:10 Seconds to Air (My Life in the Director's Chair) - 9781961884519

Enter the world of director and producer Don Mischer, who has notched a lifetime of history-making moments with Beyoncé and Baryshnikov, Willie Nelson and Muhammad Ali, Olympic flames, inaugurations, and Prince in the rain. 

Don Mischer’s :10 Seconds to Air is a captivating look behind the curtain at the creation of some of television’s most celebrated live events. Mischer’s personal story is an unlikely journey, but a very American one. From a modest South Texas upbringing to directing Super Bowl halftime shows and Olympics opening ceremonies, :10 Seconds to Air is an homage to America’s vibrant, richly diverse culture, as reflected through television. 

Equal parts anecdotal memoir and history in-the-making, :10 Seconds to Air anchors itself to Mischer’s formative experience as a college student in Austin, learning of JFK’s assassination as he awaits the arrival of the President from Dallas. Watching the diligence of the reporters who worked on that developing story convinces him to change course and pursue a career in television. This leads Mischer to New York City, and involvement in many historic moments, from joining Barbara Walter for her interview in Tehran with the Shah, to Prince’s epic, rain-soaked Super Bowl halftime performance. 

:10 Seconds to Air brings us alongside Mischer to witness first-hand what it is like to collaborate with iconic talents like Mohammad Ali, Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, among many others. The job? Navigating countless unknowns and logistical challenges in real time to orchestrate hundreds of people before the eyes of millions of viewers. The result is a fascinating portrait of an individual behind many, many cameras, striving to capture history.