Kenton Barber is a network Steadicam owner/operator and specialty camera operator based in Los Angeles and Milwaukee.

Being in the industry for over 14 years, his work includes television, sports, esports, music videos, news, live events, and film. A University of Wisconsin Oshkosh graduate, Kenton’s work has been featured across a wide variety of clients and shows including multiple Super Bowls, The Olympics on NBC, The Kentucky Derby, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and many more. Kenton is a recipient of multiple awards including a 2022 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Technical Team Studio” for his Steadicam work on Super Bowl LVI. Other Emmy nominations include the Olympic Games, FOX CFB, Big Noon Kickoff, NFL Today on CBS, NFL Sunday on FOX, NBC Playoff Coverage, and Thursday Night Football on CBS.

Kenton's Story

From a young age, I had a passion for video production.  This would include eight-year-old me running around our house with the family Handycam shooting everything I could— from making my brothers be part of my “TV show” that would later be shown at family functions to interviewing all my family and friends.  It didn’t take long before I was building my own jib made from PVC pipe and going to the hardware store to buy casters to turn the tripod into a dolly.  I always had the itch to keep the camera moving.

It was in middle school that I began working at a local cable access channel trying to absorb everything I could about video production.  I continued to work there throughout high school, even convincing the station to buy a small Steadicam capable of flying cameras up to ten pounds.  That turned into me running up and down the sidelines at every high school football game for the next three or four seasons.  I knew I had found something that I really loved doing and now I had to turn it into a job.  This is where my freelancing career really started.

After graduating high school, I continued my education in Oshkosh, Wisconsin majoring in Radio/Television/Film.  It was at this point that I learned everything I could from the cable access station and began working at a news station in Green Bay.  I did not let school get in the way of me gaining the invaluable experience that I am so thankful for today.  My part-time TV station job would soon turn into a full-time job that I had to balance with being a full-time student and a freelancer.  To say that I never had free time is an understatement. 

After graduating college, I paid my way out to Los Angeles for my formal Steadicam training. Over the years I have operated for most major networks, including a stint in Orlando, Florida where I was the lead daily Steadicam operator for NBC Golf Channel’s Golf Central primetime show.

Since then I have operated on some of the biggest and highest rated shows on television. I now reside in Los Angeles, California.