Gavin Johns has over three decades experience as a news, current affairs, sports and live broadcast cameraman and director of photography. He’s worked on FIFA World Cup campaigns for the past 20 years, was a live-camera operator for World Surf Leagues events in Australia, Tahiti, Fiji and Hawaii, worked for Reuters, covered historic events and worked on award-winning shows.

 

Originally from Perth, Gavin’s career began in 1987 as a Trainee Camera Man for TVW Channel 7 Perth, Western Australia, where he worked for three years.

 

After gaining valuable experience, Gavin felt ready to broaden his horizons creatively, and as a freelancer, he took the opportunity and challenge to shoot many different styles and genres of broadcasting.

 

In 1994, Gavin travelled to South Africa where he worked for the Reuters News Agency covering the historic elections where Nelson Mandela became President. On the back of that experience, Gavin then spent a year in war-torn Cambodia in 1995 working for Reuters. Based in Pnom Penh, Gavin found himself covering many challenging and dangerous news events.

 

In 1997, Gavin moved to London where he spent some years working in news-gathering, on lifestyle and entertainment programs, continuing his work within News and Current affairs, and in what was to become his big love, covering major worldwide sporting events for TWI (now IMG).

 

In 2000, Gavin returned home to Perth for family reasons and worked mainly for the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) on productions including Australian Story, New Inventors, Can We Help, Collectors, news and current affairs, and sporting events such as The Hopman Cup tennis tournament.

 

In addition, Gavin regularly worked alongside his family that operated one of the main outdoor big screen productions in Perth at local and international sporting events, as well as concerts and music festivals

 

Continuing his association with IMG UK, Gavin’s most rewarding work has taken him to many corners of the globe, covering events such as the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest in the jungles of Borneo, the FIFA World Cup Football championships from 2002 until present day 2023 in Qatar. He has also covered a number of the UEFA Championships in Europe .

 

Doing whatever it takes to get the shot, Gavin was often seen hanging out of helicopters and climbing trees with his gear during the Australasian Safari, Australia’s version of the Dakar Rally, which he worked on for five years.

 

From 2015 until 2018 Gavin was contracted as a live broadcast camera operator on the World Surf League tour, a 'dream job' which took him around Australia, Fiji, Tahiti and Hawaii.

 

Other annual sporting events he covered include the Cape to Cape mountain bike race, Mandurah Action Sports Games and local full and half Ironman events.

Gavin's passion for sport and its coverage has not been the only focus of his camerawork.

 

Outside the sporting arena, some of Gavin’s prized work to date includes the National Geographic documentary, ‘Monster Fish’, AAFTA award winning documentary serious, ‘SAS Search for Warriors’, reality tv series ‘Do or Die’ and drama/reality documentary series, ’Z-Force’, to name a few.

 

Gavin is just at home in the water as he is on land. He holds a current PADI dive certificate and has had experience shooting underwater footage, as well as surface footage of surfing, kite-surfing and other water sports.

 

He is a highly versatile and skilled cameraman and is proficient in most camera formats, and in all forms of camera operation, broadcast today. His easy going manner and can-do attitude make him a great team-player and a real asset to any production.