Fifteen years ago, Dan Balton was walking the halls of Delaware Valley as a co-editor-in-chief
of the Del.Aware. Today, the 2011 graduate is shooting Emmy-nominated comedy specials and Super Bowl halftime shows.
Balton’s most famous shot came from the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show with Kendrick Lamar. At the time the feud between Lamar and Drake was at an all–time high, and Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” was his most popular song dissing Drake.
Balton captured Serena Williams, who previously had a relationship with Drake, dancing to The song. Her appearance shocked the world, and Balton’s image of the moment went viral.
“I was like, oh, this was this whole big performance, and people were honing in on this one moment,” Balton said. “It was just a cool thing afterward to know that I was a part of.”
Balton’s Emmy nomination came in 2020 from his shooting of Dave Chappelle’s “Sticks and Stones” special. Given the climate of the world at the time of his nomination, he was unable to physically attend the show, but he still described the experience as surreal.
Balton has always had a passion for videography. His parents own a business in the industry, and he grew up surrounded by it. He then went on to study both film and business at Penn State, and shortly after graduation he landed a job as a producer for a PBS affiliate in State College.
2018 was the year he took the big jump, moving to New York full-time as a freelance producer/director.
“I always knew that New York was the goal, and it always just seemed like the place where I wanted to end up, both career wise and culture wise,” Balton said.
Balton highlights music and comedy as his favorite topics to shoot because of how interesting the visual aspects of the productions are.
On these sets he primarily operates jib cameras, which are essentially long camera cranes that are popular in the multi-camera television world.
Balton credits all the clubs and activities, including the Del.Aware, that Delaware Valley has to offer for establishing his interest in what is now his career.
