Meet Nelly Carreno

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nelly Carreno.

Nelly, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Mexico City & moved to the United States when I was nine years old with my family. It was very difficult for my parents to leave their family & country, but they wanted my sister and I to have the best education & life possible. At the time, I knew very little English & it was a struggle to fit in. In less than a year, however, I was speaking fluent English due to my deep desire to communicate.

That desire to communicate continued into my teens. In high school, I wrote for the school newspaper & at the University of Texas at Austin I was in the Broadcast News program. I always knew I wanted to work in news and my love for weather came later in life.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has NOT been a smooth road! Working for your dream means having to give up a lot of things. It also means a lot of learning & rejection. When I first started my career, some English stations told me my Spanish accent was too strong to be in the English market. At the same time, some Spanish stations thought my English accent when speaking Spanish was too strong! For a while, I was confused on which language television to pursue.

The low pay/wages at the beginning of my career also made things difficult. I remember getting paid $19,000 a year for my first tv job. My dad had to pay my rent for a while after college.

The long hours & living in small towns away from my family was also trying at times, but it was worth it because I love what I do.

Tell us more about your work.
I am the evening Meteorologist for Univision in Dallas. I forecast the weather & produce my graphics for every segment. During severe weather, I track storms & tornadoes & warn people on the location & track of the storm.

Univision Dallas 23 is an American Spanish-language television station that informs the North Texas Latino community through multi-platform means about the most important local news & weather. I think what I am most proud of at Univision is the connection we have with our community. We love them, & I hope they love us back!. We try to bring information that makes their lives better & keeps them safe in case of severe weather.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The way people get their news is definitely changing. People watch their forecast on a tablet, or on a phone. People don’t have as much time to sit & watch tv. We want to make sure that people can get their information any way they want, that is why we have the free mobile app & you an watch any of our newscasts on the go! I also provide webcasts that are exclusive for those multi-platform users.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.UnivisionDallas.com
• Email: ncarreno@univision.net
• Instagram: nellycarrenotv
• Facebook: nellycarrenotv
• Twitter: nellycarrenotv

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