Courtney Kintzer started as a photojournalist in 1975 while he was still a student at Roosevelt High School. He recently retired after 50 years in a career he loved. Photo: Simone Garber
Writer: Jann Freed
If you’ve ever seen a guy around town carrying a big camera on his shoulder, it might well have been Cortney Kintzer. He started at WHO-TV in 1975, when he was still a junior at Roosevelt, and finally retired last summer after 50 years. Clearly, he discovered his passion early in life and turned it into a successful career.
He continued part-time at WHO while he studied journalism at Iowa State, worked at Chicago’s NBC affiliate in 1980 and 1981, and then returned to WHO to become chief photographer from 1982 to 1987. Then he moved to KCCI as director of photography, where he stayed until his retirement. His unusually long tenure earned him a spot in the Midwest Emmy Golden Circle Society.
Over the years, he’s had a literal backstage pass to some major events. When Pope John Paul II came to town in 1979, Kintzer was there. “It was a beautiful blue-sky day but so cold I was chilled to the bone,” he recalled. “I flew into the site by helicopter so I could get footage of the crowd before he arrived. It was an amazing sight to see.”
During the floods of 1993, Kintzer was one of the first to discover the full scope of the situation. He and anchor Kevin Cooney hustled into the station on a Saturday night to get the first public interview with Des Moines Water Works CEO L.D. McMullen, who announced that the plant was flooded and could no longer provide clean water.
Two years later, Kintzer made his first trip to the White House to help Cooney interview President Clinton about agriculture policy. Hours after they arrived, the bombing in Oklahoma City reshaped the day, and they figured their interview would be canceled. But after the president read a statement in the press room, he met with them an hour later in the Roosevelt Room, where they were the first journalists to capture the president’s personal reaction.
“To me, it was like asking FDR his reaction to Pearl Harbor,” Kintzer said. CBS News used their footage, and The Associated Press picked it up, too. They were live on the White House lawn that night.
Kintzer returned to the White House three times to interview President Obama, twice in the Diplomatic Reception Room and once in the Map Room, where a white-gloved aide moved an antique lamp. For one trip, Kintzer had only 24 hours’ notice. “The next day,” he said, “I was posing with President Obama with his personal photographer Pete Souza.”
Kintzer has rubbed elbows with other celebrities, too. He and anchor Jeanetter Trompeter covered the Grammy Awards four times around 2000, scoring red-carpet interviews with Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, the Backstreet Boys, Bonnie Raitt, ’N Sync and others.
These days, Kintzer, 67, has more time to spend with his grandson, Harrison. He shoots video for weddings and occasionally freelances for ESPN to help cover the Kansas City Chiefs behind the scenes. He also likes to shoot videos of nature, his “happy place.”
But despite the volume and variety of his work as a videographer, he’s most proud of his role as a mentor for others over the years. Many of his proteges have gone on to larger markets across the country and have kept in touch.
“A teacher is only a success when the student surpasses the teacher,” he said. “I’ve been truly lucky.”
Contributor Jann Freed is a leadership coach, speaker, 2024 Business Record Woman of Influence and a certified Sage-ing Leader through Sage-ing International. She writes about retirement for Forbes.com, and her books are available in stores and online at jannfreed.com.
