Few words about me...

June 10, 2010

Journalism is freedom. It is a form of expression. The necessity of mass communication in a democracy is undisputable. Information remains essential for society to function; democracy does not exist without a good network of communication and without the ability to disseminate information freely. Most of us are at least partly convinced that a person’s ability to have access to information and become informed is the very essence of freedom. Journalism is a vocation, and those it calls become journalists to serve the public interest. I chose to serve the public interest in what I believe is communication’s strongest medium, television. In recent years, however, may attention has turned to the internet, television's successor.
After my completion of the CNN Special Productions series entitled “Katrina Victims,” I have spearheaded a project for the National Greek Broadcasting Company (ERT), a division of the Greek Ministry of Communications, in Athens, Greece. The project entails the development of programming and the production of a 30-minute evening news show of Greek news in the English language. In addition to providing a new source of news in the Greek market, the segment marks a transition for ERT into a new era of television, digital television.

My professional experience in broadcast news has honed skills that make me a fruitful contributor to news organizations. I have served as an Associate Producer and a Field Producer at ABC News Magazines and as a Story Coordinator Producer at INSIDE EDITION. In these posts, I produced news and human-interest segments on varied topics, including the 2004 Olympic Games, fashion and style, haute cuisine, Hollywood current events, methamphetamine addicts, an American mountain-climber’s fateful trek in Pakistan and American soldiers’ experiences in Iraq.
The Emmy-nominated documentary entitled “TSUNAMI 2004: Waves of Death” that I co-produced at CBS News Productions underscored my ability to problem solve and to construct a finished news product from numerous parts. My experience attests to the knowledge I have of the television news industry and my dedication to it.
Prior to joining broadcast journalism, I held various positions within the Greek Government. I served for fourteen years at the Greek National Tourist Organization, the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs in both Athens and abroad. I was hand-picked by the Greek Government to attend educational seminars organized by the European Union for young professionals. As a result, for over a year, I traveled to several European cities, attending seminars in Computer Science, Media Reporting and International Relations.
During my employment with the Greek State, I worked with the Greek Delegation as a United Nations’ Sr. Press Aide during Greek Presidency of the European Union. In this post I tracked the agenda of the Third Committee Issues that dealt with Human Rights, the Advancement of Women, Media Development and Communication Technology. While at this post, my formal entry into broadcasting began following my introduction to Charlie Rose. While attending an U.N.-sponsored event that dealt with the Committee on Communications and Information Technology, I bombarded Mr. Rose with questions concerning the media’s portrayal of events and the accurate depictions of newsworthy events. After responding to my questions, Mr. Rose inquired into what kind of media I worked with. I simply answered “None. I am not affiliated with a media organization whatsoever.” Soon thereafter, following interviews with him and his team, Mr. Rose offered me a position on his production team, which I accepted.
I never regret switching careers. My extensive experience in the public and private sectors has granted me the opportunity to hold numerous executive, diplomatic and managerial posts.

In my former role as an Executive Producer at the Hellenic Broadcasting Company (ERT), I have attended seminars organized by the European Broadcasting Union (E.B.U.) and European Public Broadcasting Networks. The executive-level seminars were focused on the transition to digitization in the newsroom. The participants had the opportunity to explore and understand the various facets of a cross-media news output project. The seminars' mission was to engage media outlets in a news digitization and integration project, to provide upgraded programming and products making it possible for news organizations to expand to all available platforms and media.
I have spent the last two years researching media organizations, the way in which they function and the manner in which they provide news coverage in this area, such VRT in Belgium, HRT in Croatia, NOS in Holland and Al-Jazeera in Qatar. At the same time, as a freelance broadcast producer, I have produced international news segments for American Broadcast networks, from my current base in Athens, Greece.
I was born to immigrant parents in New York and raised in Athens, Greece, in a multicultural home and wider community that acknowledged and celebrated differences in ethnicity, religion and social customs amongst people. My dual citizenship and bilingual ability, my professional background, my beliefs in multiculturalism and the media’s goal in giving diverse perspectives, along with my intense interest in new technology culminate in my ultimate goal of realizing the significance of Internet, the upcoming medium.