My Perfect Path

8. Clara Ramirez - Finding a Balance Between Impact and Career with Senior Content Producer at NBC / Telemundo

• Daniel Koo • Season 1 • Episode 8

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My Balanced Path

What if your career path wasn’t just about personal success, but also about making a real impact in the world? Join us as Clara Ramirez, a senior digital producer for NBC and Telemundo, shares her inspiring journey from her roots in Colombia to the bustling media landscape of Los Angeles. Clara’s story is a testament to the power of cultural diversity and bilingual skills, highlighting how they have been pivotal to her success in digital journalism. With her background in social work, Clara masterfully balances her career ambitions with her passion for community service, offering valuable insights into the world of bilingual content creation and the unique challenges faced by immigrants in the industry.

Growing up in a traditional Colombian family, Clara’s experiences with the Focolare Movement instilled in her a profound dedication to social good. Her career in media began at Univision and La Opinion, where she created meaningful stories for the Spanish-speaking community. Despite the pressure of fast-paced news, she remains committed to authenticity and service, crafting content that truly matters. From Medellín to Los Angeles, Clara’s journey underscores the importance of sacrifice, empathy, and maintaining a balanced life. Her personal anecdotes reveal how she navigated the digital media world while staying true to her values, even during the pandemic.

Clara’s experiences showcase the delicate art of balancing professional success with personal values. She discusses her journey of embracing uncertainty and the power of decision-making in career development. Her story is not only about professional achievements, but also about the sacrifices made to pursue her calling. By sharing personal stories of working with young people, the homeless, and migrants, Clara emphasizes the importance of empathy and understanding across cultures. Her commitment to social impact, combined with her career in digital media, offers a blueprint for aspiring media professionals who strive to make a meaningful difference in their communities.

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Clara Ramirez:

I wanted to have a career in, I studied communications in Columbia and I was always very passionate about it, but I always thought that I didn't want to do my career at the center of my life. I wanted to be balanced and to make sure that I never lose that love for doing good things for others.

Daniel Koo:

Welcome back to My Perfect Path, a show about chasing dreams and building careers. I'm your host, Daniel Koo, and today we're sitting down with Clara Ramirez, senior digital producer for NBC and Telemundo Los Angeles. Born and raised in Medellín, Colombia, Clara has traveled an unconventional path, from social work and volunteering to earning her master's in mass communication and breaking into the competitive world of digital journalism. In this episode, Clara shares how she balances a fast paced career in digital media with her passion for giving back to the community. We'll talk about how she transitioned from social work to journalism, the challenges and lessons she faced as an immigrant, and how she maximizes every opportunity to make her impact in her field and beyond. Whether you're looking to break into digital media, find balance in your life, or be inspired by a story of perseverance and heart, Clara's journey has something to teach us all. Let's dive into this episode of My Perfect Path. Clara Ramirez, welcome to My Perfect Path. I'm thrilled to have you here.

Clara Ramirez:

Thank you. I'm very happy to be here too.

Daniel Koo:

Just to kind of kick us off, um, could you explain a little bit about your current role and what you do?

Clara Ramirez:

Yes. I am a senior digital producer for NBC and Telemundo. It's the local TV station for Los Angeles.

Daniel Koo:

Can you tell us a little bit about what your day to day looks like and Maybe your hours and what kind of work in detail, like what you do.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. So I'm part of the TV team. So as you know, TV is very, it's a very traditional industry, but I'm in the digital team. So what we do is we try to get all the information that we get. Uh, from like cameramen and the anchors, reporters, and we try to send it in different, in a different way in all our, our digital platforms. And we have so many, not only social media, but also, uh, we have our website, our application. Now we have also fast channels, uh, we have a lot of streaming. And so I'm part of that team that is trying to kind of like bring that traditional way of watching TV to other platforms.

Daniel Koo:

How many people are in your team?

Clara Ramirez:

So, uh, we are kind of like 10 people in our team. Since I am a senior, I make sure that I work on projects and reach all the goals that we are like, uh, that are set for our team. And so some of us are bilingual and I focus mostly on Telemundo because Spanish is my first language. But since I'm bilingual, that's why, why I was able to get this job and this position, because they were always looking for bilingual people to be able to kind of like see both the stations and kind of like get the best and focus. Like this content is good for the Spanish community. Maybe this one is more for English speaking community here in Los Angeles. And since we are so diverse, it's good to have like that, like view for all the communities here in Los Angeles.

Daniel Koo:

So day to day, would you say? You're using a lot of Spanish in your work.

Clara Ramirez:

So since we are in Los Angeles, the official news come in English and we have to sometimes translate or make sure that we give context to our audience. So we do a lot of things in a bilingual way. So my day to day tasks are like, we have editorial meetings with the director, all the producers for the newscasts, and then we kind of like see what are the news for the day, where are we going to focus? And then. After we see like the agenda, let's say for the day, like these are the main news or there's going to be a big press conference coming from like the governor or maybe there are breaking news that we have to focus on. After we get like all the agenda, everyone kind of like gets like, okay, you're going to focus on these news and you're going to work with this person. And we in the digital team, we say like, okay, these are the main news that we have to make sure that. are on all our platforms. And so then we set the goals and like the tasks for everyone. Like, okay, you're going to focus on social media. You're going to do a video or you're going to write the article or you're going to focus on the live stream for like the other platforms. So that's what kind of like I help coordinating that.

Daniel Koo:

I assume that you've had a different career up till now in order to be able to do this kind of triaging for a for content. Um, and I'm sure we'll get into it a little bit later, but I do want to introduce your background and what kind of upbringing you've had. Could you tell us a little bit about where you grew up and what kind of background you have?

Clara Ramirez:

Yes. So I'm from Columbia, uh, my city. I was born and grew up in Medellín, it's the second largest city in Colombia. I'm from a kind of like traditional family. I have three brothers. My parents were always like very helpful in our like education. They wanted us to know a lot of things, like not only focus on our academics. knowledge, but also in sports, arts. So some of my brothers chose to be more like into sports. I chose to learn more about art. So my hobby is to be an oil painter. And so that just to tell you, like, they always wanted us to have like a. very big array of things that we could, like, learn about. And also, my parents always wanted us to come, like, have, like, a big heart for society, like, to make sure that we are not living in a bubble, but we can, like, see what's happening around us. So I grew up going to a lot of activities to help the poor in my city. And like, we used to go to very poor schools that before the school year started, we went to paint the school. Since I was an artist, I was going to do also like, kind of like little comics there.

Daniel Koo:

Was that through some sort of institution or like through the church? What was kind of like the leading factor there?

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. So I, I, I, I. was at that time, and I'm a still part of an organization, it's called Focolare Movement. It's an international organization. My parents were part of that, a group in Colombia, and that's how I was introduced to it. And it's part of the Catholic Church, but one of the main goals is kind of like to bring unity. So it doesn't matter your religion or even if you don't have a religion, but if we have values that are in common, And we want to help others kind of like we can unite at that point. So

Daniel Koo:

that's, so I guess you were kind of exposed to that very early on.

Clara Ramirez:

Yes, very early. And I really always found a lot of joy when I did that. And so through that group, I was able to go to many conferences out of Colombia. So I went to Japan. I went also to Italy. And to Argentina, like to big conferences for young people. Wow. And that was kind of like super nice because that opened my heart to the world.

Daniel Koo:

I think that's actually a big part of what we're going to dig in today. Today's episode is named My Balanced Path. And could you tell us a little bit about why we kind of arrived at that adjective? And how we're going to apply it today.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah, I wanted to have a career in, I studied communications in Columbia, and I was always very passionate about it. But I always thought that I didn't want to do my career at the center of my life. I wanted to be balanced and to make sure that I never lose that love for doing good things for others. And so, um, Always, even today, I try to keep my life very balanced to make sure that I work, that I keep growing in my career, but that I keep helping people.

Daniel Koo:

I really like that sentiment, mainly because I kind of had a similar experience, uh, my parents were, uh, not Catholic, but we were Christian and we did a lot of service missions and things like that. My father is a dentist, so then, you know, he would have a set of equipment that he would take to Myanmar or Philippines and, um, things like that. We would go and have these medical missions, um, and as a kid, I would follow along and With very limited, you know, knowledge, um, I would do manual labor, but you know, I would try to help him out as, uh, as much as I can. Sometimes it would be, you know, preparing card magic or something like that for the kids that are waiting, or sometimes it's just playing soccer with them. But I really, I think having a balanced life is very important, and I think we'll kind of, you So right now you're working at NBCUniversal. Could you tell us a little bit about how you got there, maybe starting from the previous job?

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. So before NBCUniversal and Telemundo, I was in Univision. That's the largest Spanish network in the US. So I always consider that place like the company that opened the doors for me. For me to be in media, because it's very difficult to break into media, especially in Los Angeles. Yeah. So I was able to start working there as a digital producer, um, and it was like a very good experience. It was kind of like, I still remember that I didn't know a lot of things about TV because I was coming more from a digital background, but a lot of people were helping me. It was great. kind of like to learn about this world and to bring my expertise, which was in digital.

Daniel Koo:

To give the listeners a little bit more context, what, what does a digital producer do?

Clara Ramirez:

So there are so many things open up every day with new technologies like social media. Today's one and tomorrow it could be like 10. Or there are like different technologies that A digital producer, what we do is to make sure that we bring content that is kind of like relevant to people, but we use the right format for each digital space. So we cannot put. But like a newscast that we see, like we watch on tv, we cannot put that on Instagram. We have to make it differently. Maybe it's the same content, it is the same press conference, or it's the same news. But if we put like the anchor stocking, just like the way they do it for a, it wouldn't make sense for the format. No, it wouldn't make sense. And people like they don't like it because we know what we like to watch on Instagram. The same for TikTok or for Facebook, but not only when you get a notification of breaking news on your application, if you sign up for an application, You know what kind of content you want to get. So a digital producer kind of like makes sure that all the content that we get is, it goes in the right way for each platform.

Daniel Koo:

What are some things that was very difficult for you in that job? What factors made you grow a lot in that job?

Clara Ramirez:

So I started in Univision six months before the pandemic, and I was super happy going to the TV station and kind of like learning from the people working at the studio and like giving my contribution to the news and everything. And then the pandemic started and as many people, I had to start working from home. So it was kind of like a moment when I was like, To tell you the truth, it's sad because I wasn't enjoying my job a lot. But at the same time, I grew so much in that time because it was a time for digital. Like, so many things that the TV stations used to do before were kind of like, they couldn't do it anymore in the same way. So it was kind of like, hey, Can you help us doing this? Can you help us connecting people for interviews? Or can you do a newscast for social media? And sometimes I was like, how do I do that? And right now it's different because we can think looking back. Okay, now, yeah, we were using Zoom. We were using other programs for like live conferences that we started using as producing spaces for newscasts for social media. But at that time, it was still kind of like not very well developed, and we were not using that for TV. And so I was able to grow so much because I was exploring all those tools and putting them together to deliver content, even though everyone was at home.

Daniel Koo:

That's super interesting. You seem very passionate about knowing about these social media outlets and being able to utilize them to their full extent. Has that passion always been there for you? If you remember, like, was there a starting point to all of that?

Clara Ramirez:

I think I'm very passionate about everything I do. So, I don't know. If I do things with intention and knowing that it's going to be important for someone that's going to watch it or see it or do it, I just kind of like, I put everything I can to do it. But yeah, my passion for digital started when I I started working at Univision and actually a little bit before. And I think like it's, we're breaking walls for a traditional way of doing things into kind of like the new way of doing it with all the technology that is developing right now.

Daniel Koo:

Very cool. I really like how you said you're passionate about everything you do.

Clara Ramirez:

I think,

Daniel Koo:

um, definitely that's something that we'll see throughout this episode as well. Uh, it seems like you maximize your opportunities. And so right before Univision, what did you do?

Clara Ramirez:

So before Univision, I was working in a newspaper that is called La Opinion. It's also only in Spanish and that was the first job that I was able to get in the U. S. Some people were telling me like, Oh no, but that's a very small place to be. You should shoot for a better company, a bigger one, like with more impact, better payment. And since that was the job that I got, I usually said, you know, this is my opportunity. I'm going to maximize it. And so that's kind of like something that I always say. I maximize my opportunities. Not in, it doesn't matter if it looks small.

Daniel Koo:

So what were some things you were able to maximize in Opinion?

Clara Ramirez:

So in La Opinion, um, I was getting a very low base salary, but they were paying me based on like my KPIs. So it was kind of like number of clicks. I don't know if, I know that is not good because it's like you write things for people just like to click, but. I knew that I wanted to be there only for a few months or years just to build my experience. So they put me really, really high goals. And I was like, it's impossible. Like I'm not going to be able to get it. But then I was like, I know I'm going to study how this works and I'm going to learn what the audience for La Opinion is looking and I'm going to really hit those

Daniel Koo:

goals. Like you're going to try to find a way.

Clara Ramirez:

Yes.

Daniel Koo:

Okay. Okay. Okay.

Clara Ramirez:

And so I would start kind of like trying, like trying a lot of things and seeing like, this is working, this is not working, finding new ways of saying things that were not explored before in that company. So the first three months were really bad. I was not able to reach the goals. But then, let's say in the second quarter, I reached the goal. Oh, wow. And then on the third quarter. I reached the goal again, and I didn't even stay there for a year. And that's when I made the transition to Univision. I see.

Daniel Koo:

Wow. In La Opinion, what was your role? And can you give us an example of what some of those KPIs would be?

Clara Ramirez:

So, in La Opinion was, I was a multimedia journalist. And what I did was mostly writing news in Spanish for digital. So the KPIs was like, I was in charge of Los Angeles. That was my beat. And I want to, I had to make sure that people read my articles. That's what, that was the thing. But in our industry, you can very easily go for the easy articles that, you know, that people are gonna.

Daniel Koo:

Like kind of clickbaity. Exactly. Gotcha.

Clara Ramirez:

Like very bad and very bad descriptive crimes or, you know, those articles that are kind of like, they tell you that you're going to get something and then you don't get that. It's just like,

Daniel Koo:

Yeah. It says something like they make it sound really bad, but when you, once you click into it, it's like not a big deal.

Clara Ramirez:

Exactly. So I, from the beginning I said like, I've, I'll never write this. that kind of articles or I'll try not to do it. Some people told me like, I'm sure you're going to do it because, you know.

Daniel Koo:

You end up doing it because you want to reach the performance indicators.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah, but I was able to stay away from those articles and kind of like find new ways to tell things that were important for people. For example, how to access to services that they didn't know about. How to make it easier to kind of like if they had immigration processes because it was mostly for the Spanish community in Los Angeles. Even though immigration was not my beat, I was always trying to see what was the local angle to make sure that it was for my beat. And so that kind of thing, like little by little, we're kind of like building up and people are like, Oh, maybe there is something interesting here.

Daniel Koo:

Was there a particular theme that you were looking for? Such as You know, helping people or useful information for people who are struggling or was there something that something like a value or something like that that you are using to

Clara Ramirez:

find

Daniel Koo:

your stories?

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. So I think here there is also a little bit of that balance that we were talking about. I always try to, uh, write the stories that are important for the day because either they're breaking news or they are kind of like an agenda for the day of things that really happen. And so, um, you know that you have to cover those topics. But I always. leave room for stories that are important for the community or that are important for me to tell, for example, acts of kindness, or there is a foundation that does something cool for the society. So I want to portray what they're doing. And so it's kind of like, sometimes I have to. look for that time to be able to pursue those articles. And many times people that work in, especially in journalism, they start studying this career thinking that they want to do that. They want to pursue their own stories. And then when they're in the middle of this craziness, like new cycle that is so fast, you forget about what you really wanted to do. And so, um, I always try to remember that now, I want to leave a little bit of time to do those stories that are important.

Daniel Koo:

I think that worked for your benefit because you have more authentic stories, I assume.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. Sometimes I, no one wants to read that and it's okay, but at least I gave it a chance. But sometimes it's surprisingly good and maybe in the editorial meeting they're saying like, okay, you can do that, but that's not going to be important. And then the results are like a lot of people are reading that article or watching that. Do you

Daniel Koo:

have an example of one of your favorites? If you can think of, think of one. Yeah.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. For example. There was a time when I wanted to write about a blind girl that was doing something interesting in Los Angeles. I don't remember exactly what. And people were telling me like, no, but that's only one girl, like, it's not something that is. Like, her impact is not that big, but after I interviewed her, her family, and the institution where she was going, I realized that what she was doing was very important because she was kind of like overcoming so many barriers. And actually a lot of people liked it. And then I received very good comments about that, that article.

Daniel Koo:

I wanted to ask two things. One was when you were going through this period of gaining experience and learning and really pushing yourself to kind of get to the next level and maybe break into the, into the career. Was there anyone that inspired you to kind of push along? And also, was there like a driving motivation behind your passion and like your energy?

Clara Ramirez:

I think like, a driving motivation that I always had is, I want to be successful, but because I want to have an impact on a lot of people. And I want to kind of like, You know, I'm a Latina in Los Angeles. So many people are like, oh my gosh, you're not gonna be able to be there. It's so difficult. Or, and we know that some many people have so many barriers to get there, and I want to, every time I do it, and I, I say where I am, I can see that other Latinas, especially that. Didn't grab here like me are like, oh my gosh, I want to do that too. And I know that when you are studying, it's kinda like you see this so far, but then I really love to make sure that I keep pushing and even if, if though it's difficult or its sounds like almost impossible that I'm gonna get into that company or something like that. I want to keep doing it also to show other people that it's possible.

Daniel Koo:

I really like that. I've never had that as a motivation. Um, I've never had something like, you know, I want to be an inspiration for the Korean population or anything. So that's very cool to hear from you. Um, did you have any role models at all or someone that you look up to? Maybe someone who was doing the same thing that you wanted you're doing right now.

Clara Ramirez:

And no, in reality, no, I just kind of like, you know, I never dreamt of like being where I am. I just kind of like keep going. And since I do things passionately, other doors open and so I keep going there. But of course, I always like to learn from people that, especially people that were able to sacrifice something to be able to be where they are. Because I think our generations. We're used to get things really fast and easy because of technology or other things.

Daniel Koo:

I'm sure every generation has said that for their younger generation as well. But

Clara Ramirez:

also for me, for my generation. But you know, we kind of like forget the value of sacrifice and of like giving up things to get greater things or to look for other things.

Daniel Koo:

Like delayed gratification. Exactly.

Clara Ramirez:

And so, um, I always kind of like, like to listen to podcasts of people that were able to do that. And then they said like, Oh yeah, it was really hard, but this is where I am now. And so sometimes I'm like, yeah, I find a lot of motivation in that in, in inspiration. Also, for example, I was listening to a podcast lately, and someone said, He was given a bigger task and he was thinking like, no, I don't know if I'm going to be able to do that, like as a CEO of a big company. And then someone told him like, hey, we're not here to, to have an easy life, but we are here to have an impact.

Daniel Koo:

And

Clara Ramirez:

I was like, yes, that's true. That's also what I want.

Daniel Koo:

I see. That's kind of like your mantra or like something that you like to carry forwards. A lot of my motivation comes from, Wanting to explore all of my potential. I think,

Clara Ramirez:

you

Daniel Koo:

know, I look at myself and I feel like I have a lot of skills. I have a lot to give and I just want to make sure that I'm not wasting anything.

Clara Ramirez:

Um,

Daniel Koo:

I think I also agree to the fact that you have to have a lot of sacrifice in order to have something that's meaningful and valuable. Because if anyone could do it, then everyone would have it.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. That's right.

Daniel Koo:

Okay, so right before La Opinion, where were you and what were you doing?

Clara Ramirez:

I have to tell you a little bit how I came to the U. S. because I was in Colombia, I was studying and everything. I decided to go to study more like nothing with my career. It was not communications. It was mostly like social work with the same organization that I'm part of, the Focal Air Movement. And I went to Europe. I spent two years learning. About like how to build unity and how to like work for peace in the world, learn about other cultures to make sure that we understand each other. Because I like, I believe that many of the conflicts that we have in the world right now is because we don't really understand the other cultures.

Daniel Koo:

That's quite different from what you're doing right now.

Clara Ramirez:

Yes. Well, that's super different.

Daniel Koo:

Okay.

Clara Ramirez:

And so after I finished that course, there were two years. I was one year in Italy, one year in Switzerland, and after that, they asked us if we wanted to be kind of like volunteers in different parts of the world. And I was like, yeah, I'm young. I want to do it. And so it was very nice because some of my best friends went to Africa or to Asia, and I was thinking like, yeah, maybe I'm going to go back to Latin America or to. Those continents where I thought there was a lot of need and instead they said like, Hey, there is an opening in Los Angeles. Do you want to go there?

Daniel Koo:

I don't think we usually expect Los Angeles to be a place of a need. Yeah. But in fact, I mean, there's a, there's a huge population here. Um, all sorts of population that need help.

Clara Ramirez:

Yes, exactly. And I thought the same. I was like, Los Angeles, what am I going to do there? Like, it's a very rich area. That's my thought. And instead, like, of course, the fact that I knew English and Spanish, it was like a good fit to be here. So that's why I came. That was the first thing that brought me to LA, not my career, but mostly my social work or my passion to work for people. And so when I came here, the first years that I was here. I was doing a lot of activities for like with young people or doing, um, yeah, social work for the homeless or for the farm workers. Or we went also to the border, especially in Mexicali and Calexico. We were going to the shelters there with migrants and also kind of like trying to Build a culture of unity, like, you know, that was, um, the main goal when I came here.

Daniel Koo:

So you were on the field, you were, what kind of activities were you doing? Are these people in need of like food and shelter? Or are these people in need of immigration work? Um, what kind of work did you do?

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. Many of the activities we did were with young people just to, you know, sometimes when you grow up in not only in LA, if you, if you grow up in a family that has a good economic means, like you really don't think about anything else, you're okay. And so we did activities for young people to kind of like open, to be open to others, to kind of like create empathy with problems that we have in the world. And so, um, many of the activities we did were with these young people, it could be teenagers or young adults. It kind of like think together how we can do something for people that were in need. So sometimes we brought these young people to shelters, just to serve meals and to talk with the homeless. Or we did activities in central California just to kind of like integrate different communities that maybe they will never talk to each other, but if they have the opportunity, they'll get to know each other and they even become friends.

Daniel Koo:

That's super interesting. I. I want to thank you for doing that because I've been on the other end. Back in Korea, my family has never had a huge need for financial help. And I remember in high school, I actually went on something called a vision trip and This was through a different organization called Compassion International and they're a Christian organization that goes through, you know, the poorest of the poor neighborhoods and gives children, like, a holistic help. And through that organization, we were able to go on a vision trip to see the children that we were sponsoring and see the contributions we're making and the help that we're getting. That compassion is giving is real and also to show kind of give some perspective to people and to show that there are people in the world that are living completely different lives. And I think that actually changed me a lot. And it's actually a turning point for me in my life and to be able to like grow up and know that I have to help people eventually. I think it gave me a lot of. And it, it planted something in me at that time. So, yeah, thank you. Like that's, I think that's very good work. Um, and I really appreciate that. How did you get into social work and, um, what was kind of like the motivation behind starting that? And was there maybe a certain moment that you remember, um, that you had a heart for it or when did you realize that?

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. When I was in Columbia, I was finishing my college and I was already working in a startup. Actually, it was in digital. That's why I've always been in digital. And I actually had a very good career in my country and I had like everything lined up for me. I was just going to graduate and do this, but you know, at a certain point I felt like a calling to do more and to leave my comfort zone, uh, to, to do something for others.

Daniel Koo:

So this was before you went to Europe and did all that social work. Okay.

Clara Ramirez:

So that was the moment when I kind of like say like, okay, I'm at this time, I'm still young. I don't have a family. I can't really dedicate the good years of my life when I have a lot of strength and things like to do things for the others. So I know like so many people thought that I was crazy because I was living a very good job and. But I was like, yeah, I'm going to do it. And I really can say that I did it for God because I always had like this connection with like my spiritual life. And I felt that God was asking me to do this. So I was like, yeah, I'm going to do it. I'm a still like, as I said, young and with strength, I can do it. So I will do it.

Daniel Koo:

I think that's very brave. And I don't think a lot of people would have thought of even doing that. And I guess my question to you is, what was going through your head in terms of career? Were you thinking that you would have time for it later? Or were you thinking that this would help you or were you not thinking about that at all? Like what was going through your head?

Clara Ramirez:

So it's interesting because at that time, um, I was very passionate about what I was doing there, but I knew that. to, it was going to be like a completely different path that I was going to take. So I was just kind of like very motivated in terms of like the impact that I wanted to have and why I was doing it, that I didn't think of my career too much, even though I knew that sometime in like one day I was going to come back. And I think that knowledge is one thing that you never lose. You can lose so many things, but if you know something, you can use it later. So I was like, maybe it's going to come back later. And so I remember when I was, um, I went to tell my boss that I was leaving that job and he really loved me so much. He was like, no, but why you, you have a good career here. And I was like, no, I'm going to do it later. And he was like, you never know. And I was, wow, it's true. I never know if I'm going to be able to pick up my career. Come

Daniel Koo:

back. Resume as if nothing happened?

Clara Ramirez:

And so in that moment, I was like, yeah, it's like, I remember I told him it's a risk, but I'm going to take it. So that's what I did, and I left that company.

Daniel Koo:

Wow. How did your family react? And were they in support or were they kind of worried about you?

Clara Ramirez:

So thank goodness my family is supporting me a lot. They still do. All my family lives in Colombia. I'm the only one who's really far. So, but I always feel that they are kind of like helping me a lot. And they knew that it was, A responsible decision. I was not leaving everything with like for nothing. And I was going for a course with a very well structured organization. So it was not that I was just going to be in an adventure or something like that.

Daniel Koo:

It wasn't like you just buy a one way ticket with like a backpack. I see. Your transition to coming into the States, what kind of education did you have and what gave you the idea to get your Master's, and how did that master's help you?

Clara Ramirez:

After some years of being in the US I realized that I wanted. That was a moment when I wanted to come back to my career. But it was very difficult to get a job here. Even though I had all the papers to do it, I couldn't because I didn't have anything that validated my knowledge.

Daniel Koo:

Right. Usually for job opportunities, they have years of experience that they want in a certain field. If I'm kind of pigeonholed into one kind of skill set, the only job you can get is in that specific field. It's hard to transition. Okay, so you decided to get your master's because of that?

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah, in a way that was a motivation. Yeah, to be able to get a job again in my field. So, um, I went to CSUN. For those who don't know, it's California State University in Northridge, which is like north of Los Angeles. And I did a master's in mass communication. And so, CSUN. It's a state university. Some people were like, oh, you should have gone to an Ivy League university. And it was like, no, again, if this is my opportunity, I'm going to really maximize it. And it was really good. I got to know a lot of, like, things that I didn't know about. the U. S. Things that have changed in my field during those years that I was doing something different. And then also, um, the best thing is that I got to know a lot of people that helped me. So not only my classmates, but also my professors. So I'm still in touch with some of them. And one of them, She's from Peru and she also like went to so many places. Now she's the dean in university in Arizona. I don't remember the name. And so, but at that time she was my professor and she was kind of like explaining me a lot of things of, Like how academic, like the academic world works here. And so, um, in that time, I really wanted to do something that had an impact again. And so I decided to study and to do a thesis with something that had to do with my background, Columbia Medellín. And you know why? Because I'm from Medellín and so many people, the first thing they say when they. Now that I'm from there, they say like, oh, Narcos, 'cause that's done like internationally known for that. And I was like, I want to show that it is different. And so I was able to get in connected to someone that worked at um. Los Angeles City Hall and it was the technology department that works for data, like C Civic data. Kind of like the data, like

Daniel Koo:

census data and whatnot.

Clara Ramirez:

Exactly. And so I was like, how, how am I gonna make it work? Like communications data? And I, that was kind of like, I feel that was.

Daniel Koo:

A little bit more difficult and technical.

Clara Ramirez:

Exactly. For me, it was very new at that time. But after I was talking, uh, with her, she was telling me that there, there was at that time a project or a program in Colombia with technology and specifically with data that they wanted to explore. And it was in my city and I was like, I'm going to do it for you.

Daniel Koo:

That's just perfect.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. And so it was a little bit about data, civic engagement and how people can get more engaged and participate more in the, like things of the city by knowing more about data and kind of like different things it could be. It could be crime. It could be public services, other things. And so that was my thesis. And so I went to Columbia. I interviewed a lot of people there and then also here, and then I gave recommendations to the Los Angeles City Hall on how to build that program here.

Daniel Koo:

It's actually kind of unbelievable that those two cities, um, that you're involved with, your home country and the one that you're working until now, ended up kind of collaborating on this project.

Clara Ramirez:

Yes.

Daniel Koo:

So right before your master's, um, you're doing your social work. Was there anything from that work that allowed you to get into this master's? Like, was there anything that was related? I think I remember that you Did some documentaries and work in digital and media. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?

Clara Ramirez:

I think what helped me the most is that to be a journalist, you need to know a lot, like the community and the best journalists are those who kind of like grew up in a community and they know how to tell the stories from the people there. But I'm not from here. And so I think those years where I was like in social work or kind of like working with communities gave me a very good taste of the city and of California. And I was able to see like the struggles of people. And kind of like also the beauties of the city, because of course it's Los Angeles is there are so many things that are sparkling here, but also how people suffer, how people don't have things that may be in our countries that they have because they have better benefits, social benefits or something like that. So I think I learned a lot about. the communities. And also through this work, I was able to do some documentaries going to different parts, not only in the U. S. I went to Puerto Rico after the Maria hurricane to document what young people are doing to help rebuild the cities after that devastation. I also went to, to Canada to document how they were welcoming immigrants. And I went to the border to see how young people are trying to integrate the migrants that arrive at Mexico, at the border, and they're not able to cross to the U. S. At the end, they are still there. So, they were, they were trying to integrate people in these cities, like border cities, but in the Mexico side.

Daniel Koo:

I think we have a really good picture of your journey so far. Um, you started in Colombia, you went to Europe, came to Los Angeles, did a lot of social work, um, got your master's, and then got your first job as a journalist. And then Getting bigger, bigger jobs now as a digital content producer at NBC. And I want to touch on a lot of things that you did at the same time. So, there's the social work that you've continued that you've balanced so far. I know you did some art all throughout. Could you tell us a little bit about how you were able to balance social work, um, throughout this entire career.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. So I have to say that I still do that. I still work with communities and try to keep my heart open to the struggles of people. And so, yeah, I think it's all balance. Many times. I've, I see that in, in my industry, a lot of people work a lot of hours and of course, sometimes you have to do it, but I think I always want to keep balance in the number of hours that I work, being very disciplined, but also doing my job well. It's not that I never. do over time, but of course I try to do things in the right time and not to steal from other things that I want to do because I don't want work to become the center of my life. Even though I do it with a lot of love and I really like it. Everything I do at MVC Universal and Telemundo, I am really passionate about it and I really would like to become the most, the best station in Los Angeles. But at the same time, I'm like, I also want to keep the time to do my workouts, to paint, and I, for example, two years ago, I did an exhibit in Mexico City and I brought several of my paintings to this kind of like exhibit in Mexico. Wow. It was interesting, like, some people are like, how do you find the time to do all that? And I'm like, if I want, if I say that I want to paint like on a Sunday or something like that, or when I come back from work, I try to keep it like, I do my schedule and I really try to be disciplined about it.

Daniel Koo:

Do you have any tips on how to be more disciplined with those things? I think things can get very out of hand once you, you know, get into it. You know, meet with friends and have people you have to meet for networking purposes or things like that. Like, how do you balance it all in your own way?

Clara Ramirez:

So, I always try not to put too many things in my schedule, of course, but when I'm thinking about why I want to do certain things or meet certain people, I do it with intention, like also like not just because I want to meet everyone or to do everything. But then also something that I always keep in mind is that I want to make sure that I'm fulfilling my promises. If I tell someone that I'm going to meet with that person, even though I, um, one day I'm super tired and I would do another thing, I try to keep my promise and to meet with that person. Sometimes there are people that they want to call me or for advice or something like that. And I wake up early. 7am, I tell him like, the only time I have is 7am before I go to work. Do you want to just make a phone call there? And people are like, yes. So I, sometimes I would like to sleep a little bit more, but I'm like, okay, I'm going to wake up earlier, do everything I have to do to be ready at seven, talk to this person, go to work.

Daniel Koo:

Wow. That's a very impressive. And I think a lot of people try to bury themselves at work because maybe that's the only kind of part of their lives that creates a lot of value. Um, but I think it's important to have different aspects in different fields. And I guess looking back, you don't regret any of these things, right? It probably gives you a lot of fulfillment. So I think that's something that I think I'll take away from this as well. Um, trying to put even more balance in my life and not just do a lot of work, but also balance giving back to the community. and taking time for myself as well.

Clara Ramirez:

I think work is important and building your career is important, but also your family is important. Your passions and hobbies are important. And at the end, that's what makes you like a whole person. Not only one aspect. And I think a lot of people focus so much on work or only on one aspect of their lives. And then there is a moment only when they retire, they want to pursue their passions. And maybe they could have done it before and kind of like, I don't know, I think it's good to think that you can do a little bit more. Everything.

Daniel Koo:

Yeah. My, my father always used to tell me that, let's say you're considering a master's or something like that. He, he would say, Hey, those two years are going to pass anyways. And there's two options, you know, in one scenario, two years will pass. You'll have a master's degree. The other scenario, two years will pass and you won't have a master's degree, you know. I know it's not as simple as that, but it kind of is at the same time where if you do a lot, these are hours that you've already been given, you know, so you might as well maximize it. And I feel like you don't remember the tough parts and you kind of remember the good parts. So I try to think of a future Daniel and how he would be so happy about what I did, um, rather than Meek, like current me, like suffering through the work, if that makes sense. This next part, I want to get into the listener's head. And if there's someone that really wants to do what you're doing right now, like let's say being at NBCUniversal as a content producer, What would be your advice to them on taking their first step?

Clara Ramirez:

Okay, so to be a digital producer in the news environment, let's say, because you could be in different industries, first of all, you need to be a good journalist to know about what's happening in the world, to be balanced. I would suggest people to make sure that they keep their Social media balance. Again, that word , because that's how you start building your reputation. Also, if you want to be a journalist, that you don't lean too much for certain things or issues. It's not that you cannot have your opinion, but be careful with your own social media, but then also read a lot, learn a lot about history. That's one part. Then the other part is start building up your skills. In all the digital platforms. So you already know how to write well. So now how do you build that narrative in other formats, like visual editing skills for videos. We are in a very visual society. So video is super important. How you, that we have so many videos and like, I don't know how many millions of videos are uploaded every second. In all the platforms. How are you going to make sure that your video is going to get the attention of people? So there are many ways. in which you can learn how to do it, how to grab people at people's attention in the first 10 seconds, even less. And so that's kind of like, those are things that you also need to learn. Then after you have those two things, also you need to learn how to like the industry works, how TV works. And, or if you want to be more like in the movie industry or something, how the movie industry works at the end, like you, you can adapt the skills for like digital production to different, even marketing or TV. Our industries, but the technical skills and the knowledge, that's what you really need to have.

Daniel Koo:

I want to ask about two things. So for people who want to do what you do right now, um, and they're kind of wondering if they should jump into this career, to whom would you recommend this career? And to whom would you not recommend this career? So, maybe some qualities that would be great to have, and maybe. some challenges of the work that you should be prepared for.

Clara Ramirez:

To work specifically where I am right now, you have to be very comfortable working at a very fast pace and not becoming anxious with kind of like a lot of things at the same time. Especially in breaking news, you have information coming all the time and people are getting kind of like anxious or you, you feel that momentum in, in the in the newsroom. Like everyone is kind of like focused to get that production, that newscast. You also have to make sure that you send that push or things like that. And so you need to be able to work like under that kind of pressure. There are moments in which it's normal, but there are a lot of moments in which you have to really be very calm. So if you prefer to work like with your schedule and your agenda. Go through your items and that's your day. This is not for you. Also, you need to be very creative. So there are people that are more like logical, like they want to work more like with numbers, things that make sense. One, two, three, in this kind of jobs, you have to come up with ideas like on the spot and with new strategies, like people change really fast. social media and platforms change really fast. So you have to be creative and say like, okay, now we're going to do this because we're losing people with this kind of content. So things like that.

Daniel Koo:

Do you think some of these skills are innate or do you think some can be learned?

Clara Ramirez:

I think some of them are innate, but some you can learn for sure. I have several experiences with interns because we have some interns in our team that They come without knowing certain things and they say like, no, I don't think I want to do that. Like, I don't want to learn how to edit videos or things like that. And then when they start learning, they realize that they're good at that and they So some things are kind of like, you may always wanted to do that and you think you have that creativity or things like that, but then maybe you just needed to learn the technical aspect of that and then your creativity starts flowing.

Daniel Koo:

Maybe something that was blocking you was just. Maybe a small skill, um, that that's kind of easy to learn if you focus on it.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah, even for people who they say maybe they don't know how to paint. And then sometimes, like, I know that some people start, like, taking some classes or just buy some paints and start painting. They are really good. They had it in themselves, but they never tried.

Daniel Koo:

So it seems like there's a kind of threshold to which maybe someone can help you with and then after that it's like a floodgate that's open.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah.

Daniel Koo:

Um, was there a point when you felt imposter syndrome, like the feeling that you don't belong or the feeling that you're not good enough for the job?

Clara Ramirez:

Yes. And no. So yes, because I'm always going to be an immigrant and maybe you too, like we always kind of feel that we're not from here and that we're more comfortable in our culture. So there are things that even though I've been living here for a long time, there are many things that I'm like, I don't know how that person took it.

Daniel Koo:

Like culture difference. Yes. Cultural differences.

Clara Ramirez:

Cultural differences. Or there are things that I don't know about the corporate world, how it works, things like that. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, how did I get here? And so many people ask me, like, how are you able to get into that position that so many people would like to have? You're not from here. You don't have connections. And I'm like, I don't know. Like, maybe mine. They saw my, my results, the way I work. So there is always moments when you feel like, Oh, super confident and moments when you feel like, Oh my gosh, am I really going to be able to do this? And so every time I feel in my downtime, I, I think, and I tell myself, no one gave me this for free, I earned it. So if I'm here, it's because I earned it. So that's my way to overcome. Like, like my impostor syndrome, when it comes, I say like, if I'm here, it's because I sacrifice a lot to be here.

Daniel Koo:

I like that. I can kind of share my story a little bit too. As I broke into big tech in the computer science world, software engineering, I remember when I was applying, I was, I was very nervous. I wasn't sure if I was going to get into these big companies. And I had a lot of friends that already have been in the industry. And this was because I had to do my military service in Korea. And during that time, my friends were already in the industry. And I asked my friends, you know, am I going to be okay? Am I going to make it? Um, and I remember one friend telling me that you are so qualified to work here. Like, it's, it's going to be fine. You'll make it. And I remember that being a very big part of my life. I guess inspiration and motivation to go on and to be able to kind of push through. So I guess it's both ways. There has to be a certain level of self talk and being able to hold it together on your own. I think it's very good to have people around you support you as well. Yes,

Clara Ramirez:

for sure. That's very important.

Daniel Koo:

I think today, I've learned a lot. Um, some of the things that I feel like I learned is it's totally possible to have an activity where you're giving back to the community. throughout your career and still be very successful. Like you can have a very good career and also have a balanced life where you're doing other things. And in a way that actually helps you because you have a balance of ideas. You're able to relieve stress, um, through your hobbies. And other thing that I really like about today was, that you maximize your opportunities and it's, it's very powerful when you think that, you know, you're giving something that other people might not think is the best thing, but you make it into something amazing. I like the quote, Don't worry about making the right decision. Just make the decision right. Um, in a way there is no correct path, but it's how you manage to bring results in that path that you just ended up choosing.

Clara Ramirez:

Yeah. I think if I look back and I see myself telling my boss in Medellín, Colombia, I'm gonna Yeah. Yeah. Make this I'm gonna take the risk like and now I see where I am. I'm like, oh my gosh, it was worth it Even though it was so crazy at that time. Everyone told me that I was crazy, right? Now I can say like totally worth it. And I I really want to see what's coming I'm very happy to kind of like I'm curious about What what am I gonna do next?

Daniel Koo:

It's kind of like a last closing question. Where do you see yourself in like 10 years? What do you think is? Beyond I guess what you're doing right now.

Clara Ramirez:

I really don't know I don't know what i'm gonna be doing in 10 years and I don't have any idea I never had an idea for what i'm doing right now What I know is that I i'm always gonna do social work and even If I don't want or I don't feel like I want to do it, I want to make a kind of like a promise to myself that I will never forget that part of myself, that I always want to keep my heart open to people that are struggling. So that's the only thing that I know. Where I'm going to be in my career, I don't know, but I really for sure want to keep helping people the way I can.

Daniel Koo:

Thank you so much for your time and wisdom. Um, I really had fun and learned so much. Thank you. Appreciate your time.

Clara Ramirez:

Thank you. It was really nice to be talking with you.