Mark Bozman Remembered

The late Mary Shore and Steve Otteson anchor the weekend news

EARLY BOZMAN PACKAGE FOUND IN PUTNAM ARCHIVE

Mark Bozman lived for spot news, but when it got slow he beat the bushes for a feature. He loved to make something out of nothing and was the master. He never let me do standups in his features,'it drags the story down,' he explained. This story was shot in June of 1987...

The Boz Memorial

Duane Reger, Charlie Ehlert, Roger Simmons and Lindsay Nothern pay their respects to former KTVB photographer Mark Bozman, Putnam photo.

MARK BOZMAN REMEMBERED

Boise--On Sunday friends, family, reporters and fellow photogs had the chance to say goodbye to video legend Mark Bozman. The 47-year old iconoclastic COPS photographer was killed in a motorcycle accident last month near his California home.

"Boz and I were friends of happenstance, thrown together on the weekend shift at KTVB," said former reporter Jake Putnam. "Boz hated working during the week because he didn't like the shirt-n-ties running things and on the weekend he called the assignment shots and that meant more feature stories or hard-core breaking news that he lived for."

"The first weekend I worked," recalled Putnam. "We were dispatched to the fairgrounds to do a story on a horse with a broken leg...by the time we got there the horse was hauled away and racing resumed, Boz looked at me and said 'no horse, no story'."

Former Chief Photog Duane Reger and former News Director Lindsay Nothern embrace at the Bozman memorial. They hadn't seen each other in more than 20 years.--Putnam photo

" We both knew that I had to turn a package for the 5pm newscast and and it was already pushing 4. Shoeshine girls. We did a feature story on shoeshine girls and it stole the show. It was so good that people talked about it for weeks, the girls made a fortune and Boz pulled my ass out of the fire once again," said Putnam.

Halloween balloons were released while a homemade mortar with rockets blasted the silence in memory of Mark Bozman on Sunday--Putnam photo

At the Memorial service more than a hundred people gathered at the Willowbrook clubhouse off Glennwood near his parents home. There were many family members and KTVB oldtimers like former Ada County Commissioner Roger Simmons. Former Chief Photog Duane Reger, fellow photog Charlie Ehlert, News Director and Assignment Desk Editor Lindsay Nothern, not to mention Director John Patatchec, his buddies from KREM, lovely wife Shannon, grown up son Eric. It was a rich, lively memorial complete with fireworks, just the way ole Boz would have liked it.

Remembering Mark Bozman 1961-2008

Jake Putnam and KTVB photog Mark Bozman head out on a story in November 1987, Boz passed away September 10th

ONE DAY IN THE LAND OF BOZ

By Jake Putnam

Longtime photographer Mark Bozman was a true craftsman and took great pride in every frame of video he shot. He also took rookie reporters like me under his wing and taught us not only how to report but how to relate with real people of the street. Boz had contempt for officials saying they polluted his stories. He always let the action and the people carry his stories, it was a concept not taught in journalism school but Boz was ahead of his time.

Back in the spring of 1988 Mark and I were dispatched to the Idaho State Pen on cold, Sunday night. We'd already done the day-shift and neither thrilled at the prospect of on-call overtime. But we took the call and as usual we were the first on the scene of a prison riot, better yet; at the gate Boz miraculously talked our way into the minimum security yard to shoot the burning buildings in the medium lockup next door.

We had the old livevan that night and were assigned to put together a package and liveshot for 10pm. Boz shot killer vid of the SERT team storming the burning buildings when a guard came up and told us we were in full lock-down which meant that we were going no where for a very long time. We would have to send our video back via microwave, and Buzz would have to edit it in action-cam, worse yet we were on our own.For the next 9 hours we were imprisoned in the yard with immates, as the guards were tending to the riot just 30 yards away.

At first I was terrified and Boz could sense it. He stood against the razor wire with a smirky smile on his face. He loved the drama of the moment, the fire trucks, the guards with guns, the smoke and choas. He got on the radio and let the newsroom know in so many words that we were in perilous danger but had it under control. Then to me, with a half way grin he said 'see the guys in the towers? Anyone makes a move at us and theyre dead." It was true, there were meanacing snipers not more than 5o yards away, with M-16s locked and loaded. Despite that, a few inmates cautiously came to us bringing water and niffty denim inmate jackets because of the cold. They also brought stories from the inside. Boz ate it up and within minutes we were inmate brothers. In confidence they told us the riot was a cover for a retailitory murder in the cellblock. We had the inside information because of Boz's ability to relate and gain confidence of people, he put people at ease and trusted him. Because we were confident and cool and because of Bozman's swagger, no one gave us a bad time we were one of them.

It was dark and cold in the yard, some inmates brought us blankets while firecrews continued to fight the fire in the cellblock In all the confusion guards were chasing inmates down, cuffing then moving them to other cellblocks. All the while more firetrucks were arriving, along with police reenforcements.

We were starving and Boz called back to the station and had anchorman Steve Otteson order us 5 pizzas from Pizza Hut for delivery to the front gate. Boz had a big smile on his face knowing the pizzas would add to the choas and piss -off the guards. Some 45 minutes later a deputy warden and two guards showed up with our pizza and were highly irritated. Boz listened to the lecture while he wrote a check and told them if they had concerns to take it up with the warden. As it turned out Boz and the Warden were friends from the Claude Dallas escape and Boz said he 'owed us one.'
Pizza never tasted better, maybe it was the backdrop or the drama. We each had all the pop and pizza we could eat; We gave 4 pizzas to appreciative inmates in the yard none of whom had anything to eat since noon. As they ate they told us about the guy who had been hit in the other cellblock, about the guy named Shorty who did the stabbing and why he did it. None of the investigators had this info; this was all Boz inside info and this was just one of many days that ole Boz turned a shitty situation to one of the most fun, interesting nights in broadcast news.

At 10 pm we led the cast with the only vids behind the wire but with the names of the victim and the suspect. We were breathing rarified air that night, so giddy and high with our scoop and we looked smart in our denim prison jackets.

The competition finally showed up but could only manage 30 seconds of video about the 'disturbance'. Boz and I had been to prison, survived a riot and killed the competition. The guards finally escorted out the gates just after 3-am a few hours later we stormed the morning editorial meeting as heros of the newsroom; all of which was forgotten in 48 hours. As Boz said you can hit it out of the park one day but on the other end the next.

In Memorium--Mark Bozman 1961-2008

MARK D. BOZMAN, 47, formerly of Boise, died Sept. 10 in Valencia, Calif. A memorial will be held 1-4 p.m. Oct. 19 at Willowbrook Community Clubhouse, 5601 Willowlawn Way, Boise.

From the Idaho Statesman:
Mark Douglas Bozman “Boz”, 47, died on September 10, 2008 from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident on August 31, 2008 in Valencia, CA. He was born on July 27, 1961 in Boise, Idaho to Caroll and William Bozman. His 10 pound birth weight led to the nickname “Tarzan”.

He was raised in rural Eagle, Idaho and Boise. As he grew older, his adventurous nature became more apparent to the neighbors as well as his family. Drama drew him like a magnet. Playing rock and roll music, racing and wrecking cars are just some of the more noticeable activities in which he regularly engaged. He also spent many hours eagerly exploring the Donnelly, Idaho area of West Mountain, which surrounded the family cabin, roaming the ridges with his brother Scott and sister Kathy. He almost always caught his limit of perch or trout while fishing from Retirement Point on nearby Cascade reservoir.

He attended the University of Idaho and began his career as a television news photographer in Boise with KTRV and later for KTVB. Eventually he moved to Spokane, where he worked for several years as a news cameraman for KREM television. He pursued his career in photojournalism and relocated to Los Angeles, California.

Mark’s professional accomplishments include major network projects with NBC, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and Fox Broadcasting. A small sample includes Cops, America’s Toughest Jobs, Ax Men, Street Patrol, The Amazing Race, The Pick-Up Artist, Filthy Rich:Cattle Drive, Disaster in the Oil Fields, Ocean Force:Panama City Beach, Pimp My Ride, Man vs. Beast, World Championship Adventure Race:Switzerland, Boot Camp, Payback, The Ultimate Gamer:E3, Big Brother, LAPD:Life on the Beat, and placement of numerous cameras to capture the Stardust Casino demolition in Las Vegas.

Boz had an incredible ability to tell a story through the images he captured. Mark won an Emmy for one of those stories. He started his own company, Digital Point Of View, which offered the latest in HD and HDV camera and audio technology.

His playful nature allowed him to become the king of 4th of July fireworks. Mark would always provide a good scare to any unsuspecting individual on Halloween. You could always depend on Mark to make a mean pot of chili and home baked bread which were eagerly devoured by all!

Throughout his life he was an avid outdoorsman, and with his playful and competitive nature, he strived to out-fish everyone! His innate skill to document life, whether through digital video or photographic media, allowed him to travel and experience more of the world than most of us can imagine. His through-the-lens perspective captured the beauty and, at times, the ugly reality of our world. He visually led us through each story allowing us to share his unique viewpoint.

He was preceded in death by his beloved father, William D. “Boz” Bozman. Mark is survived by his wife Shannon and his sons Erik, Zachary and Jacob. His three boys were the center of his life. To Mark, his boys were his pride and joy, and he shared his adventurous spirit with them through regular fishing, camping, and dirt bike excursions. Mark will always be remembered as an incredible father. He also leaves behind his parents, Ray and Caroll Behrman of Boise; a sister, Kathy (John) Oswald of Boise; a brother, Scott (Mary) Bozman of Spokane; step-sisters, Shelly (Dick) Miller, Terry (Greg) Davis of Boise; and many other friends and family who loved him. Mark, we will miss you so much! You will forever be in our hearts. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation, in memory of Mark, to your local Humane Society, or, Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030 Hagerstown, MD. 21741-5030.

One of his buddies from the TV show Cops posted the following:
You probably won't know the name, but if you were more than a casual viewer of "reality" police shows, then it would be hard to not have seen his work.Last night, Mark "Boz" Bozman, long time ace cameraman for the shows COPS and LAPD: Life on the Beat, passed away, after sustaining a severe head injury in a motorcycle crash, when a car swerved into his lane.

Mark was a good friend of mine, and an extremely funny guy, who could make you laugh so hard you thought you were going to throw up! But it was his gift of capturing on tape the action that happened in front of the lens that made him one of the best there is.Mark was one of the first guys I had the honor of working with on COPS and he taught me a lot. His coolness under pressure, his swagger, his humor, and his life outlook made a lasting impression on me.He leaves behind a wife and three boys. A fund is being set up for their education. A gathering for friends and family is being planned in California. I'm going to try and be there. Mark was only 47. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers. For those of us who knew and loved Mark, his loss is devastating to us.

Duchin Cup, Sun Valley 1989, Pat Kelly Pkg

In January 1989 The Sun Valley Company invited me to ski in the prestigious Duchin Cup. The Cup is a pro-am type race teaming former Olympians with celebrities. I guess I qualified as a celebrity because Sun Valley was part of my beat at KTVB.

When I told Pat Kelly about the invitation, he decided to come along and shoot a story for Idaho at Five, we got credentials from Chuck Webb at Sun Valley Press office and we were in. We went to an invitation only cocktail party at the Lodge and the second we walked in the door I had the feeling at any moment a voice would come out of nowhere saying...'YOU TWO, OUT OF HERE'; but the voice never came.

Jack Hemingway was there and we chatted with him a while, movie stars were everywhere including Clint Eastwood, Janet Leigh, Scott Glenn, Cliff Robertson and Jamie Lee Curtis. We chatted with Peter Cetera the former lead singer with Chicago and talked to Olympians Susie Patterson and Ken Corrock. It was fun but we were careful not to get caught up in it...afterall we were heading back to our room at the Heidleberg Inn and reality. But it wasnt all that bad we chatted up the maids Janet and Erin back there and they said they were going to keep a light on for us!