KPBS

On My Way

KPBS | By Tom Karlo

Published May 3, 2010 at 3:00 AM PDT

This story was published more than 13 years ago.

KPBS General Manager in his first job as camera assistant in the film department.

Paul Marshall was an award winning documentary filmmaker and one of the founding staff members of KEBS TV. He also happened to be my uncle. With his encouragement, I decided to pursue a career in TV. And so, in 1973 I moved to San Diego, began attending SDSU, started working for KPBS, and got married. What a year!

My first role at KPBS was as a camera assistant in the documentary film department. There was an overload of projects and a small staff. So when an opportunity to be the cinematographer for a documentary on the Asian Court at the San Diego Museum of Art came up, I convinced (ok, I begged) management to let me be the director of photography. I had never been assigned a role like this.

They agreed and my work was awarded an Emmy for Cinematography. I was the first and only KPBS Student Assistant to be awarded an Emmy. Management was so thrilled they gave me a raise from $1.89 an hour to $2.25 an hour. I knew I was on my way.

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I graduated from SDSU in May 1975 and started full time at KPBS the next day. I have never looked back and I wouldn’t change a thing. After 37 years I am honored to be KPBS’ General Manager.