Ashton Kutcher seems to be doing a decent job hawking Nikon cameras. I even get Lady Gaga being the new creative director for a specialty line of Polaroid products. I’m just not sure if I understand the celebrity pick of entertainer Drew Carey to be on the National Press Photographers Association national board of directors.
I really don’t have a problem with Carey being on the board if he can actually bring some outside thinking to the organization. He no doubt will approach things from a different perspective and that’s not necessarily bad. But I am concerned that he is missing one important ingredient: He’s never had to make a living being a photographer.
Carey said in an NPPA news release, “If I wasn’t a comic or television star, I really wanted to be a photojournalist.” Well that’s great, but it has that, “hey, I’m a bit of an amateur photographer myself,” that I often hear while on assignment. Although Carey seems to have much more experience than I knew about or gave him credit for, I still get the feeling he’s a big kid with enough money for the gear. Also the quote is from 2005. Really? Couldn’t NPPA get a more recent quote from their new board member?
Carey also said, “I really envy (photojournalist) Carolyn Cole of the Los Angeles Times and when I see Christiane Amanpour on CNN I think to myself, ‘Man, wouldn’t it be great to be her cameraman and just be there with her at these cool places where history is changing.” First, I didn’t know history could change. Second, I don’t get the feeling Carey really understands what it takes to do the job Cole and Amanpour do.
I could be wrong though. I think the fault lies with NPPA in not explaining why Carey is a good choice. NPPA president Bob Carey – no relation – said in the release, “I think that as we move forward in a changing profession, it is important to bring other viewpoints to the board. Drew offers a unique perspective; he has been on both sides of the camera and has had an interest in photography, multimedia, and video for several years. He should give the board some insight that we normally wouldn’t have.” Yes, but that could be said about just about anybody. Why Carey?
Here is the full news release from NPPA:
DURHAM, NC (February 10, 2010) – Television personality and budding photojournalist Drew Carey has accepted an appointment to the National Press Photographers Association’s new national board of directors, NPPA president Bob Carey announced today.
In addition to being a comedian, actor, producer, and the current host of the long-running CBS Television hit “The Price is Right”, Drew Carey is also an owner of the Seattle Sounders FC (Major League Soccer) and he’s a published sports photographer, having covered World Cup Soccer and the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team. In 2006 while photographing the World Cup for International Sports Images, he also hosted Drew Carey’s Sporting Adventures for the Travel Channel, and the show featured his efforts to become a sports photojournalist.
“If I wasn’t a comic or television star, I really wanted to be a photojournalist,” Carey told Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch in 2005 as the photographer and his cameras followed the United States Men’s National Soccer Team.
“I really envy [photojournalist] Carolyn Cole of the Los Angeles Times and when I see Christiane Amanpour on CNN I think to myself, ‘Man, wouldn’t it be great to be her cameraman and just be there with her at these cool places where history is changing?’”
The entertainer’s board appointment is a direct result of the board’s June 2009 vote to amend the NPPA Bylaws and among other changes, allow NPPA’s president to appoint three people to the panel. In January, Tom Kennedy and Ron Londen were appointed NPPA’s board, joining the six members elected to the panel in December.
“I am excited about Drew agreeing to serve on the board,” NPPA president Bob Carey (no relation) said today. “He has experience as a sports photographer, but he also brings other aspects to the board that we have never had – sports franchise owner and celebrity. I think that as we move forward in a changing profession, it is important to bring other viewpoints to the board. Drew offers a unique perspective; he has been on both sides of the camera and has had an interest in photography, multimedia, and video for several years. He should give the board some insight that we normally wouldn’t have.”