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Faces of Fiesta
Name: Ken Tuley
Title: Video Producer, Executive Producer/Host of Balloon Fiesta Live!, and Photographer Coordinator
Years with Balloon Fiesta: I started with Balloon Fiesta in 1982. I was the News Director at KQEO/KZZX and recorded a public affairs radio show with John Davis and Charlotte Kinney (AIBF President and BalloonMeister) on the Thursday before the event. On Friday, I parted ways with the radio stations and immediately went out to Balloon Fiesta Park, found John, and said “put me to work”. I’ve been involved every year since. I’ve moved around, spent many years on the Media Committee, was the media liaison for the first 2 America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Events, managed the Gondola Club for a couple of years, worked on the Scoring team a number of years, and even flew my balloon, Damn I’m Good, during the early 1990s. Fast forward 20 years, after a career in Technology at Albuquerque Public Schools, I added the task of producing and editing of the videos we use to train our Navigators. In 2016, I got a call asking if I could fill in as an announcer for Tom Rutherford for a few sessions. I think I did 9 of the 14 sessions that year. In 2017, after 35 years of volunteering, I was selected to be the full-time replacement for Rutherford. That led to bringing in cameras and starting a live stream that we called Balloon Fiesta Live! I still refer to that first year as a proof-of-concept or a pilot year. We learned so much about how to do a live play-by-play stream of 14 sessions of Balloon Fiesta. I usually tell people, come out to Balloon Fiesta and enjoy, then go home and watch Balloon Fiesta Live! to see what you missed. Other things you’ll find me doing for Balloon Fiesta throughout the year include managing the Pilot Application Database, selecting and managing the team of Official Photographers for each Balloon Fiesta, writing, recording, and editing videos for our Official calendars, Navigator training and Pilot briefings, creating the soundtrack for the drone shows, managing the Collector’s Corner section of the Balloon Fiesta website, which includes photographing or scanning all of the programs, calendars, bumper stickers and the hundreds of pins we produce every year, and providing technical assistance to our merchandise team, which includes writing the weekly email blog, What’s Up Wednesday. And remember, this is my retirement job!
Overview/Bio: I moved to Albuquerque in August 1976 after graduating from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. I spent 5 years teaching Band and Music at Kennedy Middle School, then moved into Radio/Television for 9 years. I returned to Albuquerque Public Schools as a teacher, Director of Learning Technologies, and Assistant Principal at Manzano before retiring from “full-time” work in 2014. I started crewing for balloons in 1984 and obtained my private pilot certificate and balloon in 1989. I gave up flying balloons in 1995 when our balloon wore out. However, I did resume my flying activities in early 2015 after reconnecting with Barbara Fricke and Peter Cuneo, and their balloons! I have to say a big Thank You to them for so generously sharing their balloons with me and giving me an opportunity to take to the skies on a regular basis.
Rapid fire with Ken:
Time your Day Starts during Balloon Fiesta: I’m on the rooftop studio by 4:30 every morning, getting the heaters lit, connecting with the production team, and the great Navigators that are an important part of the Balloon Fiesta Live! Team. A quick bite to eat before it’s time to connect with the audio and drone teams to coordinate the launching of the drone show, check in with Dawn Patrol to determine their plan for the morning, and then it’s time to verify the streams are up and running on both Facebook and YouTube and right as the clock strikes 6 am, we’re on the air, where we’ll remain until the balloons stop flying for the morning. During the show, in addition to being on the air, I’m monitoring the YouTube comments, responding either online or on-air, monitoring the officials’ radio to coordinate the launch of the balloon with the National Anthem and our announcements, and the pilots’ radio to stay up to date on the information being given to pilots. Of course, as the Executive Producer, I'm also in constant back-channel communication with our show director about the content of the show. For evening sessions, I’m back on the roof by 4 pm, where I coordinate the Team Fastrax jump complete with live helmet camera feed, national anthem, and of course, call the “All-burns” and flicker burns, on the stream, PA, and pilots’ radio so everyone can hear the instructions. Then it’s time to launch the drone show, again coordinating the audio and drones start. Then once the fireworks begin, I can pack up, debrief on the show, and head out to get a few winks of sleep before it all starts again.
Favorite Spot on the Field to Watch the Balloons: There’s not really a bad spot to watch balloons from the field, but I have to say our rooftop studio, at the South End of the field, is pretty cool as normally the balloons head south, right over the top of us. Of course, being in the competition area, near the target provides a similar view. Competition days are actually my favorite days because, in addition to having a mass ascension of the non-competing pilots flying out of the field, you have a mass ascension in reverse as all the competitors are trying to get to the same place on the field. My third favorite spot, which I don’t have an opportunity to experience, is right in the middle of the field during a Balloon Glow. I was on the crownline of a balloon for the very first all-burn at the first Balloon Glow back in 1987…and even now, nearly 40 years later that sound, light, and rush of power from the burners is an incredible feeling, not to be missed.
Current Favorite Special Shape Balloon: There’s an old joke among balloon folks that there are no ugly balloons, some are just prettier than others. And I have to say that’s how I feel about Special Shape Balloons. My current favorite is the one I’m looking at, at that moment. While it’s great to see what new creations debut every year, having those old favorites return is just as exciting.
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