Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Marquez.
Hi Carmen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m Carmen Marquez, independent journalist. Born in Yuma, Arizona, raised in Michoacan, Mexico. Proud Mexican-American!
I am a proud daughter of immigrants, raised by mi Abuelita, the strongest women I’ve met.
I started in journalism in the most unexpected way, growing up in Mexico it was never an option, and I also never thought I made the cut to be a television personality, a reporter or simply on tv. I always thought it was rich people, and also, in Mexico journalism is one of the riskiest jobs. By no means was I gonna get into a career like journalism, and communications… well they would’ve told me I was gonna starve myself. I always had a passion for sociology, and politics, but I always kept it to myself.
My family in Arizona decided to take us to Mexico when I was 1o years old, and I was lucky enough to experience a whole cultural immersion in Morelia, Michoacan. I was always too white or too mexican, yup another one of the “your’re not enough here,” but I’ve always carried my both countries at heart and never took it personal, it just took me longer to find my place in the world.
By the time I was 21 my family decided to come back to my hometown Yuma, Arizona. I hadn’t finished my degree, so I had to start from scratch in college. I was also eager to get my first job, but I had never really worked, and everyone in the USA seemed to have it all figured out. I definitely didn’t. One day, in one of my depressions I started scrolling through local tv news and came across Telemundo in Yuma… I saw some lack of accents, and my concern for gramatical errors took me to email the news director, asking if they needed help.
Next thing you know is I have an interview with the news station. I was accepted to volunteer, and because I was eager to learn and exit my depression I started learning things really fast. “Carmen can you translate this?,” do you know how to use a camera? – no, but I can learn,” it became the most exiting thing in my life.
Next thing you know, 3 months into volunteering, the anchor for that Telemundo segment caught a cold, and they asked me if I could anchor a show. I was the only Spanish speaker, and of course I knew how to speak Spanish… but like not in front of a camera and behind an anchor desk. But I did it. Weeks after I was offered to become the Anchor/producer of the first ever Telemundo 3 in the Yuma/ Imperial Valley region.
After this story, everything has been a blur. Literally. I have enjoyed every part of the process. Storytelling is magnificent, connecting to people is everything. I found my place.
I started doing immigration forums, I saw the need for places of safety for undocumented communities in Arizona after Trump came to office for the first time. I would gather radio stations, activists and immigration attorneys in catholic churches and people would come and feel seen.
After Yuma, Radio Campesina one of the Radio stations I had invited to the forums called me and offered me a job in Phoenix, Arizona. I was 23 and it was my first Network job, I hosted a morning talk show and covered national news that impacted the immigrant communities.
Soon after, Telemundo Network heard about my work and offered me a job as a commentator and analyst for the young latino demographic… I was part of the 2020 elections coverage team, creating series and attending the national democratic and republican debates. After this, I was offered to become an Anchor/reporter with Telemundo 52/ NBC4 Los Angeles.
It’s been a true honor. I don’t know how this has happened so fast, in a blink of an eye 9 years have gone by and I wouldn’t like it any other way.
I’m currently an independent reporter. I wanted to explore freelance work, and I’ve been writing/producing documentary episodes, field producing for news outlets and creating radio pieces.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’m highly ambitious. I never see struggle as an impossibility, in fact I love struggle because it makes me value what I have when I finally accomplish it.
Struggles have been connected to family. My family is everything and they are adorable, but they are still very conservative. They never really supported me when I left my house to pursue a job. I remember my dad saying “de esta casa no sales hasta que te cases,” and of course I had to rebel.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For the last 9 years my focus has been undocumented communities in the United States.
I’m currently reporting for 100 Latina Birthdays, a podcast about latina health. We study latina health from birth to 100 years. I just came back from my reporting trip in Chicago.
I’m researching latina sexual health from 40 – 60 years, all the work ends in very interesting 30-40 minute documentary episodes.
I love television. But times are changing, I didn’t want for it to be too late before I learned by experience what everyone else is consuming.
How do you define success?
Freedom. Freedom to pick the story I want to work on, the date I want to leave for vacation, deciding to take a day off because you’re friend is depressed and you need to cook a meal for them.
Pricing:
- Idk
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carmenmarquez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmenmarqueztv/?hl=en
