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Four-time Emmy award winner shares his journey from the classroom to the newsroom

Four-time Emmy award winner shares his journey from the classroom to the newsroom

April 14, 2021 at 9:00am


Journalist and multimedia producer Fabian Galvis ’15 got his start interning for the Spanish radio station Caracol Radio, where he wrote sports briefs for their morning show. Less than a year after graduating from FIU with his bachelor's in communication, Galvis won his first Emmy in 2015 for Outstanding Sports Coverage in Spanish. 

Six years later and three more Emmy’s in his portfolio, Galvis shares how FIU helped get him to where he is today.

Did you always want to be a journalist?  

No, I didn’t. I contemplated different careers before I thought of journalism as a possibility. I tried music production for over a year, but I felt I wasn’t passionate enough about that field; so I took a year off before college. One day watching a sports talk show something clicked. The one thing I had always been passionate about was sports, and I thought it would be really cool to work in that kind of environment.

What path did you take to attain your current career as an associate producer for Telemundo?

The same year that I was interning for Caracol Radio, Univision contacted me about a temporary position as a production assistant in their sports department. In a matter of two years, I was offered a full-time position and then promoted to associate producer. Even though the bulk of my career has taken place at Univision, I am no longer with them. I started as an associate producer with Telemundo last December and this new step in my career has been as enriching as it has been energizing.

How has FIU helped you in your career?

The education I received at FIU has been of great significance to this day. I’m sure it will continue to be. At FIU, I learned the basic tools to face the field (storytelling guides, editing tools, writing effectively and accurately and multimedia concepts and trends). It was also at FIU that I acquired the habit of reading various newspapers and following different media outlets. This has helped me identify different ways to approach audiences and my content. It also helps me stay as informed as I can even on topics and fields that seem alien to my working field.

Can you tell us more about your work at Telemundo and what a typical day looks like for you?

I am an associate producer, which means I work very closely with producers, talent, graphic artists, video editors and other associate producers to conceptualize, create and air original content for the network. A typical day includes meetings, making calls and sending emails to set interviews, preparing the actual interviews, conducting research, writing, reviewing written or graphic content and a lot of teamwork. You depend on your team as much as you depend on yourself. I’m currently part of a team producing hour-long documentaries that air every three months, so there’s always plenty of time and work before our product goes on air. This is different from my previous job, where I worked mostly on daily live productions.

How did it feel to be nominated and awarded an Emmy?

Being nominated for an award such as the Emmy puts you, your team and your network on a different league, a league where only the best play. Being actually awarded means the quality of your work has been valued at a national level above many other great productions. It is an honor and great motivation.

What year(s) did you receive your four Emmy’s and for what category?

2015 - Outstanding Live Sports Coverage in Spanish

2016 - Outstanding Live Sports Coverage in Spanish

2017 - Outstanding Live Sports Coverage in Spanish

2018 - Outstanding Studio Show in Spanish

What’s been the coolest thing about your job so far?

It’s amazing to think that today I’m one of those people who make possible the things I’ve loved all my life. Covering games, press conferences, interviews, statistics and all those things that fans love brings me a deep and lasting satisfaction. Of course, I’ve also enjoyed the chance to travel and meet famous journalists, athletes, coaches and other personalities.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I love that I get to challenge my skills every single day. There is no ceiling, and I can always learn something new. Even when the mechanics of the job seem repetitive, there is always something surprising that requires a different approach. My favorite part is the fact that I’ve been able to work in the field that I love since the very beginning. That has been a blessing.

Were there any classes or professors that influenced where you are today?

Professor Neil Reisner had the whole class reading three different newspapers plus the school’s newspaper on a daily basis in our news writing class, which is where my news reading habit got its roots. Something he said one day stuck with me. He said that although journalists are not supposed to know everything, a good journalist should know a little about everything.

In Professor Fred Blevens’ classes, we discussed actual and current news, like the Russian military incursion in Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea and Edward Snowden’s Wiki-Leaks. Analyzing these types of news items and the way they were broadcast gave me a deep perspective on how just about every meaningful event can be “adapted” to suit different points of view or different interests. This was fundamental in my growth, not just as a student but also as a news consumer. Since then, I’ve been careful and cautious with the news I get and the sources I work with.

Being an ethical person is an integral part of your professional career. Many of the notions on journalism and communication ethics came to me in Professor Veraldi’s classes.

In my senior year, I had been looking desperately for internships. Professor Lilliam Martinez-Bustos was in charge of internships, and she knew of my interest in sports media. It was she who put me in contact with Caracol Radio, which gave me my first professional experience and first steps in the industry.

What advice do you have for students interested in a career in media and communications?

Keep your mind open. Reporters and writers are not the only journalists. There are many rewarding and fulfilling paths you can take within the media industry. So, don’t be frustrated if your ‘ideal’ or ‘dream’ job doesn’t become a reality in the near future. Take whatever opportunities you’re given and make the most of them. You may discover a new dream job along the way. This doesn’t mean you should give up your current dreams. I wanted to be the guy on camera or the guy with the mic since the day I was watching that sports talk show. I still do, and I still look forward to it, but I took the chances that were given and found a different path that has been a very exciting and fulfilling one. Ahem, did I mention my four Emmys?