry-up
offense."
What Sotiropoulos appreciates most from this assignment, though, is that
success has not come in a hurry. He recalls his Continental Cable days
with fondness.
"I did a lot of local events. American International College and
Springfield College used to meet in football twice a year, and we did
those, along with Springfield Indians hockey games," he said.
What outsiders might find exciting is the one drawback in his work.
"I'm fortunate. I generally stay in New England. I don't have to get on
a plane a whole lot, but a lot of guys do," Sotiropoulos said. "There is
still a lot of work on nights and weekends, and I've got three little
girls at home."
For Super Bowl XLVII, though, he will make an exception. He leaves on
Tuesday for New Orleans.
The 49ers and Ravens must still settle the NFL championship, but
Sotiropoulos' victory was sealed when he received the phone call from
CBS.
"I'm not a core CBS guy, but they liked my work," he said. "It was a bit
of a surprise that they invited me. I admit it, it's very exciting."