MAYTEE MARTINEZ: 2012

Maytee: What's it like working for NBC Miami?

Nathalie: I really enjoy working for NBC Miami. I grew up in Miami, all my family is here and I feel very blessed and fortunate to be back working, doing what I love in the city that I love. After graduating college I had to move around a bit to gain experience in smaller markets. Miami is such a big city that they like people to have experience. So after three and half years of moving and working at different stations I am so glad to be back home!

Maytee: Can you give me a snippet of what your day looks like?

Nathalie: My day starts at 2:45am!! That’s the time my alarm goes off. I am snoozer so I don’t get out of bed until 3am. I get dressed, wash my face, brush my teeth, grab my breakfast from the fridge and I’m out the door within 20min. I walk into work with my flip flops, no make-up and hair not done. I start gathering my information for the newscast, check my email to make sure nothing was sent the night before that I should know about before going on air. And depending if there is a really bad accident when I come in, I get on the phone with police to find out more information. If not I check just a few minutes before going on at 5am. Traffic changes every minute so getting info 40 minutes before I am going to present it is not useful, unless it is something huge! Around 4:20am I go to the make-up room and get my make-up done. I do my own hair and then at 5am we hit the air. I do traffic hits every 15 minutes between 5am & 7am. Than between 7am & 10am while The Today Show is on, I do them every 25minutes. In between this time I am getting ready for our second show that I co-host. That show is live from 11am to noon. It’s a lifestyle show with fashion, events, dining and more.

Maytee: During your career, what has been an exciting story you've covered?

Nathalie: One of the stories I hold in my heart was when I was working for the ABC affiliate in West palm beach. It was the day Fidel Castro transferred power over to his brother, Raul Castro. I was able to do a story on the struggles and challenges my family faced when leaving Cuba and coming to a new country. I interviewed some of my family members and delivered the story live from S.W. 8^th St. in front of Versailles Restaurant. There was a sea of media there that day. The sidewalk was packed with reporters and cameramen/women. I felt so honored to be a part of that memorable day.

Maytee: What do you enjoy most about your job?

Nathalie: I love that I love what I do. I have a passion for it and look forward to going to work every morning. I still can’t believe I get paid to do this because I love it so much. I really like being able to voice the communities concerns, tell their stories. I love seeing a story develop and unfold right before my eyes. I love breaking news, it is such an adrenalin rush. I love that it is something different every day.

Maytee: What tip would you give to aspiring journalists and reporters?

Nathalie: I would tell aspiring journalists that they really need to have a passion for news. It is not an easy job. When I first started I had to carry my own camera, shoot my footage, conduct the interviews, edit it and present it at the end of the day. I was a One Man Band reporter, that’s the term used to refer to do it all. I would go back and do it all again in a heartbeat. I can now say that I know the process from start to finish because I did it all! So as you can see, it is not a glamorous job like many people think. Also, you make very little money and need to move around to gain experience, so you really need to love it. I would advise students to do internships. Education plays a huge element, but there is just so much you can learn in the classroom when it comes to news. Internships let you experience news and reporting hands on. Take advantage of your internship once you are there, sit down with reporters and producers and don’t be afraid to ask questions. That’s how you are going to learn. Get to know every aspect of the newsroom and how it operates. Go out with reporters so you can experience being out in the field. And most important…be yourself, be real. Don’t try and be someone you are not.