Louis J. Horvitz ’68

Known as one of the most accomplished directors in live television event broadcasting, Louis J. Horvitz has made a career of capturing the human story from behind the lens for more than four decades. His body of work includes directing the Oscars 12 times, the Prime Time Emmys 17 times and The Kennedy Center Honors for 22 years. He has also directed other highly rated programs such as American Idol, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics and U2’s Super Bowl Half-Time show. His accolades also add to his impressive résumé having been nominated for an Emmy 18 times, receiving seven.

His story begins at UCLA in the turbulent and spirited 1960s. The surfer boy and band musician followed in his sister’s footsteps to become a Bruin hoping to make a name for himself as either a lawyer or a rock-n-roll star. He ultimately studied pictorial art and cinematography at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT), while continuing to write songs and play music in his free time. Horvitz vividly recalls learning from great directors like Billy Wilder, George Stevens, Stanley Kramer and his mentor, former TFT dean, Gil Cates. All these experiences played an influential role in honing his future craft.

His early career began as a camera man, then cinematographer and later moved into directing rock-n-roll and variety shows, like Solid Gold. As Horvitz moved into directing iconic, high pressure award shows, he strived to perfect his art while adapting to each producer’s style. He excelled at this like no other. It was at these award presentations that he introduced equipment like the steady cam and techno jib, along with the “sweep and glide” technique. For Horvitz, when directing these award shows, it wasn’t enough just to focus on the nominee or the winner but to capture the close up reactions of the subject’s circle of characters, be they co-stars, family members, rivals, etc. He presents the TV audience the full picture behind each honoree and narrates a visual story. He personalizes each award ceremony by capturing the human story behind the nominees and featured guests.

Today, with decades of experience, Horvitz is still at the top of his game. The secret to his success, he notes, is consistent and thorough preparation. As Coach Wooden said, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” This couldn’t be truer in directing a live event, where anything can happen in real time and the director has to be ready to react by being proactive. Planning and pre-production work takes the form of understanding the subjects, researching the connections they have with various audience members, staging cameras in the right position for the right moment and anticipating what could go wrong before it does.

Many aspects of his career success draw parallels from his UCLA influences. His pre-production detail and work ethic comes from the copious notes he took in pre-law; the beautiful cinematography at his shows can be attributed to his studies in pictorial art; and the visual storytelling that surrounds each nominee draw from his talents as a songwriter. His recent visit to UCLA brought about this epiphany – seeing the theater stage, walking the halls and looking at the faces of aspiring students: “Who I was then has led to where I am now.”

At the end of the day, Horvitz stays passionate for directing because of the rush of live TV and getting it done right. He quotes a former tennis champion who after winning Wimbledon said: “You always want another championship.” But after a long career in showbiz, he summarizes what really makes him tick: “I just want to entertain.”