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Diario Las Americas | Mariana Atencio’s Passion Contagious at First Sight

Fusion's Mariana Atencio talked with Diario Las Americas about her role as co-host of “Fusion Live” and what it was like to cover the crisis in Venezuela. The headline of the story read “The primetime show ‘Fusion Live’ bets on bilingual youth in the US and the new generation of relentless journalist” – 

…One of the issues that touched her the most was covering the student protests against the government of Nicolas Maduro, in her native country, Venezuela.  

I knew that the massive protest was coming so I asked Fusion to let me go to Caracas to cover it. It is an issue that goes far beyond the concern as a Venezuelan. It’s about censorship, violation of human rights and that is important to young people anywhere, “she said.

Mariana Atencio highlighted the importance of Fusion as a means of dissemination. "The channel is committed to youth by doing this show which proves the importance millennials have on society,” she said.

Read the full profile here.

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COSMO GUY: Fusion’s Pedro Andrade Profiled by Cosmo en Espanol

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Pedro Andrade, co-host of “Fusion Live,” was featured by Cosmo en Espanol as their “Cosmo Guy” in the latest issue.  ​Below is a portion of the interview – 

How did you go from being a model to a TV host?

I was always passionate about journalism, and modeling was a platform to obtain that opportunity.  My dream wasn’t to be a top model but to be a journalist. Little by little I started getting opportunities, but it wasn’t from night to day.

Today, you are host at Fusion. How do you feel about being the first Brazilian host in an American show? It is a privilege. Everyday ​I​ am thankful for the opportunity I​ have and wake up with the best attitude to make a show in which I can express my opinion and listen to my​ colleagues​, and at the same time be funny. 

The hosts are a Venezuelan, an American and you, a Brazilian… How is the mix of nationalities? It is a pretty cool chemistry because we are very different from each other. Yannis Pappas is a very fun stand up comedian, born in Brooklyn. Mariana Atencio is from Venezuela and she was a journalist/reporter ​for​ Univision. We are a multicultural fusion​ –​ very unique and humorous. Also, we have a band on the show that plays from Latin music to jazz; a bit of everything. It is amazing. 

What are some of the coolest topics that you have addressed during the show? Once, we talked about the drug cartels and their use in social media in Mexico. We have talked about atheism. The topics are from politics to makeup, fashion, art and even economy. We analyze current issues and we give a different point of view. 

What is the best advice that you have received? The one that I always tell people is “there are no shortcuts, you need to work hard always.” Not only on the professional side, but also with your partner and friends; you need to invest time to demonstrate that you care and you work on every aspect of your life.   

​For the full interview check out the latest issue of Cosmo en Espanol.​

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‘Fusion Live’ Debuts Tonight in Primetime

Pedro Andrade, Mariana Atencio, and Yannis Pappas can say goodbye to their early morning wake-up calls as Fusion’s morning show is moving to its new primetime home with a new name – ‘Fusion Live.’ Fusion CEO wrote of the move in an email to staff last week.

The show’s senior producer Javier Guzman spoke to Capital New York’s Alex Weprin about the new primetime program (@FusionLiveTV) which debuts tonight at 8:00 p.m., ET.

Fusion, the cable news channel owned by ABC News and Univision, is gearing up for the biggest change to its lineup since it launched in October of last year. One of the biggest tweaks is that the channel’s morning show, cheekily dubbed “The Morning Show,” will be moving to primetime at 8 p.m. starting tonight. And it’s getting a new name: “Fusion Live.”

“We kind of see it as a Tumblr page coming to life,” Javier Guzman, the executive producer of the show, told Capital. “On that Tumblr page you will have some serious news, you will have something funny, a short video that is funny, and our audience is OK with that, that is how they digest their media in normal circumstances, so we are trying to marry that on the show.”

Guzman also talked about building out the “Insignificant Breaking News” brand – 

Some of the content originated serendipitously. “Insignificant Breaking News” was the headline on “The Morning Show” when pop star Justin Bieber was arrested in Miami in late January on suspicion of D.U.I. Screenshots of the show and video clips from its coverage spread around Twitter, Facebook and Reddit like wildfire.

“With ‘Insignificant Breaking News,’ that stems from the conversation that was going on in the control room between myself, and the director, and the talent, and we said, you know what, 'let’s do this, why are we talking about this? This is our voice as a show,'” Guzman recalled. “We are exploring ways to take that concept and build it out. It is going to be a regular feature on the primetime show, we are seeing what it looks like as a recurring segment, using that kind of coverage as a model for when stories like that fit the bill, covering it from that perspective and that tone.”

Check out the full story over at Capital New York.

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Fusion’s Mariana Atencio Recognized with Gracie Award

It was announced today that Fusion anchor Mariana Atencio will receive a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media.  She will be recognized in the Outstanding Documentary category for her work on “Pressured: Freedom of the Press” (“PRESSionados”).

The Univision News original one-hour documentary presented a chilling overview of how freedom of the press is being curtailed in several Latin American countries that call themselves democracies. For “PRESSionados,” Univision News’ award-winning Documentary Unit traveled throughout Latin America to record the first-hand accounts of journalists and reporters who are experiencing these attacks. Viewers will learn how renowned journalists, as well as owners of prominent media outlets, have been targeted and silenced by the governments of Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina; and how criminal organizations are putting members of the press in mortal jeopardy in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Brazil.

More on the documentary here.  Watch it below – 

 

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Fusion’s Mariana Atencio Talks About Venezuela Protests on NPR

Fusion’s Mariana Atencio spoke with NPR’s David Brancaccio, who hosts “Marketplace Morning Report” weekday mornings, about the deadly protests occurring in Venezuela.  Listen below – 

She notes that the protesters in Venezuela are mainly middle-class citizens and students, pointing to economics as the driving motivator of the protests – “

The majority of the shelves are empty in supermarkets, in pharmacies. [There are] long lines for people to buy flour, deodorant, butter, shaving razors, toilet paper. It’s all that people talk about. People will run in a sprint when they hear that flour has come to a certain supermarket.”

Mariana Atencio is a Peabody Award winning journalist, who was born and raised in Venezuela. She joined Fusion as a co-host of “The Morning Show” from Univision News in 2013, where she covered Hugo Chavez’s death along with previous presidential campaigns in Venezuela. She has a B.S. in Communications from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas and a Master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University. 

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Fusion CEO Highlights ‘Exceptional’ Week for New Network, Says Network’s Partnerships Shone During International Coverage

During the past week ABC News coverage of two key events has benefited from extensive reporting done by its sister network Fusion – the ongoing deadly protests in Venezuela and the capture of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Segments of Fusion’s original documentary “El Chapo: CEO of Crime” aired on several ABC broadcasts and Fusion’s Investigative Reporter Mariana van Zeller contributed to ABC News’ coverage throughout the weekend appearing on “World News,“ “Good Morning America,” and “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” With young Venezuelans taking to the streets to protest the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Fusion anchor Mariana Atencio, who spent the past week reporting from Caracas, reported for “World News with David Muir” and contributed to ABC News Digital coverage last week. In addition, Fusion’s coverage of both stories was featured across ABC’s digital platforms including the homepage of ABCNews.com. 

Conversely, Fusion leveraged the global resources of ABC News to cover the unrest in Kiev, Ukraine.  ABC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Terry Moran appeared last week on Fusion’s “AMERICA with Jorge Ramos.”

Fusion CEO outlined this in an email to the Fusion staff on Monday.  See the stories from TV Newser and The Huffington Post below for more – 

• TV Newser: Fusion Boss Highlights ‘Exceptional’ Week for New Network
• The Huffington Post: Fusion CEO Says Network’s Partnerships Shone During International Coverage

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Fusion’s Mariana Atencio to Report from Venezuela on Escalating Protests

This journalist is heading to #Venezuela. Thankful for the opportunity #iamyourvoicevenezuela/ Quién dijo miedo? pic.twitter.com/toYKf2AVN6

— Mariana_Atencio (@marianaatencio)

February 18, 2014

Fusion anchor Mariana Atencio is traveling to Venezuela to report on the escalating protests happening there. Her reports will be featured across Fusion, ABC News, and Univision broadcasts and platforms in the coming days, beginning Tuesday evening on “AMERICA with Jorge Ramos” at 8:00 p.m., ET on Fusion.

Throughout the past week Mariana has been contributing to Fusion’s coverage of the protests – on Friday she posted a personal message about the violence occurring in her home country. Watch here: http://bit.ly/1f2NlVa.

Eleven months into his administration, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro faces mounting protests that could be driving the country to the edge of outright civil unrest. Opposition to Maduro’s presidency has been mounting since he was elected last year. For the past several weeks young Venezuelans have been protesting Maduro’s administration despite a security crackdown, a local media blackout, and attempts by the government to censor the web and the airwaves. Fusion has been covering this story across its tv, digital, and social platforms –

• WATCH: Protests in Venezuela May Shake Balance of Power
• READ/WATCH: Venezuelans Took To Social Media to Document Bloodshed, Violence
• WATCH: Violence in Venezuela: An Explainer
• READ:  Venezuela Protester Helps Fallen Colleague, Later Killed

Mariana Atencio is a Peabody Award winning journalist, who was born and raised in Venezuela. She joined Fusion as a co-host of “The Morning Show” from Univision News in 2013, where she covered Hugo Chavez’s death along with previous presidential campaigns in Venezuela. She has a B.S. in Communications from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas and a Master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University. 

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Fusion’s Mariana Atencio to Talk Importance of Community Colleges with Sen. Marco Rubio and Panel

Fusion anchor Mariana Atencio will join National Journal editorial director Ron Brownstein in moderating a panel “The Next America: Making Community Colleges Work.”  Among the panelists is Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).

The event brings “together government officials, educators, administrators, students and other experts to explore the important roles community colleges serve in the educational landscape. We’ll examine how community colleges are preparing its students for the working world, improving transfer rates to traditional college programs and how students are accessing financing to enable their studies.”

The event takes place today, February 10, 2014 at 1:00 p.m., ET.  Watch here.

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Fusion’s Mariana Atencio Takes a Royal Selfie (WATCH)

Selfie beats twerk as word of the year. Broke protocol and taught the Prince of Spain how it’s done @ThisIsFusion pic.twitter.com/63VJONPsY5

— Mariana_Atencio (@marianaatencio)

November 19, 2013

On Tuesday the publisher of the Oxford dictionaries dubbed “selfie” (the smartphone self-portrait) the word of the year for 2013, according to the Associated Press.

So it’s only natural that when the Prince of Spain dropped by Fusion Newsport this week that “The Morning Show” host Mariana Atencio did what any respectable journalist would do: she took a selfie with His Highness.

Watch:

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Snap Out of Your Morning Routine with “The Morning Show” on Fusion

Globo Jounalist Pedro Andrade, Univision Reporter Mariana Atencio and Comedian Yannis Pappas to Host Morning Program Weekdays 7:00-9:00 a.m. ET

Fusion – the news, pop-culture and satire TV and digital network from ABC and Univision launching October 28 – today announced its daily morning program “The Morning Show” hosted by Globo journalist Pedro Andrade, Univision reporter Mariana Atencio and comedian Yannis Pappas.  

Starting Tuesday, October 29, the weekday two-hour broadcast (7:00-9:00 a.m., ET) will join Fusion’s programming lineup that will engage and champion a young and diverse America with a unique mix of original reporting, lifestyle content and comedy programming. 

"The Morning Show” on Fusion will be filled with smart, edgy, funny and compelling stories. The audience will become a part of a free-flowing conversation that is high-energy and informative. The program will be a venue for newsmakers – from politicians and entrepreneurs to celebrities and entertainers – to reach the youngest, most diverse, and fastest growing audience in America. Pedro, Mariana and Yannis will also blend humor and analysis to tackle topics ranging from how the definition of the American Dream is changing for young Americans to asking questions like “is it possible to copyright a tattoo?’” or “what is the best year in music history?" 

"With a diverse set of hosts and a bold, irreverent voice unique to Fusion, we’ll create a new, entertaining and engaging morning routine for our audience,” said Isaac Lee, CEO of Fusion. “Our viewers sleep with their smart phones by their side because they never want to miss a beat. ‘The Morning Show’ will feed that appetite on-air and online by sparking lively conversations around the latest trending topics and delivering compelling stories infused with humor.”

Viewers can join in on all the conversations by following the hashtag #FusionMorning.  You can follow Fusion on Twitter @ThisIsFusion and on Facebook at facebook.com/FusionNetwork.

Pedro Andrade (@pedroandradetv) is a Brazilian journalist originally from Rio de Janeiro. He currently anchors one of the most popular shows in Brazil, “Manhattan Connection,” which reaches nearly 8.5 million viewers weekly. He will continue to contribute to that program from Miami. Prior to that he spent five years guiding viewers through the newest and most exclusive destinations in food, nightlife, art, shopping, fashion, and wellness as anchor of Brazil’s Emmy-award winning lifestyle program “LX.TV 1st Look.” Pedro was chosen by NY Press as the “Best Up and Coming TV Host” in 2010, and he is listed on VH1’s “Guide to the Hottest Men in Manhattan.” Later this year, Pedro will be publishing a guide to New York through ROCCO, one of the biggest publishing companies in Latin America.

Mariana Atencio (@marianaatencio) joins Fusion from Univision News, where she was the youngest correspondent for “Noticiero Univision.” As a reporter for Univision’s Investigative and Documentary Units, Mariana received both a Peabody Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Award for her work on the one-hour documentary “Fast and Furious: Arming the Enemy.” She has covered major domestic and international stories including the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in 2013 and the 2012 U.S. presidential election – where she reported from both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. She also co-anchored election analysis for “Despierta América,“ Univision’s highly rated morning show. Prior to joining Univision, Mariana worked as a news anchor for Vme-TV, a Spanish broadcast public television station for the U.S. Hispanic market. She has a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism where she received a full-merit scholarship. 

Yannis Pappas (@yannispappas), a Greek-American born and raised in Brooklyn, is one of the most exciting comedians working today. In 2010, Yannis was selected as a "New Face” for the prestigious stand-up showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival and appeared in two Just For Laughs TV specials. He has performed one man shows at the New York Comedy Festival and The Fringe in Scotland. He has taken his standup act across the globe from New York and Sweden to Scotland, South Africa and Montreal. He has served as a panelist on VH1’s “Best Week Ever,” was the host of “The Bracket” on MSG and his writing has been featured on Comedy Central, MTV and BET. His recent one-man show at the Zulu Comedy Festival in Denmark received a 5-star review from the national paper there and he was featured on the Danish Television show “Casper & Lars Presents.”  He is best known for his popular viral internet characters Maurica and Mr. Panos. He constantly tours the US to sold-out crowds who come to see his stand up and characters.

Javier Guzman will be producing “The Morning Show.” He joins Fusion from WNYC where he was a producer on NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” – two of the most listened-to news radio programs in the country. Prior to that Javier worked for the daily, national morning show “The Takeaway.”  In addition, while working at CBS News Radio he produced coverage of events ranging from presidential elections and the war in Iraq to continuing coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

WATCH: Fusion Anchor Derrick Ashong Takes You Inside the Network’s Miami Headquarters

Fusion will kick off its on-air programming on Monday, October 28. Its digital property – www.fusion.net – will launch Oct. 21.  Fusion will announce additional programming and talent deals leading up to launch.

About Fusion
Fusion is a news, pop culture and satire TV and digital network. It will engage and champion a young, diverse, and inclusive America with a unique mix of smart and irreverent original reporting, lifestyle content and comedy programming.  Fusion will launch in millions of households nationwide on October 28 as six major distributors have already agreed to carry the cable network including Cablevision, Charter, Cox, AT&T U-Verse, Verizon FiOS and Google Fiber. You can follow the team online at @ThisIsFusion.  Fusion is a joint venture between Univision Communications Inc. and the Disney/ABC Television Network that was announced on May 7, 2012.