Stephen Koontz
Class of 1973
Musician-TV/Film
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While at Concord High School Stephen was selected to the Delaware All-State Band & Orchestra, All-Eastern Band, and named the Outstanding Trombonist at the 1972 Paris Jazz Festival. Stephen graduated from Concord in 1973 and spent the next seven years playing music professionally.
During this time, he was privileged to perform with Joe Cocker, Mel Torme, Tommy Dorsey, Nelson Riddle, Thad Jones, Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts. Stephen was in the pit band for the original production of the Tony Award winning “Sweeney Todd” in 1979 at the Uris Theatre in New York City.
He returned to college at the University of Delaware in 1980. He graduated in 1984 with a degree in Communications. He then moved back to New York City to become part of the newly formed NBA Entertainment. There he enjoyed a 20 + year Emmy and Telly Award winning career, producing, directing and editing player profiles and championship films. Stephen was one of the original feature producers on NBC’s NBA Inside Stuff. Last year the show was presented with the Curt Gowdy Transformative Media Award. The production team, including Stephen, was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Stephen left the NBA in 2006 to establish “Koontzvision” and began working with a variety of television networks.
He was producer/cameraman for 60 Minutes, Charley Rose’s 2010 interview with Bashar al-Assad (in Damascus, Syria), Dan Rather Reports (for HD Net), NBC Dateline (with Chris Hansen), Ironman World Championships in Hawaii (NBC Sports), Shaq Vs. (ABC), Friday Night Tykes (Netflix), and Friday Night Lights (with Jordan Klepper, Big Ten College Football Network).
In 2016, he became part of the Endeavor/IMG/Film45 family and recently won a 2nd Emmy as Story Producer for the annual New York City Marathon broadcast for ABC. The Film45 team produces the World’s Strongest Man shows for CBS and “UFC Journey” MMA docu-series for ESPN.
The content and interviews that Stephen filmed during his years at the NBA, during Michael Jordan’s run of six titles became the bedrock of the award winning “Last Dance” series for ESPN and Netflix.
While Stephen still enjoys his production work and playing his horn, his most meaningful “achievements” are being the proud father of his two sons and a blessed grandfather to his four grandchildren.
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