Tag Archives: september 11

What I was doing on 9/11

Ten years ago today, I was sitting in the exact same chair I am right now, in my basement studio cut off from the world, editing what would become my favorite Discovery Channel production that I’ve ever been involved with. I would have remained totally oblivious to the events of the day except for the fact that my wife called me, a direct eyewitness to what was happening at the World Trade Center from her vantage point at work directly across the Hudson river. (Her story is here.)

Two of my friends and fellow filmmakers were working on the same production, shooting the end of the documentary on the Army base in Fort Knox, Kentucky. They ended up trapped there for a few days when the base was locked down on alert but eventually got the rest of the story.

The show we were working on, Tank School, follows a group of new marines just out of boot camp, learning how to drive and shoot tanks.

I’m quite proud of this show and to this day I haven’t seen any driving or shooting scenes inside a tank that are as intimate and dramatic as the ones in this documentary. Looking back I think this show was something quite appropriate to be working on exactly ten years ago today.