Legends Behind the Lens: Deb Honkus The iconic CEO crafted NEP Broadcasting into a global remote production superpower By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Monday, June 29, 2020 - 12:00 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The story of American sports television is engrained in the history of this nation, rising on the achievements of countless incredible men and women who never once appeared on our screens. During this pause in live sports, SVG is proud to present a celebration of this great industry. Legends Behind the Lens is a look at how we got here seen through the people who willed it to be. Each weekday, we will share with you the story of a person whose impact on the sports-television industry is indelible.
Legends Behind the Lens is presented in association with the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund. In these trying times - with so many video-production professionals out of work - we hope that you will consider (if you are able) donating to the Sports Broadcasting Fund. Do so by visiting sportsbroadcastfund.org.
___________________________
By Karen Hogan Ketchum
Former NEP Broadcasting CEO Deb Honkus has grown up alongside her remote-production trucks. In more than 30 years, she has built compelling client relationships that make her more a friend than a service provider. Her mobile units have supported every major sports event in the country, and her influence is felt among clients, colleagues, and friends around the world.
Deb has steered NEP to its position as the gold standard in the remote-facility business, says Howard Katz, SVP of broadcasting and media operations for the NFL. She has been a pioneer both as a woman in the field and in the field itself. As the television networks made the decision to get out of the truck business because of the capital-intensive nature of it, she and her colleagues had a vision to fill that void and the fortitude to step into it. Her success has been remarkable.
She Wore Many Hats
A native of Pittsburgh, Honkus began her career with Total Communications Systems (TCS) in 1978. With just one truck in the company's arsenal, Honkus's first job was covering Penn State football games, but a single title could not define her role.
She grew up with the remote business, says John Roch , senior technical manager for NEP. At TCS, she was running the business, taking orders, doing sales. She knew the remote television industry from its inception. Between her, Tommy Shelburne, and George Wensel, they are the reason why this industry succeeded.
In 1986, TCS merged with NEP, and Honkus became the general manager of the newly formed NEP. Renowned for being tough but fair and transparent in all of her interactions, she rose to vice president, president, and now CEO.
She was one of the original employees, and she's worn many hats, from owner to CEO, to operations manager, to visionary, says Dave Mazza, SVP of engineering for NBC Olympics. With all of her clients, she's considered a good friend to the people to whom she delivers services, and she is compassionate with her employees such that they always feel they have a shoulder to cry on. Her relationships in this industry are unique.
At the Helm
As she manages the day-to-day operations of the nation's largest television-production-services company, Honkus prioritizes the human capital of her company. For her, communication and teamwork have been as important to NEP's success as engineering and operations.
Debbie is concerned about people, first and foremost, says Eric Thomas, technical manager for NEP. She can be tough in a negotiation session, but she's concerned about the people involved in this business. She works us hard but always makes sure that we have time to see our mothers on Mother's Day.
With a communicate, communicate, follow up, follow up mantra and a philosophy of treating everyone at NEP like family, it is no surprise that Honkus's relationships run deep not only within her company but throughout the sports-broadcasting industry.
Deb is a brilliant strategist ,and she knows exactly what our clients want, explains NEP CTO George Hoover. She has the pulse of the industry. She knows everybody, talks to everybody, has relationships with everybody. From a camera guy on Monday Night Football to top executives at networks and leagues, Deb knows them all.
Taking NEP to a New Level
Those relationships have helped NEP obtain some of the biggest jobs in sports production, broadcast over every major sports network, including Super Bowls, Olympic Games, Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, PGA Tours, NASCAR, and U.S. golf and tennis opens.
Especially after her partner George Wensel died in 1995, Deb took NEP and moved it to a different level, explains Ken Aagaard, EVP of Operations, Production, and Engineering for CBS Sports. She's been able to do that because she has such a dynamic personality. She's a good listener, and you know that she's going to put you in a win-win situation as it relates to facilities and people. At almost every big event, you'll find some piece of NEP, and that says a lot.
Adds Tom McCracken, director of corporate development for NEP, A lot of the reason the company took off after George passed was her hard work and her dedication to the company and to the families of the employees. She always wants to move the company forward, but she is a very giving person.
People Are Her Priority
Among Honkus's accomplishments are serving as host broadcaster for the 1987 Pan Am Games, delivering support for multiple Olympic Games, and supporting back-to-back America's Cup events in 1993-94. Despite the multiple awards and accolades she has earned, she defers her success to the people with whom she works.
My priority
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
06/07/2026
Long-developed relationships and informal access, three production models, and c...
06/07/2026
The deal follows Lumine's recent acquisition of Synamedia's video-networ...
06/07/2026
This former SportsCenter producer is shaping local-team studio coverage to surro...
06/07/2026
IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds,...
06/07/2026
Lumine Group Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Video Network Business from Synamedia. The business will operate as a standalone compan...
06/07/2026
NASCAR has announced a content and commercial partnership with Motorsport Network, a motorsports and automotive media platform, to distribute NASCAR original co...
06/07/2026
Versant Media Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company, from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investor...
06/07/2026
DAZN has announced global broadcast rights to 3ICE, a professional hockey format featuring three skaters and a goalkeeper per side, with no power plays or offsi...
06/07/2026
Bundle gains 100 new synths & more
Synth Anthology 5 the largest and most feature-packed edition of UVI's hardware synth emulation bundle, bringing toge...
06/07/2026
Available now via free firmware update
MOTU have just announced that three of their popular audio interfaces now boast official Milan Certification. The 16A...
06/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Co...
06/07/2026
The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the ...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
06/07/2026
Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...
06/07/2026
Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development
Brie Clayton July 6, 2026
0 Comments
The strategic new appointment supports...
06/07/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve
Michael Cioni July 6, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...
06/07/2026
Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro
Colin Smith July 6, 2026
0 Comments
Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...
06/07/2026
Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
06/07/2026
Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy
intellisphereinsyght2026
6 July Written By Suzanne Costello
Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...
06/07/2026
Monday 6 July 2026
Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a ...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...
06/07/2026
Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work.
This year's ...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture' - Zac Fields, SVP, Graphic Technology and Integration, FOX Sports...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
Legends Behind the Lens: Deb Honkus The iconic CEO crafted NEP Broadcasting into a global remote production superpower By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
