Get to Know Us: Rico Romero
A son of New Mexico, Rico’s passion for storytelling brought him to Colorado, where he met his wife and storytelling partner, while his zeal for the outdoors has taken him around the world.
If there is one thing Rico Romero lacks as a storyteller, it’s pretentiousness. There is no ego in his work, nor in his personality. I had to ask him to tell me about the numerous Emmys sitting behind him during our conversation, and he was quick to point out that many belong to his wife, whom he met while working at Denver’s FOX affiliate, KDVR.
That’s what you’ll notice when working with Rico—it’s not about him; it’s about those around him and the work. It’s about the story he’s trying to tell from behind the camera and in the editing room. Moreover, it’s about the why behind those stories. That’s part of the reason, after almost 12 years working in local news, he decided to make the jump over to PBS12 earlier this year—to be able to tell more, longer-form, human stories.
That’s part of what he discussed when speaking at the National Press Photographer Association’s (NPPA) Advanced Storytelling Workshop last month. The Workshop, hosted at PBS12’s headquarters in Denver’s historic Five Points Neighborhood, brought together photo and video journalists from across the country to share best practices on telling visual stories.
Rico’s presentation focused on his experience making the transition from the stories he told in traditional local news to the human-interest stories he tells at PBS12.
During the presentation, he showed this recent story about a fly-fishing organization that supports women with breast cancer, which he made for PBS12’s weekly show, Studio 12:
Afterward, Rico and the attendees discussed how that story may have been different had it been created for local news. For one, they noted, it would have been difficult to get approval to even cover that story given the constraints of local news (time, breaking news, etc.). Beyond that, they again delved into the practical (it would have been a much shorter piece) and the cerebral (the story would have been less about the women and more about the organization).
Rico’s passion to tell stories with heart and meaning has driven many of his decisions in life.
It’s why he transferred from New Mexico State University to the University of New Mexico to major in journalism. A huge sports fan, he initially wanted to cover sports as either a writer or on-air talent. (Being from New Mexico, his allegiances are varied. For example, he chose the Cleveland Guardians to root for in baseball because he loved the movie Major League as a kid. As a native Ohioan who didn’t have a choice, I am deeply sorry to adult Rico that kid Rico made that decision.)
Upon graduation, life and passion took him in a different direction, however. Quickly realizing being on-air wasn’t for him and already working part-time at a local station, Rico found a home behind the camera. Learning the technical aspects of videography and broadcast journalism on-the-fly, he discovered a passion for the visual side of storytelling. So, when a full-time opportunity presented itself in Denver at KDVR, he jumped at the chance to continue to hone his craft in a bigger market.
There, he went on to win 14 Emmys, meet his wife and collaborator, Ashley Michaels, and become an avid hiker exploring the peaks and valleys of the nearby Rocky Mountains.
Rico’s love of hiking, exploring, and traveling recently took him across the world to the Tour du Mont Blanc on the border of France and Switzerland. He did the 100+ mile, 11-day hike alongside his wife and friends.
In traveling, as in storytelling, there is no ego at play in Rico’s exploration. He’s not doing it for social media likes or bragging rights.
It’s the simple love of the outdoors and the peace he finds in nature that draws him to it again and again.
In fact, upon returning from Europe, we (his coworkers at the station) basically had to force him to show us his photos from the trip, which he, of course, turned into a stellar presentation. (He might also be making something about his trip for air on PBS12, so stay tuned for that!)
That’s what I’ve learned about Rico in my short time working with him—he gives his full effort in everything he does because he makes the work not about himself, but about the story and the audience.
He’s a true storyteller who is only just getting started at PBS12.
To watch Rico’s work, catch new episodes of Studio 12 Tuesdays at 8pm on PBS12, or follow us on YouTube for the latest.
