American journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud was shot and killed by Russian forces while working in Ukraine, adding to the mounting death toll of the war. Friends and colleagues of Renaud shared their memories of him with Jim Braude on Greater Boston Monday.
"Brent had courage like nobody I've ever seen, yet at the same time had this heart to go into where he knew he was needed, and he was so incredibly careful and focused," said Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and journalist.
Renaud spent his career working from all corners of the globe for various media outlets including The New York Times, HBO and NBC.
Putzel said Renaud was a "chameleon," able to blend into any environment. He added, "He would go straight in there, full courage, have his wits about him and come out with the story. Because people trusted him and that was his talent."
Renaud was a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University from 2018 to 2019. Ann Marie Lipinski, curator of the Nieman Foundation, said he was able to make subjects feel comfortable.
"You weren't talking to a camera, you weren't maybe even talking to a journalist. You were talking to somebody who was deeply interested in your story, and I think that's what really comes through in his work," Lipinski said.
Watch: Remembering Brent Renaud
