HUMAN
Name: Tom Chartrand
Age: 54
Residence: Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Hyannis.
Occupation: Freelance videographer producer.
Years involved with Iditarod: This is my 6th.
Iditarod Role: I am working with the insiders as a live camera, live streaming camera operator.
Current Location: Willow, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 8, 2020
Temperature: 22F/Outdoors
What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?
I got involved with the Iditarod through one of the original insiders with Panasonic, Art Aldrich, and he brought me in to add to the team. And I’ve been with them ever since as a P2 consultant and workflow and been on the trail with all of the insiders, Greg, and everyone.
What is your Why?..Why are you here today and involved in Iditarod?
So I am here today and involved with the Iditarod because it is something, an itch that keeps needing to be scratched from when I first got involved. It starts out as being a camera operator and a workflow. And I come back to meet all of the vets and the people on the trail that I met early on. Snd it just feels like a family when you come in and that’s what’s so special.
Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences?
My most memorable experience was when they had to reroute the trail up through Huslia and being up with a crew in the middle of the night and it was so cold that none of our big cameras would fire up. And we needed to catch Dallas coming in when he was a front runner, and I grabbed my little DSLR and ran out. I was the only one that could get the shot and ran right over and caught a story with Lance Mackey, who was, I think at that point, just pulling out of the race. And it was just incredible to get to talk to them and get the story in a pinch and the sub… I mean, it was minus 40. So cold.
What do you know for sure?:
What I know for sure in life, that nothing is given and that I’ve got the most amazing family that is at my back pushing me to do what I love and allowing me to be here. And I’m so thankful for that.