Paul Hochman

As the Gear and Technology Editor for the NBC TODAY Show, Mr. Hochman has spent over 10 years mingling with TV hosts who wonder how he got on the set.

Matt Lauer still pretends not to know him when he sees him in the Green Room at 30 Rock. Al Roker will now appear in public with Mr. Hochman only when he's wearing a fur hat or juggling oranges.

And Bill Gates? Hochman's exclusive Today Show interview with Gates about a then-breakthrough Microsoft technology likely got Gates's entire security staff fired.

During Mr. Hochman's time with the TODAY Show, he has covered Olympic gear and technology at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino; and the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

He was also the technology and culture reporter for Versus TV and the Tour de France; the host of an online technology talk show on MSN called "Playit4Ward" and has been a longtime technology contributor for CNBC and MSNBC.

Mr. Hochman atoned for his life in morning TV by becoming a journalist. He was a Contributing Writer for Fast Company Magazine, focusing on technology and design; his article about 'sexy prosthetics' was called a "Must Read" by the editorial staff of The New York Times.

Mr. Hochman was also a founding writer for The New York Times's sports-focused Sunday Magazine, called PLAY; wrote for FORTUNE Magazine; and has been a contributing editor for SKI Magazine. For 10 years, he was that magazine's Ski Test Director, directing the testing of all new gear. He was nominated for an Olympic Media Award for his work with The Wall Street Journal.

Finally, Mr. Hochman is an accomplished athlete. He has a black belt in the Uechi-Ryu style of Karate and was member of the Dartmouth Men's Alpine Ski Team. He speaks French and Italian, graduated cum Laude from Dartmouth College, and has 4 children. He is married to an Olympian, Carrie Sheinberg, who skis faster than he ever will.