About me
Nine time Emmy award winning television journalist, anchor, interviewer, host, producer and philanthropist.
Born in Mexico and raised in Southern California, Fernandez has anchored in the Chicago, Miami and the Los Angles markets, anchored at network level for CBS and NBC News and hosted the "Cafe Ole," "Big Shots" and "LA Stories" long form interview programs.
Television journalist, producer, anchor
Giselle Fernandez
Since the start of her career, 9-time Emmy award winning journalist Giselle Fernandez has been known for her cutting- edge reporting in hot spots throughout the world and interviewing prominent global and local leaders. Today, this veteran anchor, two- time winner of the LA Press Club’s Journalist of the Year, showcases her talent each weekday afternoon/evening on “Rush Hour” on Spectrum News 1, helping Southern Californians get all the information they need, and on the Emmy Award-winning weekly series “L.A. Stories with Giselle Fernandez” and Podcast “LA Stories Unfiltered,” highlighting people who shape lives and create an impact throughout the community.
Fernandez is best known for her award-winning journalism with leading U.S. broadcast news organizations, CBS and NBC News, where she covered major international news stories and events. Among her numerous posts, Fernandez hosted NBC’s weekend edition of the “Today Show” and was the first Latina to anchor her own Sunday edition of the “NBC Nightly News.” She also handled special and foreign assignments for the NBC network. Her on-the-ground coverage of international news stories from the Gulf War, US Invasions of Haiti and Panama, Somalia and Bosnian Wars, Hurricane Andrew and the 1993 World Trade Center and Oklahoma City bombings. She garnered much attention for her insightful interviews with global leaders like Fidel Castro, Henry Kissinger, Presidents William Clinton and George H.W. Bush, Vice-President Albert Gore and U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, earning this news veteran seven Emmy Awards.
Giselle has held many titles throughout her career. Aside from anchor and journalist for NBC, CBS, the History Channel and History Channel International, she is also an author and philanthropist as well as president, director and producer of her own production and strategic messaging companies. She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards in the fields of journalism and philanthropy.
Out of Giselle’s portfolio as a reporter, a notable moment was the rare interview she did with Fidel Castro. She is also incredibly proud of her documentary film titled, “Our Story,” which raised awareness of the healthcare crisis facing low income children in the Latin community.
When Giselle is not at the anchor desk you can catch her spending time with her daughter, hiking with her dogs, enjoying music and the power of the arts. She is actively engaged in philanthropic pursuits with City Year Los Angeles and The Grammy Museum and is a passionate collector of Latin art.8
Biography
- 1998
As former Managing Director of Creative World Talent Management, a division of the Trump Group, a principal investment firm specializing in growth capital and buyout investments, Fernandez oversaw a diverse global media operation with special emphasis in Latin America and the U.S. Latin market.
- 2004
Fernandez fostered a robust and growing bridge between the U.S. and Latin media markets in Mexico and opened new doors to shared entertainment on all sides of the border in print, film, television and web programming.
- 2009
As President and Co owner of Dynamic Direct Marketing, Fernandez launched a fashion line of women’s slimmers called “Cheats” into the Mexican and American market place to be sold in Sears Mexico and Walmart USA in the fourth quarter of 2014. She oversees all marketing, branding, celebrity endorsements and merchandizing of the line and its expansion.
- 2011
Fernandez continues to leverage her relationships in Latin America with a focus on engaging dynamic Latino based entertainment and media businesses. Fernandez seeks out companies at a pivotal point in their development when they are in need of either capital or management and provide either or both, as needed, to enable these companies and their managers to realize their full potential.
- 2014-2016
Los Angeles Magazine – Los Angeles, CA
“Big Shots” – Interview series
- 2016
Fernandez is best known over the past decade, for her coverage of international news stories and major events and for her documentary film production. Fernandez completed her first feature length documentary in 2004, “Our Story”, the compelling tale of an eleven year old Hispanic boy with cancer who hoped telling his story would shed light on the health care crisis facing low income kids in the Latin community.
- 2018
Fernandez has made significant contributions to the CBS and NBC networks. Among her numerous posts, Fernandez anchored NBC’s weekend edition of the “Today Show” and Sunday edition of the “NBC Nightly News.” She also handled special and foreign assignments for the NBC network. Prior to that, Fernandez served at CBS News substituting for Paula Zahn on “CBS This Morning,” Dan Rather on the “CBS Evening News” and Connie Chung on the “CBS Weekend News”. Additionally, Fernandez was a regular contributor to CBS “Sunday Morning,” “Face the Nation” and “48 Hours.” Her on the spot coverage of international news stories from locations such as the Gulf War, the US Invasions of Haiti and Panama, the Somalia and Bosnian Wars, Hurricane Andrew, the 1993 World Trade Center and Oklahoma City bombings, and interviews with global leaders like Fidel Castro, Henry Kissinger, Presidents William Clinton and George H.W. Bush, Vice-President Albert Gore and U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, garnered this news veteran seven Emmy Awards.
- 2019-Present
Charter Communications – Los Angeles, CA
“Your Morning” – Co-Anchor/Special Field Assignments
“LA Stories” – Interview series & Podcast
- 2020
Fernandez, known for her unique style of interviewing, co-hosted “This Week in History,” a one-hour weekly documentary series profiling famous people and events in history on A&E Network’s History Channel and profiled Hollywood’s a-list celebrities as the original co-host of NBC’s nightly entertainment news magazine, “Access Hollywood.” From Barbra Streisand to Sharon Stone to Robert Redford and Tom Cruise, Fernandez was a favorite, and highly regarded as one of the finest interviewers in the business. In the words of Oprah Winfrey after a Fernandez profile, the talk show Queen summed it up best with, “She’s a magical smart girl.” Most recently, before going into business, Fernandez co-anchored the Tribune Broadcasting company’s morning news out of Los Angeles, KTLA Channel 5 News, and competed in the second season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
- Today
She is a member of the Banc of California Hispanic Advisory board, a founding member of President Barack Obama’s Futuro Fund, appointed by the President to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, a member of the board of Trustees for City Year, Los Angeles, member of the board of trustees for Excelencia in Education, a member of the board of trustees of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and member of the board of trustees for the Eva Longoria Foundation.
Fernandez is a former trustee of the Latin Grammys, Latina magazine, National Counsel De La Raza and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she remains active an ambassador. While on the Board of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Fernandez founded and Executive produced the Hospitals signature bi-annual fundraising extravaganza, “Noche de Ninos”, which has raised almost thirty million dollars to date.
Fernandez was recently awarded the 2014 Imagen Award for Best on line Interview Series, received a 2014 Life Time Achievement Award for Broadcasting from the Golden Mike Foundation. Fernandez was named the philanthropist of the year, Hispanic philanthropist of the year and was awarded the Legislative Hispanic Caucus Hispanic Spirit Award for her work with children and education. Fernandez was recently inducted to the Latina Women’s Museum in Sacramento honoring outstanding Latinas in California.
Fernandez is an avid collector of Latin American art and the work of famous women photographers. Fernandez lives in Los Angeles with her 10 year old daughter, Talei.