Soledad O'Brien

Soledad O'Brien

Soledad O'Brien at Marquette University on February 7, 2008

O'Brien at Marquette University
February 7, 2008
Born María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien
(1966-09-19) September 19, 1966
St. James, New York U.S.
Education Harvard University
Occupation Broadcast journalist
Spouse(s) Brad Raymond (1995‑present)
Children 4

María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien[1] (born September 19, 1966)[2] is an American broadcast journalist and executive producer.[3] Currently, O'Brien is the anchor for Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, a nationally syndicated weekly political show owned by Hearst Television. She is chairwoman of Starfish Media Group, a multi-platform media production company and distributor that she founded in 2013.[4]

O'Brien has appeared as a television anchor and correspondent on MSNBC, CNN, Al Jazeera America, and HBO. From 2003 to 2007, O'Brien co-anchored CNN's American Morning.[5] From 2012 to 2013, O'Brien was the anchor of CNN's morning news program, Starting Point.[6][7]

In 2013, O'Brien became special correspondent on the Al Jazeera America news program, America Tonight.[8] Also in 2013, O'Brien became a correspondent on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.[9][10]

Early life and education

"My parents were both immigrants—my mother from Cuba, my father from Australia. Both attended daily Mass at the church near campus. Every day my father would offer my mother a ride. Every day, she declined. Finally, she said yes. One year later, the day after Christmas, the two of them were married."

– O'Brien, Soledad (April 2004). "The Church Across the Street". Guideposts. Archived from the original on 22 August 2004. [11]

O'Brien was born and raised in St. James, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island to Edward O'Brien, a mechanical engineering professor at SUNY Stony Brook, and Estela O'Brien (née Marquetti y Mendieta), a French and English teacher at Smithtown High School West.[12] Her parents were both immigrants and met while students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.[13] Her father is from Toowoomba, Queensland in Australia and is of three quarters Irish and one quarter Scottish descent.[14][15][16][17] O'Brien's mother is from Havana, Cuba, and is of Afro-Cuban descent.[15] When she was 14 years old, she came to the United States sponsored by Oblate Sisters of Providence of Maryland.[18]

Interracial marriage in Maryland was illegal until 1967 under anti-miscegenation laws in the United States, so in 1958 O'Brien's parents married in Washington, D.C., where marriage laws were less restrictive.[13] The newly wedded O'Briens then moved to Long Island, to the town of St. James. O'Brien is the fifth of six children, all graduates of Harvard University. Her siblings are law professor Maria Hylton (born 1960), GE corporate lawyer Cecilia Vega (born 1961), businessman Tony O'Brien (born 1962) who heads a documents company, eye surgeon Estela Ogiste (born 1964), and anesthesiologist Orestes O'Brien (born 1967).[14][15][19]

O'Brien graduated from Smithtown High School East in 1984.[20] She attended Harvard-Radcliffe College from 1984 to 1988, starting as pre-med and English and American literature, but left to take a job at WBZ-TV.[1][21] O'Brien went back to school while pregnant with her first child and received her degree from Harvard University in 2000.[1][22]

Career

O'Brien started her career in journalism as a medical reporter on WXKS-FM in Boston because of her background as a pre-med student in college.[23]

NBC News (1991-1999)

O'Brien began her career as an associate producer and news writer at WBZ-TV, then the NBC affiliate in Boston.[24] She joined NBC News in 1991 and was based in New York as a field producer for the Nightly News and Weekend Today. She then worked for three years as a local reporter and bureau chief for San Francisco NBC affiliate KRON. At KRON she was a reporter on "The Know Zone."[15]

Starting in 1996 and during the dot-com boom, O'Brien anchored MSNBC's weekend morning show and the cable network's award-winning technology program The Site, which aired weeknights from the spring of 1996 to November 1997. The show was unique in that she interacted with a virtual character Dev Null, played by Leo Laporte in a motion capture suit.[15]

From July 1999 to July 2003, O'Brien was co-anchor of the NBC News program, Weekend Today with David Bloom. During that time she contributed reports for the weekday Today Show and for weekend editions of NBC Nightly News. She also covered such notable stories as John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane crash and the 1990s school shootings in Colorado and Oregon.[25]

CNN (2003-2013)

American Morning (2003-2007)

O'Brien moved to CNN, where from July 2003 to April 2007, she was co-anchor of the CNN program, American Morning CNN's flagship morning program that aired live from New York City.[5][25]

In 2005, she covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, where she interviewed then head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Michael Brown.[5]

Starting Point (2012-2013)

From January 2012 to March 2013, O'Brien was anchor of the CNN program, Starting Point. After CNN canceled American Morning and replaced it with two new programs, Early Start and Starting Point in 2011, O'Brien began anchoring Starting Point on January 2, 2012.[26] It was announced February 21, 2013, that O'Brien was leaving Starting Point to start Starfish Media Group production company.[7] March 29, 2013, was her last day on air at CNN as an anchor.

Other work

In 2009, O'Brien completed a documentary entitled Latino In America, documenting the lives of Latinos living in America. She continued working as a reporter for CNN, mainly hosting "In America" documentaries, and occasionally filled in for Anderson Cooper on Anderson Cooper 360. She also anchored exit poll coverage during CNN's coverage of the primaries and caucuses in the 2008 United States presidential race, and filled in for Paula Zahn on Paula Zahn Now before Zahn left CNN in 2007.

O'Brien anchored a CNN special, Black in America, in July 2007. The program documented the successes, struggles, and complex issues faced by black men, women and families 40 years after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. In the first installment, O'Brien investigated how James Earl Ray, an armed robber and escaped convict, had already spent a year on the run just a month before his path collided with Dr. King in Memphis, Tennessee. In "The Black Woman & Family", O'Brien explored the varied experiences of black women and families and investigated the disturbing statistics of single parenthood, racial disparities between students, and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS. The fifth installment of the Black in America series aired in December 2012.

HBO (2013-present)

O'Brien's Starfish Media Group signed a deal granting HBO first look rights for new programs or concepts it develops.[10]

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (2013-present)

It was announced on June 12, 2013, that O'Brien was joining HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel sports newsmagazine as a correspondent.[10][27]

Starfish Media Group

In June 2013, O'Brien formed the production and distribution company, Starfish Media Group.[28][29] Starfish Media Group signed a deal to produce a series of hour-long documentary specials for Al Jazeera America.[30]

In September 2016, O'Brien became a host of the Hearst Television show, Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, which is produced by Starfish Media Group.[31]

Other work

From 2013 to 2016, O'Brien was moderator of National Geographic Bee, replacing Alex Trebek who moderated for 25+ years.[32]

In 2014, O'Brien co-taught a Harvard University Graduate School of Education class with Professor Joe Blatt on “Advancing the Public Understanding of Education.”[24]

On May 1, 2016, O'Brien hosted PBS Newshour Weekend, filling in for Alison Stewart.

On January 12, 2016, O'Brien appeared on PBS's TV genealogy program, Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots. The focus was on O'Brien's Irish ancestry.

In 2016, O'Brien presented the 'I Am Latino in America' tour, with nationwide stops across the United States. The tour was streamed live globally on MOSH.[33]

Personal life

In 1995, O'Brien married Bradford "Brad" Raymond, co-head of investment banking at Stifel.[34][35] They have four children: two daughters, Sofia (October 2000) and Cecilia (March 2002), and twin sons Charles and Jackson (August 2004).[36]

On the NPR quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, O'Brien explained that in Spanish her full name means "The Blessed Virgin Mary of Solitude". When she started working in TV, many people recommended that she change her name, but she refused.[37]

O'Brien states that she does not speak Spanish fluently.[1]

O'Brien has a long-time hobby, since she was 13 years old, of riding horses, which she does with her family.[3] She and her husband run a foundation called PowHERful Foundation (formerly called then Starfish Foundation, and before that the Soledad O’Brien & Brad Raymond Foundation), which mentors women to send them to college.[35][38] The foundation began in 2011.[39]

Honors

Leadership and membership

Filmography

Works and publications

Books
Selected works

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Edelhart, Courtenay (24 October 2005). "Conversations: CNN's O'Brien embraces her own diversity". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on 24 December 2005.
  2. ↑ "Soledad O Obrien - United States Public Records". FamilySearch. 1 June 2001.
  3. 1 2 Bryant, Adam (10 June 2016). "Soledad O’Brien: Seek Out the Curious and the Fastidious". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ "Starfish Media Group Story". Starfish Media Group.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Anchors & Reporters: Soledad O'Brien". CNN. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013.
  6. ↑ Ariens, Chris (29 December 2011). "New CNN Morning Show to Launch Monday". Adweek.
  7. 1 2 "CNN O'Brien leaving morning show, starting Starfish Media Group production company". Times Colonist. The Associated Press. 21 February 2013.
  8. ↑ McCarthy, Tom (1 July 2013). "Former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien to join Al Jazeera America". The Guardian.
  9. ↑ Watson, Sheridan (1 July 2013). "Soledad O'Brien on move to Al Jazeera". Entertainment Weekly.
  10. 1 2 3 "Soledad O'Brien joining HBO's 'Real Sports'". USA Today. The Associated Press. 12 June 2013.
  11. ↑ O'Brien, Soledad (April 2004). "The Church Across the Street". Guideposts. Archived from the original on 22 August 2004.
  12. ↑ O'Brien, Soledad (17 October 2010). "Survival of the Fittest" (Book excerpt). Parade.
  13. 1 2 O’Brien, Soledad; Sun, Rebecca (as told to) (19 October 2016). "Soledad O’Brien On Her Parents' Struggles as an Interracial Couple: "People Spit on Them in the Street"". The Hollywood Reporter.
  14. 1 2 "Soledad 1966-1995". SoledadObrien.info. 8 October 2007.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Anders, Gigi (June 2005). "Running with the News: Soledad O'Brien is authoritative, credible, engaging and intelligent. And she's a great mom, too". Hispanic. Archived from the original on 25 April 2008.
  16. ↑ Gates, Jr., Henry Louis (12 January 2016). "The Irish Factor: Soledad O’Brien". Finding Your Roots.
  17. ↑ "Soledad O'Brien's Interactive Family Tree". Finding Your Roots. 13 January 2016.
  18. ↑ O'Brien, Soledad (19 December 2014). "Soledad O'Brien: What my mother left behind". CNN.
  19. ↑ O'Brien, Soledad (24 July 2008). "Behind the Scenes: Black and shopping in America". Black in America 2, CNN.
  20. ↑ "Soledad O'Brien: Pride of Smithtown 2002 Recipient". Smithtown Alumni Association. April 2002. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010.
  21. ↑ "Soledad O'Brien Harvard Commencement Speech - Harvard University Commencement 2013" (Video). Harvard University. 29 May 2013.
  22. ↑ "Harvard Alumni Directory 2000". Cambridge, MA: President and Fellows of Harvard College. 2000: page 1038 (Vol. I) and page 300 (Vol II).
  23. ↑ Lieberman, Jonathan (1 May 2007). "Convocation 2007 Preview". The Cornell Daily Sun.
  24. 1 2 3 Carlson, Eryn (17 January 2014). "Soledad O’Brien returns to Harvard to teach where she learned". The Boston Globe.
  25. 1 2 Finn, Robin (26 June 2003). "Public Lives; Interview With the Interviewer (Hands to Yourself)". The New York Times.
  26. ↑ "CNN's New Morning Show Gets Name And Debut Date". The Huffington Post. 29 December 2011.
  27. ↑ "HBO: Real Sports: Soledad O'Brien: Bio". HBO.
  28. ↑ "Soledad O'Brien Biography - May, 2015" (PDF). Starfish Media Group. May 2015.
  29. ↑ Stelter, Brian (21 February 2013). "Soledad O'Brien to Take on New Role at CNN". Media Decoder Blog, The New York Times.
  30. ↑ "Al Jazeera America signs Soledad O'Brien as special correspondent". Al Jazeera America. 1 July 2013. Archived from the original (Press release) on 2 July 2013.
  31. ↑ "About Soledad". Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien.
  32. ↑ Flora, Kelsey (22 May 2013). "Soledad O’Brien Named New Moderator of National Geographic Bee – National Geographic Society Press Room" (Press release). National Geographic.
  33. ↑ Dizdar, Petra (12 February 2016). "Nation's Top Hispanic Influencers and Business Leaders Coalesce Around New Digital Platform MOSH" (Press release). MOSH.
  34. ↑ "Stifel Senior Management: Brad Raymond". Stifel.
  35. 1 2 Leland, John (19 October 2012). "Sunday Routine: On Sundays, Soledad O’Brien Rides a Racehorse and Preps for Her TV Show". The New York Times.
  36. ↑ "CNN 2003–2007". SoledadObrien.info.
  37. ↑ Sagal, Peter (19 August 2006). "Not My Job: CNN Anchor Soledad O'Brien". Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me. NPR.
  38. ↑ "PowHERful Board". PowHERful Foundation.
  39. ↑ "Soledad O’Brien: "They Call Me Auntie Sole"". Global Grind. 12 August 2011.
  40. ↑ "CNN hires Soledad O'Brien for morning show". CNN. 12 June 2003.
  41. ↑ "Critical Más: 20 for 2000". Newsweek. 11 July 1999.
  42. ↑ "Soledad O’Brien: TV Anchor". People (Vol. 53, No. 18). 8 May 2000.
  43. ↑ "CNN: Coverage of Hurricane Katrina". Peabody Award. 2005.
  44. ↑ "Soledad O'Brien Freedom's Voice Awards Gala". Morehouse School of Medicine. 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
  45. ↑ Parsons, Tim (18 November 2008). "Bloomberg School Awards Goodermote Humanitarian Award to Soledad O’Brien" (Press release). Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
  46. ↑ Williams, Ryan (22 April 2010). "CNN's Soledad O'Brien Named Journalist of the Year by Black Journalists Group - National Association of Black Journalists" (Press release). National Association of Black Journalists.
  47. ↑ Green, Ashlee (2010). "Soledad O'Brien, Journalist of the Year". National Association of Black Journalists.
  48. ↑ "Coverage of the Gulf Oil Spill (CNN)". Peabody Award. 2010.
  49. ↑ Patterson, Jim (12 May 2016). "Soledad O’Brien to seniors: Finding your passion can take time" (Includes video). Vanderbilt University.
  50. 1 2 Harris, Janelle (15 October 2015). "So What Do You Do, Soledad O'Brien, Journalist and CEO of Starfish Media Group?". Mediabistro.
  51. ↑ "Bryant University Commencement 2007. Soledad O’Brien: Doctor of Humane Letters". Bryant University. 2007. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007.
  52. ↑ Chaney, Ashley (7 February 2011). "Delta Sigma Theta Welcomes New Honorary Members, Gwen Ifill and Soledad O’Brien" (Press release). Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
  53. ↑ "Soledad O'Brien Named Distinguished Visiting Fellow". Harvard University Graduate School of Education. 24 April 2013.
  54. ↑ "Board of Directors: Soledad O'Brien". National Archives Foundation. 4 September 2013.
  55. ↑ "Leadership Council: Soledad O'Brien". ExpandED Schools.
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