On Tim Russert - One of the Guys, One of the Greats

- You know, working in media was something I aspired to do for a long time, and I will always be someone to defend and advocate for the power and potential of film and television and the media in general. But there's no doubt - I love working in television, but at the same I can at times look out there at the media landscape and become jaded, cynical, depressed about what we as an industry are pushing out there to the country.

But working here at NBC-Universal, one constant has been that whenever I look at the work being done by NBC News, I always am filled with a sense of real pride. I look at NBC News and MSNBC and think to myself that these guys are the best in the business, these guys are fighting the good fight, and these guys are emblematic of everything that television can do to educate the public, to act as the gatekeepers of the news of the day, to engage us in politics and current events. From Brian Williams to Tom Brokaw to Chris Matthew to Keith Olbermann, regardless of whether I always agree with them or not, I have always looked up to this remarkable team and really admired them as people and as professionals.

But of all of them, was there anyone more likable, more the consummate pro, more the face of politics in America than Tim Russert?

Tim Russert was simply the embodiment of everything that was great about the media in America. His passion was palpable, and yet, he NEVER let his passion override his objectivity. In a world of pundits and talking heads, Tim was the voice of reason and yet the guy who got you invested, who made you care. It really is remarkable - in today's cult of personality, Tim had to have been the unlikeliest of television icons - and yet, there he was - an everyman in a sea of overblown personalities, who for that very reason was the most authentic and most memorable personality of them all.

Few others had the ability to wade through the noise like Russert, to put things in perspective, to hit on the big picture as well as the key points. No flash necessary - a simple whiteboard would do. Tim was one of the few guys who was simply an expert, a fan, a guru - he was legit in all senses of the word and I think that always shone through. You couldn't help but like him, you couldn't help but share in his passion and joy. He was the kind of guy who seemed like the perfect person to sit down and have a great conversation with - the kind of guy who would never berate or condescend to someone because of a difference of opinion, but someone who's opinion and views were themselves invaluable, because it was clear that nobody else knew their stuff like he did.

And you know what? There's few media figures out there who truly radiate "nice-ness." Tim Russert was one of those guys who, just by watching him, you knew without question that he was a great guy. And now, listening to Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams talk about him in such reverant, somber tones, all the while smiling as they recall their favorite Russert memories, all of the suspicions are only confirmed: we didn't just lose one of the best newsman of the modern era today, but we lost one of the genuinely great people in politics, news, media, and just in general. The absolute last person who you'd want to hear as being associated with tragedy, the absolute last.

I am sitting here at NBC just completely saddened by the sudden passing of Tim Russert. Just thinking of how excited he was for the upcoming presidential race, of how he spoke of the upcoming election as a true event, a game-changer, just realizing that he went right as he was there on the front lines, broadcasting the state of America to millions. I can only imagine that he will be up there somewhere counting electoral votes and telling everyone in earshot that it's "Ohio, Ohio, Ohio" or whatever the x-factor state turns out to be. He was in fact a person who any of us here at NBC could look at and feel good about being associated with. He was proof that you could be just one of the guys and yet also one of the greats. He was a constant symbol of the best that we in the media could aspire to be. He was quite simply a comforting presence, a constant reassurance in many a tumultous news cycle and campaign season. I'll miss his humor, his passion, and his professionalism. This is a real, tangible, unbelievable loss.