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, ‘Two pray honored city one’s peers ice 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 US 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 duck 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