While he showed the world his skills in front of the camera in 2022's Here Out West, Faulconbridge resident Christian Ravello has a much more quiet history working behind the screen.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
The crown jewel of his career in broadcasting is his work at the Olympics - which has taken him all over the world and, this year, will send him to Paris.
As a freelancer with the Olympic Broadcast Service (a division of the International Olympic Committee), he works with a small team to manage the TV graphic overlays shown throughout the broadcast, such as start lists, scoring and timings.
Starting in 1998 and having worked at the Sydney, Rio, and Tokyo Olympics in the past, Mr Ravello said it's busy work but he's still able to enjoy some of the tourist sights.
"Not only do I feel blessed to have created a unique niche for myself but I'm also grateful to have witnessed so many amazing athletic feats over the years... I've loved experiencing the different cultures, languages and food, [while reconnecting] with the same work colleagues."
"I even took one of my books to Tokyo (it was the Kangaroo book), which I put on one of the boxing venues whilst there was no competition," he said, referring to his children's book If I Could Be a Kangaroo.
This year he's also working on infrastructure to help athletes connect with their family and friends straight after competing in or winning their respective event.
The task hits close to home as just like the athletes, Mr Ravello is leaving his family for extended periods each time he heads to the Olympics.
"I'm away for almost a month. You do miss family, and I was obviously checking back in [with home]," he said.
"I think, particularly post-COVID, there's been such an absence of connection, and [I'm happy] if I can play my little part in allowing people to connect."
With the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris coming up in July, Mr Ravello has also had time to reflect on the difference between being in front of and behind the screen after his acting role in 2022.
"You can challenge yourself to do both. The role of broadcast is to bring the best experience to the viewer; that's no different to what we're doing at the Olympics," he said.
"Even if it's a little piece of technology or that little seed that you do in the [role] of the whole team... all of it makes a difference."
