Renowned broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien, who has been honored with the Peabody, Emmy® and duPont Awards for enterprising reporting during her accomplished television career, and in April was the recipient of Hispanicize 2013‘s prestigious Latinovator award, will join the team of HBO’s critically acclaimed magazine program REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, it was announced today by Ken Hershman, president, HBO Sports.
“Soledad is a perfect fit for REAL SPORTS,” said Hershman. “She’s an extraordinary interviewer and storyteller, and we’re thrilled to be able to add her to a franchise where the emphasis is on finding and presenting thought-provoking stories in the diverse and ever-fascinating world of sports.”
In addition to joining REAL SPORTS, O’Brien and her production company, Starfish Media Group, will have an overall relationship with HBO granting the network first look at scripted projects and long-form programming concepts that she and her team develop.
O’Brien has reported on breaking news from around the globe, making her one of the most recognizable names in journalism. In 2011, she won an Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story Long Form for “Crisis in Haiti.” O’Brien was part of the coverage teams that earned CNN a George Foster Peabody award for its coverage of the BP oil spill and Hurricane Katrina, and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for its coverage of the Southeast Asia tsunami. The National Association of Black Journalists named O’Brien Journalist of the Year and the Edward R. Murrow Awards lauded her with the RTDNA/UNITY award in 2010 for “Latino in America.”
O’Brien has been integral in developing and hosting the award-winning “Black in America” franchise, one of CNN’s most successful international franchises. In 2010, she wrote the critically acclaimed memoir “The Next Big Story: My Journey through the Land of Possibilities,” which chronicles her biggest reporting moments and how her upbringing and background have influenced these experiences. She is a graduate of Harvard University and will serve as a visiting fellow for the 2013-14 school year at the university’s Graduate School of Education. She is also a member of the board of directors for the Foundation for the National Archives.
“Soledad’s a respected journalist with a proven track record,” says Bryant Gumbel, host of REAL SPORTS. “Her credibility, broad interests and passion make her a wonderful addition to our program. I’m thrilled to have her on our REAL SPORTS team.”