My Past Colleague: Bob Ayer

I lost many people close to me this past month.

Two of them were very close family and one of them a friend.

At some point, I will take the time to talk about my family, but right now I am still too raw and wounded by their untimely passing.

Instead, I am focusing on the friend.  Partly because he was an industry colleague and secondly, because I am still in a state of complete shock and therefore find it easier to write.

His name was Bob Ayer and he was an incredible colleague for many reasons.  Bob came into my world as my One Inch Tape Operator, the person who set up the ADO to my needs, etcetera. When we parted ways, we did so as fellow producers.

His quiet demeanor and his sly smile were the distractions to his extreme wit.  If you weren't careful, you would miss the joke.... most people did.

Bob was simply the easiest person I had ever been around.  He didn't appear to have a care in the world.  That is not to say that he didn't care, because he did.  He cared a lot.  What I mean is, he just simply didn't appear to let the world get to him.

Now, I know that Bob had a lot going on.  Probably more than one might suspect, but he was just easy to be around.  He was never one of those people that brooded, held a grudge, or broadcasted every one of life's inequities.  In the years I knew him, I think he only talked "trash" about one person and in doing so, made it completely clear that his anger was based on his own prejudices.... that was just the kind of guy he was.

As for producer?  Bob was just this guy... you know?  He never felt that the job he did was anything more or less than what it was.  He enjoyed meeting with clients, enjoyed lugging the gear, enjoyed shooting the image, and in the end, I think he just enjoyed being around his colleagues.

I am one hundred percent certain that there were tons and tons of things he hated about the job.  But the one thing I know for certain is that when Bob walked in the room, he smiled and in doing so, made others smile as well.

Hey Bob .....   "Bingo-V" had me cracking up for years.  Thanks for the memories.

-Bryan