I was given the unique opportunity to talk to Maria Antonieta Collins, a seasoned veteran from the news desk at Univision. She’s been a news anchor for as long as I can remember watching TV and it was an absolute honor to hear, first hand, what she is up to these days.
She was in LA talking at a seminar for local women about their available resources, part of a national campaign by LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens and Procter & Gamble.
I wanted to discuss a bit about her work and she obliged.
What advice do you have for new journalists today?
“It’s a very difficult career; it was different when I started. It’s very competitive now. But you can do it if you have the passion to commit and believe in what you’re doing. If you don’t believe in what you’re doing – it won’t happen. Everything in life if you work at it, 24 hours a day if you have to, will result in something great. You just have to open that door.”
“It’s also a great responsibility. People that want to be journalists, become responsible to an audience.”
Collins juggled being out of town, taking care of kids, her husband and everyday life.
“I put everything into my career, I sacrificed and my family sacrificed. You have to have a passion for what you do, but you have to find balance too.”
What inspired you to write eight books?
“I never believed that I would write; I’m a news anchor. But I’ve lived through a lot in my professional life and husband’s death six years ago. I wrote a long story about all the things that I experienced. I wanted to talk about what others didn’t, like unfaithfulness and domestic violence.”
I thought that if I opened my soul writing this book and one person is inspired by it, it would all be worth it.
Why did you leave Univision?
“I took two years sabbatical. I wrote and have spoken at seminars ‘Mejora Tu Vida’ and ‘Mas Valor Por Tu Dinero’ all over the U.S.”
“They’re free seminars for women. I lecture in the heart of the community about how to optimize time and resources. There are many things that will help women in their daily lives at these seminars, like how to find computer classes and the importance of learning English.”
“I returned to Univision, January of this year. I’m doing special investigative reports for Aqui y Ahora. In fact, I just returned from the Vatican last week, I covered the beautification of Pope John Paul II. I’ll be on again Sunday with another investigative piece about Oaxaca.”
How do you see the evolution of the news?
“If you’re not in the age of social media, you’re in the stone ages. I admire people like you that are urban journalists.”
“I think it’s the most liberal, freest form of news reporting, from the people that are living the in the midst of what is happening. You can be exactly in the place of the news. You’re publishing a story that doesn’t need to wait another 6 hours to be on air and doing it without the backing of a main network.”
“You’ll see, that voice will be supported by the networks in the future.”
What’s next for Maria Antonieta Collins?
“I write an ongoing political column for El Sol De Mexico, and another political column for the Miami Herald. My syndicated talk radio show, ‘Casos y Cosas de Collins’ airs Saturday’s on FDP radio network based in Miami and broadcasts in 71 cities.
Next, I’m writing my ninth book and traveling to educate women with ‘Mejora Tu Vida’ seminars. Next one is in Texas, then Cincinnati. I will also be doing in depth investigative stories for Univision.”
“No pones todos tus guebos en una canasta,” is her philosophy. In English, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
And, “Nunca, nunca eres demasiada flaca o rica, y no tienes demasiado trabajo. Hay que seguir luchando.” You can never be too skinny, rich or have too much work. You must continue the fight.
