Orlando Sentinel
For decades, Bob Cross has been the unsung man of Orlando television.
“I think on a lot of the big stories in this town in the last 30 years, the video that people have seen has been from Bob Cross or his team,” said Robin Smythe, general manager of Central Florida News 13. “I think his experience as a firefighter and knowing the community paved the way for him being successful as a news stringer.”
Thirty years ago, Orlando firefighter Cross set up an off-duty video business. When he left firefighting after 25 years, he went full time with photography.
Cross, who is 66 and lives in Lake Mary, said his interest in shooting the news started out as a hobby when he was a volunteer firefighter in Maitland.
“I would respond to accidents,” he said. “Along the line, someone said, ‘You can make money.’ A light bulb went off.” More…