Tony Laubach

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Tony Laubach
Born November 20, 1980
Oxnard, California, USA
Residence De Soto, Illinois, USA
Fields Meteorology, Technical communication, Media and Management Studies
Alma mater Metropolitan State College of Denver (B.S., 2009)
Known for Storm Chasing
Influences Art Monk, Jason David Frank, Warren Faidley, Tim Samaras

Tony Laubach is an American professional storm chaser and Meteorologist. He has participated in several field research projects and is one of the surviving members of TWISTEX. He has been contracted as a severe weather photojournalist for various major television networks, starred in several television shows, including Seasons 3 through 5 of "Storm Chasers" on Discovery Channel.[1]

Laubach was the Contributing Producer, one of the Videographers, and one of the featured talent in KMGH 7News's 2011 television news special, "Tracking Twisters".[2][3] The special has received two awards; one in 2011 from the Colorado Broadcast Association for "Best Single Program Including News Magazine Programs" [4] and the other a 2012 regional Emmy award from the National Television Academy Heartland Chapter for "Magazine Program/Weather Program".[5]

His images and footage have been used by networks including CNN,[6] ABC News, Good Morning America, Fox News, The Weather Channel,[7] The National Geographic Channel, The Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel, Associated Press, Univision, Women's Entertainment, and numerous local media news outlets nation-wide.[8][9]

Laubach was a contributor to the TornadoAlleyLive.com website.[10]

Education

Laubach is currently enrolled in the graduate program at Southern Illinois University working toward his Master's Degree in Professional Media & Management Studies.

Laubach earned a double major degree in Meteorology and Technical Communications from Metropolitan State College of Denver in May 2009. He concentrated in Interactive Media Production with a minor in Mathematics.

Prior to college, he graduated high school in 1999 from John F Kennedy High School in Denver, Colorado after relocating from Ohio where he attended Circleville High School in Circleville, Ohio.

Storm chase career

Laubach's first chase was in May 1997 where he documented a small tornado near Clarksburg, Ohio. After moving to Colorado, he began his professional career in 2002 and has since been featured on several television specials with his video work appearing nationally across various major networks.

From 2007 through 2011, Laubach was a permanent participant in the field research project, TWISTEX, headed up by engineer, Tim Samaras. He was in charge of operations in a mesonet vehicle, taking measurements of RFD in supercell and tornado-producing storms.[11] From 2009-2011, He was part of TWISTEX featured in Storm Chasers.

In 2008, Laubach took part in the filming of shows for the National Geographic Channel and Women's Entertainment, both shows airing in early/mid-2009. In 2011, Laubach was part of the filming for the KMGH special, "Tracking Twisters", airing in July 2011.

In 2012, Laubach returned to solo chasing.

On May 31, 2013, Laubach documented the largest tornado on record near El Reno, Oklahoma.[12] That tornado took the lives of his friends and fellow TWISTEX teammates Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras, and California native Carl Young. Laubach escaped the tornado by less than a minute early in its life-cycle as it was quickly growing to its record width and was 3 miles south of his TWISTEX teammates when they were killed.

Credited television appearances

  • Twister Sisters - Episode 6, Women's Entertainment (Aired January 15, 2009)
  • Disaster Labs - Into the Tornado, National Geographic Channel (Aired May 14, 2009) [13]
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 13, "Storm Catchers", Discovery Channel (Aired October 18, 2009)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 14, "Bigger In Texas", Discovery Channel (aired October 25, 2009)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 16, "Inside The Tornado", Discovery Channel (aired November 8, 2009)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 17, "Not In Kansas Anymore", Discovery Channel (aired November 15, 2009)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 19, "Sean Casey At The Bat", Discovery Channel (aired November 29, 2009)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 20, "EF-3 Strikes You're Out", Discovery Channel (aired November 29, 2009)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 21, "What Goes Around", Discovery Channel (aired October 13, 2010)
  • Storm Chasers - Storm Chasers 2010 Greatest Storms, Discovery Channel (aired October 14, 2010)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 22, "Why We Chase", Discovery Channel (aired October 20, 2010)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 24, "Dedication", Discovery Channel (aired November 3, 2010)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 25, "Smoke Monster", Discovery Channel (aired November 10, 2010)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 26, "Perfect Storm", Discovery Channel (aired November 17, 2010)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 27, "Twilight Zone", Discovery Channel (aired November 24, 2010)
  • Storm Chasers - Ep. 28, "Judgment Day", Discovery Channel (aired December 1, 2010)
  • Storm Chasers - Behind The Storms, Discovery Channel (aired December 8, 2010)
  • Tracking Twisters - KMGH ABC 7News (Aired July 31, 2011), also credited as Photographer

Laubach was featured in the opening credits of Storm Chasers in season 5, but never appeared in an episode.

Credited print publications

The Colorado Weather Almanac - Mike Nelson

Tornado Hunter, Getting Inside the Most Violent Storms On Earth - Stefan Bechtel

Awards

  • National Television Academy Heartland Chapter Regional Emmy Award, 2012 "Magazine Program/Weather Program" for "Tracking Twisters" (Contributing Producer/Videographer/featured talent) [14]
  • Colorado Broadcast Association, 2011 "Best Single Program Including News Magazine Programs" for "Tracking Twisters" (Contributing Producer/Videographer/featured talent) [15]
  • Weatherwise, 2012 Photo Contest "Third Prize" for "The sun sets through a supercell featuring arc clouds and a banded underside of an anvil cloud, photographed near Tryon, Nebraska, on August 17, 2011." [16]
  • Weatherwise, 2012 Photo Contest "Honorable Mention" for "The sun sets at the end of a stormy day near Pratt, Kansas, on May 20, 2011." [17]
  • 303 Magazine, 2009 "Odd Job Of The Year" Award [18]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ http://www.kwch.com/kwch-localstormchaserstobeon-10192956,0,1280880.story
  2. ↑ http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/28011450/detail.html
  3. ↑ http://www.thedenverchannel.com/weather/27995573/detail.html
  4. ↑ http://www.coloradobroadcasters.org/files/Winners-2011/2011-Television-Winners.pdf
  5. ↑ http://emmyawards.tv//share/2012_Winners.pdf
  6. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY5JjKPpvKI
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kcf8YExpSM
  8. ↑ http://www.kwch.com/weather/chaserradar/
  9. ↑ http://www.thedenverchannel.com/stormchasersblog/index.html
  10. ↑ http://www.tornadoalleylive.com/dpp/weather/weather_news/grlevel3-version-2-review
  11. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/TeamTWISTEX/app_4949752878?ref=ts
  12. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edSqH8f96E
  13. ↑ http://www.shallownation.com/2009/05/13/national-geographic-disaster-lab-into-the-tornado-video-photos/
  14. ↑ http://emmyawards.tv//share/2012_Winners.pdf
  15. ↑ http://www.coloradobroadcasters.org/files/Winners-2011/2011-Television-Winners.pdf
  16. ↑ http://www.weatherwise.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2012/September-October%202012/photo-contest-full.html
  17. ↑ http://www.weatherwise.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2012/September-October%202012/photo-contest-full.html
  18. ↑ http://www.303magazine.com/303online/awards2010/index.html?pageNumber=6

External links

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