Behind the Lens: Steve Kauffman
Steve Kauffman, ASR Media’s Assistant Director of Photography, caught the video bug at age 10 when his Dad gave him a Sony Handycam. He immediately began making parodies, commercials, and skateboarding videos with friends. A few years later, after filling up countless hours of Hi-8 tapes, his parents let him pick out a computer to store and edit his videos. He quickly taught himself the basics and, as they say, the rest is history.
In middle school, Steve joined the morning show television team, EyeTV, to broaden his skills. He didn’t stop making skateboard videos with his friends, though, a practice that continued through high school. Along the way, he made sure to sign up for digital media classes and entered as many film festivals as he could find. His first major recognition came in 11th grade when he won the Best Student Editing Award in the Student Halloween Film Fest. His creativity and experience continued to blossom and he soon fully committed to the profession. Steve enrolled in Lehigh County Community College’s TV/Film Program earning an Associate’s Degree and attended Kutztown University for a Bachelor’s in Electronic Media. His technical knowledge grew exponentially from the hands-on training of video production for both live and pre-recorded programs.
In the eight years since graduating college, Steve has worked for different production companies as a freelance videographer, editor, and media producer. Before joining the #ASRTeam in the summer of 2019, Steve most recently worked for PBS39 as a videographer and editor. He reflects on his career to date as, “a constant learning experience - from understanding new tactics and equipment to mastering different editing techniques for the never-ending array of storying styles.”
Having created videos for many nonprofits throughout his career, Steve was excited to continue to tell organizational stories for ASR. He’s found the adjustment to the commercial side of video valuable as well and has enjoyed adding yet another skill to his resume. As ASR’s resident drone operator, Steve is responsible for capturing the beautiful and sweeping views of the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
Check out this bird’s eye view:
Talented in both filming and editing, Steve does prefer to have a camera in hand. He feels more comfortable capturing the story as it happens and realizes the storytelling process is 360º process. As he’s filming, he envisions and plans what the end product will look and feel like and the edits he will make. While he loves to shoot, he doesn’t have a preference for the type of shoots he works on - he loves it all. Whether he’s on a controlled set or out in the field, Steve believes that consistent, quality filming will result in superior final products for ASR’s clients.