Mariana Atencio

Originally from Venezuela, she graduated from Merici High School and received a journalism degree from Universidad Católica. She also attended Choate Rosemary Hall, London School of Economics, UCLA and Georgetown University. 

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 fled to the United States when she received a scholarship to get her Masters degree in broadcasting from Columbia University’s Journalism School. 

Over the course of 10 years, she became an anchor at Univision and a national correspondent at NBC and MSNBC. Mariana is known for her boots on the ground, engaging and empathic field work.  She has interviewed Pope Francis, President Biden and the King of Spain, among others. Her journey is featured on the award-winning HBO series “Habla” and People Magazine called her storytelling platform “a media empire”.

Her TEDx talk “What makes YOU special?” is one of the top 10 most watched on YouTube. Doubling down on her message, she wrote her best-selling memoir “Perfectly You” and has become one of the most sought-after speakers in the industry.

Mariana is a 2021 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and spokesperson for the American Latino Museum in D.C. She recently released the true crime investigative podcast series “Lost In Panama” about the disappearance of two women in the jungle. The show made Apple Podcasts top #10 list. 

Mariana came to the U.S. on a full-merit scholarship to study journalism at Columbia University. 

She got her big break anchoring and reporting at Univision, where she also filed for the Documentaries and Investigative Unit. She won a Peabody Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editor’s (IRE) award for her work uncovering illegal weapons sold across the border in Mexico; as well as 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 Debate. 

Mariana made “the cross over” from Spanish to English-speaking television as a national correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. Her investigative work on Latin America, the Latino community, cartel violence, women and migrant’s rights earned her 3 Emmy nominations, a Hillman Prize, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Presidential Award. 

On the originals front, in 2022 she launched the hit true crime podcast “Lost in Panama”, an investigation into the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, shedding light on the issue of missing women and girls in the region. “Lost in Panama” made the top #10 list on Apple Podcasts week of release.