Today we’d like to introduce you to Cata Balzano.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Working in entertainment was always something I knew I wanted to do. I began taking theater when I was 12 years old and did it until I was 18, and that really helped me develop projection skills as well as being in front of audiences, but that never was an issue for me. I was always willing to be in front of people and cameras and anything else. I decided to go for a career that would take me in that direction, and journalism with an emphasis on broadcast media felt like the perfect thing for me. While I was at FIU, I began writing articles for the university newspaper, and that lead to an internship at the Miami Herald. I knew being at the Herald was going to open a lot of doors for me, so I said, “I need to juice this opportunity as much as possible.” It was 2015, and I was still a full-time student, and a 3-month internship turned into a year and a half of my life working for the Miami Herald as their fashion and entertainment reporter. However, I took advantage of how open they were to having me write for them across beats, so I also covered community matters, highlights of the LGBTQ community, real estate, business, and so many other things.
Then I decided to go independent in 2016 and I opened my own media company so I could work with various mediums and networks, bringing them in as ‘clients,’ and luckily, that went so well. I was still writing for the Miami Herald while also covering stories for other media outlets. Then in 2017, I was contacted on Facebook by one of the panelists of a show on AméricaTevé called A 90 Millas, which Rick Sanchez was hosting, and I was invited on the show for one day. It was a daily talk show at 4 pm on the channel. I was super pumped to be going in as a guest, but after we shot the first 10 minutes of the show and we went to a commercial break, Rick told the producer over the mic that he really liked my vibe and camera persona and that he wanted to keep me on a weekly basis. So I ended up co-hosting and being a key panelist on the show and was able to learn hands-on production and TV skills. I already had all the writing experience, but I was finally gaining the TV experience and exposure that I wanted. I was so happy and knew I’d be signed within a network for a long contract in no time, but before that, I wanted to have lived in Europe if even for a few months.
So in 2018, I decided I’d leave the show, and I booked a flight to London to study fashion journalism at UAL’s London College of Fashion. They say that you make plans and God laughs, and I guess that’s true because though I packed all my essential items in case I did decide to stay for a longer period of time than the initial course, I never thought I’d be so in love with the city at first glance. Like… I’ve lived in Bogotá and New York and Miami – which I love so much – and I never loved a city so much. So I ended up staying and working to establish my company within Miami and London, and though it took me sweat and A LOT of tears and stress, it was worth it because it happened. So I now write and cover stories on a global scale for some really well-known media names. I get to run my company from Miami and from London, and it’s such a dream come true. Now obviously, with COVID, I’ve had to pivot my strategy and coverage because a lot of the things I used to cover aren’t happening at the moment. But here we are!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m not ever about petty parties because I believe we’re meant to live what is necessary for us to grow and mature, and I’m grateful for everything – the good and the bad – but I’ll say it has not been at all a smooth road. I think it’s made me strong and incredibly disciplined professionally. I’ve grown thick skin and character, and I know how to look out for myself far more than if I would have had it easy. Obviously, you appreciate things a lot more when you’ve worked so, so hard for them. Balancing a full-time journalist job while still working as a full-time student in college was a challenge because I was always busy. During the day I was in school, and I would ask my professors to please let me out a few minutes early, so I could run to events or interviews or press junkets.
When I graduated with a journalism degree in 2017, most people in my industry didn’t even know I was still in college. Everyone thought I was a professional. I had achieved so much so soon, but that’s because I worked nonstop from the moment I got that opportunity at the Miami Herald. It led me to my first TV gig at 25, but then I dropped everything and moved to London where nobody knew me, or what I had done, or who I was, nor did they care. They still don’t really care, for the most part, hahaha – but that’s a story for another day. Anyway, I’ve had everything from difficult moments professionally where I’ve wondered whether my decision to leave my secure job in Miami is the best, as well as financial hardships and moments where I’ve had self-doubt or have felt a little bit stuck because when you’re starting over in a new place after you’ve had everything you’ve ever wanted at the palm of your hand, it’s f*cking tough. But it’s also really beautiful when people see and appreciate that, and ultimately that was what led me to seek out opportunities with the media companies that I work with now. I’ve been through a lot, but I would not have it any other way, and it feels really good to think about the act that all of this has only happened within five years. Imagine what’s to come! I’m excited.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have a multimedia production and publishing company, and we (meaning I) operate through a variety of media verticals producing content for bigger media corporations in various content forms that include written, audiovisual and on-camera pieces. So I do everything from Copywrite press releases for independent publicists in English or Spanish as well as PR agencies to major record labels in Europe, LatAm or the United States, and movie production companies. My English and Spanish levels are so head-to-head that I’m hired a lot to translate from one language to the other or to just write press releases and newsletters on artists, events and upcoming projects.
I also create branding strategies for small businesses or independent professionals who want to learn how to brand themselves and establish a solid digital footprint, so I consult and mentor them on how to create a solid face for themselves on the internet far beyond social media – which some people also need help on because they don’t know how to maneuver. And the other part of my company handles written and audiovisual news content in the form of features and coverage for magazines, newspapers and TV networks. Other things we do are voiceover work in both Spanish and English. I’m extremely proud of the fact that I did this all myself and in less than four years. This project is my baby, and I plan to grow it. Under the company, I’m developing more projects that I can grow, and the most exciting thing is that I’m the person behind the creative process. I’m extremely creative and have so many concepts that I want to work on, so I love having Cata Balzano, Inc as a hub that I can develop everything under.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Wow, well, right now, we are seeing more shifts than ever from print to digital, which has led to a decline in people within newsrooms. Obviously, a lot of computers and machines are taking people’s jobs, and working from home is the real deal these days, so my industry has definitely taken quite the forceful hit. I think for the past ten years, media has been changing. First, it was blogs and bloggers taking up space in an area where only journalists and editors were welcomed. Then social media came along and a fountain of online media and news outlets have become competition for newspapers and magazines.
Now with COVID, the industry is shifting even more. The way we report is different, the easy access to people is no longer a thing. Now it’s all on computer and video and zoom… but I had a head start when I moved to London and was covering the Latin market with everyone in Miami two years ago, and I was doing interviews over the phone… so I’m used to this new ‘digital’ way of producing and reporting. I think within the next five years, the media industry will further be adjusted to the current times, but I do see many more newsrooms closing and becoming smaller. If there is anything I wish for is for more companies and big names to open doors for Latinos, giving us a space to work in the general market. Many only want to work with us when it comes to the Latin market and on a ‘consulting’ level – never offering us an actual opportunity to join their team or spearhead one of their main departments – but I hope that within the next 5-10 years, they actually walk the walk, especially after putting out so many statements on their commitment to inclusion and diversity in their board rooms and newsrooms, etc. I at least don’t see it yet, and it needs to happen like Yesterday.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.catabalzano.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catabalzano/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catabalzano/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgbOa8XKgEG633dgg-OBCIQ
