Some sons follow in their father’s footsteps. Scott Marks went where his father’s TV camera pointed – to a career in television.
Bryan Smythe of Norcross, manager of technical operations at Turner Studios, recalls the time in 1976 when he and Marks went to watch Marks’ father Josh cover an Atlanta Braves game for WTCG, the precursor of Ted Turner’s Superstation.
“The two of us were debating at the time whether to go to a four-year college or a two-year technical school to prepare for a job in television. After watching Scott’s dad at work, we thought to ourselves: What better way to make a living?”
Marks become an ace cameraman in his own right, Smythe said. “He operated what we call the high first camera, the toughest camera vantage in the stadium, where he had to anticipate where infielders or outfielders would move to catch a batted ball. It also was a key spot to cover double plays, which were hard to shoot, but Scott did that with ease.”
Marks also did camera coverage of Atlanta Hawks and other NBA games, Atlanta Flames and Thrashers hockey, SEC and NFL football, the Goodwill Games and World Championship Wrestling.
Scott Paul Marks, 55, died July 13 at his Lilburn home of kidney cancer complications. His memorial service is 2 p.m. today at the Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Decatur. Tom M. Wages Funeral Home, Snellville Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.
Marks moved steadily upward at Turner Broadcasting during his 36-year career there. He became a crack videotape editor, a master of replays and slow-mos, a respected director of operations and technology planning.
In 2001, Marks was named vice president of production operations of Turner Studios, one of the world’s largest all-digital broadcast facilities. Dan Darling of Atlanta, chief information officer for Turner Broadcasting Inc., credited Marks with playing a vital part in building the Turner Studios facility with his long-range vision of its future needs.
As a manager Marks fostered a family-oriented atmosphere that motivated subordinates to excel, “not an easy thing to do in a workplace,” Darling said.
Marks also set an example of grace under pressure for his employees, Darling said, by maintaining an unflappable, cheerful demeanor in stressful live-broadcast situations.
Kevin Shorter of Lawrenceville, vice president of engineering at Turner Studios, remembered the time Marks was assigned the hard task of turning around a struggling Turner department. “Scott accomplished it,” Shorter said, “with a class that quickly earned the support of his staff and the customers he served.
“Integrity, fairness, respect, accountability, and I shouldn’t forget fun — these were characteristics of Scott’s managerial style,” Shorter said. Consequently, Marks was named Turner Studios’ first recipient of the company’s Commitment to Excellence Award, which was later renamed the Marks of Excellence Award in his honor.
His wife of 32 years, Rebecca “Becky” Marks, said he relished the time he spent outdoors, especially when he occasionally felt cooped up too long at his office. His favorite getaways were his family’s cabin at Lake Burton and his father-in-law’s home on Anna Marie Island on the Florida coast.
“Scott was definitely a handyman around the house,” she said, with the tools and a knack for fixing almost anything. She said he also had a talent for handicrafts, especially the artful Christmas and Halloween decorations he made.
Surviving besides his wife are a daughter, Samantha Marks of Lilburn; a son, Nicholas Marks of Lawrenceville; his parents, Joseph and Jeannine Marks of Mount Airy, Ga., and one grandchild.
About the Author
