Mariana Atencio
Peabody Award-winning Journalist, Bestselling Author, Media Entrepreneur, Inspiring Storyteller, and Host/Moderator
Biography
Navigating change and uncertainty in life is hard. It’s even harder when you’re not confident about who you are. Coming to America from Venezuela as a young girl, Mariana Atencio felt self-conscious about being different.
She empathetically recounts her struggles to fit in and adapt to her new life. This story was shared in a TED talk that captured the hearts of tens of millions. Mariana’s message: What makes you different is what makes you special – unleash your potential by embracing your authenticity.
A Career Anchored in Storytelling
Mariana took that lesson into her journalism career as a national news anchor and network reporter. A born storyteller, Mariana worked to build bridges and understanding – reporting with her unique perspective from all over the globe, earning accolades and a prestigious Peabody Award along the way.
Mariana’s bestselling book, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real, inspires people to leverage their personal and professional authenticity to supercharge their relationships, careers, workplace cultures, and happiness.
Mariana continues to pursue stories that capture her curiosity as head of her own media production company. She also elevates the impact of events through her powerful keynotes and skillful moderating, and hosting.
Bridging Cultures Through Reporting
Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Mariana graduated from Merici High School and received a journalism degree from Universidad Católica. When the government of Hugo Chávez shut down independent media outlets in her home country, she participated in student protests for democracy.
After being assaulted in an armed robbery, Mariana left for the United States when she received a full- merit scholarship to Columbia University’s Journalism School and received her master’s degree in broadcast journalism.
Recognition and Continuing Influence
Mariana got her big break anchoring and reporting at Univision. There, she also filed stories for the Documentaries and Investigative Unit. She won a Peabody Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Award for her work uncovering illegal weapons sold across the border in Mexico.
Mariana also won a Gracie Award for directing, writing, and reporting PRESSionados, a documentary about press freedom in Latin America. She then went on to host The Morning Show on Fusion, the Disney and Univision joint venture, and co-anchored the 2016 Democratic Presidential debate.
Contributions Beyond Journalism
Mariana made the crossover from Spanish to English-speaking television as a national correspondent for NBC News where she was known for her boots-on-the-ground, engaging, and empathic field work.
Her investigative work on Latin America, the Latino community, cartel violence, women’s and migrants’ rights earned her three Emmy nominations, a Hillman Prize, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Presidential Award.
Advocacy and New Ventures
In the course of her broadcast career, Mariana has reported from places like Haiti, the Syrian border, and China. She underscores the common threads in our humanity and emphasizes that we are all more alike than different.
She has interviewed dozens of notable figures. These include Pope Francis, President Joe Biden, King Felipe VI of Spain, Nancy Pelosi, chef and humanitarian José Andrés, author Yuval Noah Harari, and director Francis Ford Coppola.
Mariana’s journey is featured on the award-winning HBO series Habla, and People magazine called her storytelling platform “a media empire.” Ten years after she arrived in the United States, Mariana won Columbia’s First Decade Award for her impressive career as a journalist.
A Legacy of Empowerment
Mariana is a 2021 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and spokesperson for the American Latino Museum in D.C. In 2022, she launched the hit true crime podcast series Lost in Panama. This series investigates the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon. It sheds light on the issue of missing women and girls in the region.
Lost in Panama made Apple Podcasts’ top 10 list. Mariana then headlined Foreign Policy magazine’s HerPower summit on tackling gender inequality in the Americas. Mariana’s TEDx talk “What Makes YOU Special?” is one of the top ten most-watched videos on YouTube. Doubling down on her message, she wrote her bestselling memoir, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real.
