bio
William A. Kerig has been a feature-film producer and director, helmed Internet
companies, authored books, edited magazines, and has written hundreds
of magazine and newspaper articles on subjects ranging from technology
to travel to sports.
Kerig grew up in the Boston area and attended Saint Michael's College in Burlington, Vermont. After earning a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1984, he moved to New York City to pursue a career on Wall Street. That never happened. Three months later, he decamped New York and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he began a high-level (8,000-foot) career as a dishwasher at Snowbird Ski Resort. The following year, he moved to Vail, Colorado, and began to compete on the World Pro Mogul Tour. He skied professionally for 10 years.
Journalism:
While skiing, he also wrote newspaper and magazine stories for numerous national and international outlets including Expedia.com, Geo (Germany), Men's Health, Men’s Journal, MSNBC.com, Ski, Skiing, Powder, Snow Country, USA Today.com, Velo (France), and Zurich Sport. He was a contributing editor to Skiing magazine from 1987 to 2004, and editor in chief of Digital iQ magazine in 2001 and 2002.
Television:
In television, he hosted Private Lessons Ski Tips on the Weather Channel for five years; wrote, produced and co-hosted Playing in Style, a weekly winter sports show that aired on Fox Sports; and was an on-air analyst on ESPN’s 1998 Winter X Games. As a producer on the CBS Sports/News Desk at the 1998 Nagano Olympics he covered mogul skiing, hockey, and the subsequent marijuana fracas that ensued when one of Canada’s snowboarders tested positive for pot. The same year he also co-produced an ABC News special on the 1999 World Extreme Skiing Championships and a piece for CBS's 48 Hours on skier Picabo Street. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, he field produced segments for ABC’s World News Tonight and was honored to interview sportscasting legend Jim McKay. In 2003, he traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, to produce and direct Byrning Borders, a television pilot about the globetrotting adventures of Patrick Byrne, a philosopher/philanthropist/dot com CEO who was setting up an international network to help artisans in the poorest and most dangerous countries sell their goods on the Internet.
Books:
Kerig’s books include: The Snowboarder's Total Guide to Life (1997, Random House/Villard), a tongue-in-cheek send-up of snowboard culture, and Utah Underground (2001 Mountain Sports Press/AOL Time Warner), a guide to the unexpected side of Utah. Outside magazine called it the Best Guide to Utah. His last book, The Edge of Never, is a nonfiction novel set in the world of big-mountain skiing. It’s slated for publication in December of 2007.
Film:
His films include: “Net Worth,” and “Steep.” “Net Worth,” 1999, starred Daniel Baldwin, Craig Sheffer, Michael T. Weiss, and Todd Field. Kerig co-wrote, co-produced, and was second-unit director. The film sold to Blockbuster Entertainment and is available there today. For Peter Jennings Productions, Kerig helped to create the film “Steep,” (2007), a documentary feature film set in the world of big-mountain skiing. He co-produced, and was second-unit director on film. “Steep” premiered at the 2007 Tribecca Film Festival and was purchased by Sony Pictures Classic. It is slated for wide release in December 2007.
Internet:
Kerig began to work on the Web in 1995 when he designed the site for the Playing in Style televison show. In addition to writing for Expedia.com, EXPN, and MSNBC.com, he helmed LevelRed, Inc., a San Diego–based Internet company. During his tenure as president and chief operating officer, the company went public, launched a television show, and an award-winning Internet portal. In 2005-2006 Kerig served as president and chief operating officer of HealthRight Inc., a Salt Lake City based an Internet company specializing in on-line personal health care.
William A. Kerig lives in Salt Lake City with his wife Bel, daughter Grace, and son Liam. He is on the board of Writers @ Work, a Utah-based nonprofit literary arts association, and a member of the Greater Salt Lake City Writers’ Alliance. He is a member in good standing of the Directors Guild of America.
Kerig grew up in the Boston area and attended Saint Michael's College in Burlington, Vermont. After earning a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1984, he moved to New York City to pursue a career on Wall Street. That never happened. Three months later, he decamped New York and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he began a high-level (8,000-foot) career as a dishwasher at Snowbird Ski Resort. The following year, he moved to Vail, Colorado, and began to compete on the World Pro Mogul Tour. He skied professionally for 10 years.
Journalism:
While skiing, he also wrote newspaper and magazine stories for numerous national and international outlets including Expedia.com, Geo (Germany), Men's Health, Men’s Journal, MSNBC.com, Ski, Skiing, Powder, Snow Country, USA Today.com, Velo (France), and Zurich Sport. He was a contributing editor to Skiing magazine from 1987 to 2004, and editor in chief of Digital iQ magazine in 2001 and 2002.
Television:
In television, he hosted Private Lessons Ski Tips on the Weather Channel for five years; wrote, produced and co-hosted Playing in Style, a weekly winter sports show that aired on Fox Sports; and was an on-air analyst on ESPN’s 1998 Winter X Games. As a producer on the CBS Sports/News Desk at the 1998 Nagano Olympics he covered mogul skiing, hockey, and the subsequent marijuana fracas that ensued when one of Canada’s snowboarders tested positive for pot. The same year he also co-produced an ABC News special on the 1999 World Extreme Skiing Championships and a piece for CBS's 48 Hours on skier Picabo Street. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, he field produced segments for ABC’s World News Tonight and was honored to interview sportscasting legend Jim McKay. In 2003, he traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, to produce and direct Byrning Borders, a television pilot about the globetrotting adventures of Patrick Byrne, a philosopher/philanthropist/dot com CEO who was setting up an international network to help artisans in the poorest and most dangerous countries sell their goods on the Internet.
Books:
Kerig’s books include: The Snowboarder's Total Guide to Life (1997, Random House/Villard), a tongue-in-cheek send-up of snowboard culture, and Utah Underground (2001 Mountain Sports Press/AOL Time Warner), a guide to the unexpected side of Utah. Outside magazine called it the Best Guide to Utah. His last book, The Edge of Never, is a nonfiction novel set in the world of big-mountain skiing. It’s slated for publication in December of 2007.
Film:
His films include: “Net Worth,” and “Steep.” “Net Worth,” 1999, starred Daniel Baldwin, Craig Sheffer, Michael T. Weiss, and Todd Field. Kerig co-wrote, co-produced, and was second-unit director. The film sold to Blockbuster Entertainment and is available there today. For Peter Jennings Productions, Kerig helped to create the film “Steep,” (2007), a documentary feature film set in the world of big-mountain skiing. He co-produced, and was second-unit director on film. “Steep” premiered at the 2007 Tribecca Film Festival and was purchased by Sony Pictures Classic. It is slated for wide release in December 2007.
Internet:
Kerig began to work on the Web in 1995 when he designed the site for the Playing in Style televison show. In addition to writing for Expedia.com, EXPN, and MSNBC.com, he helmed LevelRed, Inc., a San Diego–based Internet company. During his tenure as president and chief operating officer, the company went public, launched a television show, and an award-winning Internet portal. In 2005-2006 Kerig served as president and chief operating officer of HealthRight Inc., a Salt Lake City based an Internet company specializing in on-line personal health care.
William A. Kerig lives in Salt Lake City with his wife Bel, daughter Grace, and son Liam. He is on the board of Writers @ Work, a Utah-based nonprofit literary arts association, and a member of the Greater Salt Lake City Writers’ Alliance. He is a member in good standing of the Directors Guild of America.