If you grew up during the '90s and played NBA Jam, then you know the voice of Tim Kitzrow. His memorable commentary on the game became part of NBA Jam's blockbuster success in arcades. However, Kitzrow has revealed that he was paid a very small amount for his work in the first game.
While speaking with The Escapist, Kitzrow disclosed that he was paid $50 an hour for his work on NBA Jam, which was the same amount of money he made recording lines for Bally Midway's pinball machines. It wasn't until after the game was released that Kitzrow realized that he should have charged more.
"I'd go in, do a couple of sessions, maybe 15 hours total, and that was it," recalled Kitzrow. "I wasn't smart enough, savvy enough to know the business, to go, 'Gee, these games make a lot of money, maybe I should make more than $50 an hour.' I didn't have an agent at the time ... When the game came out and I found out it made a billion dollars, that's when I realized I'd made like $800 and change ... I thought, 'Well, I'm probably being underpaid, I might want to raise my rate.'"
Kitzrow returned for the sequel, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, and he became Midway's go-to guy for commentary on NFL Blitz, NBA Showtime, and MLB Slugfest. Kitzrow also recorded lines for EA's NBA Jam reboot and he was the featured announcer in a more recent arcade game, NBA Superstars. Currently, Kitzrow is providing commentary for Mutant Football League 2, which is scheduled to be released in early access on Steam on December 10.
In 2021, director Sean Menard signed a deal to helm an NBA Jam documentary, which was optioned from author Reyan Ali's 2019 book NBA Jam. In the four years since, the project has yet to be completed.
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While speaking with The Escapist, Kitzrow disclosed that he was paid $50 an hour for his work on NBA Jam, which was the same amount of money he made recording lines for Bally Midway's pinball machines. It wasn't until after the game was released that Kitzrow realized that he should have charged more.
"I'd go in, do a couple of sessions, maybe 15 hours total, and that was it," recalled Kitzrow. "I wasn't smart enough, savvy enough to know the business, to go, 'Gee, these games make a lot of money, maybe I should make more than $50 an hour.' I didn't have an agent at the time ... When the game came out and I found out it made a billion dollars, that's when I realized I'd made like $800 and change ... I thought, 'Well, I'm probably being underpaid, I might want to raise my rate.'"
Kitzrow returned for the sequel, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, and he became Midway's go-to guy for commentary on NFL Blitz, NBA Showtime, and MLB Slugfest. Kitzrow also recorded lines for EA's NBA Jam reboot and he was the featured announcer in a more recent arcade game, NBA Superstars. Currently, Kitzrow is providing commentary for Mutant Football League 2, which is scheduled to be released in early access on Steam on December 10.
In 2021, director Sean Menard signed a deal to helm an NBA Jam documentary, which was optioned from author Reyan Ali's 2019 book NBA Jam. In the four years since, the project has yet to be completed.
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