We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Martinez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, is there a life experience you can think of that you feel has had a profound impact on your life or career?
Alberto Jubiz Hazbúm was a Colombian chemical engineer of Lebanese descent who was wrongfully accused of one of the most significant crimes in Colombia’s history. Alberto was also my step-grandfather. In 1989, Jubiz Hazbúm was accused of assassinating a prominent presidential candidate, Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento. The event was predicated upon several years of increasingly pervasive corruption, as the powerful drug cartels interacted with a dysfunctional government, which was heavily invested in a civil war among communist guerrillas, paramilitaries, and the government’s military forces. Galán Sarmiento was widely predicted to win the election, particularly because he advocated reinstating an extradition treaty that would have allowed Colombian international drug traffickers to be tried in the United States. The Medellin cartel in particular opposed the treaty. Four days after the murder, Jubiz Hazbúm was arrested and incarcerated. His claims of innocence fell on deaf ears. A number of witnesses with questionable motives came forward to condemn him. Witnesses who were initially willing to attest to his alibi were mysteriously silenced. From his jail cell, Jubiz Hazbúm found himself entangled in a conspiracy concocted by high-level government officials along with the world’s most powerful drug lords. We now know that the assassination was ordered by the Medellin cartel and executed with the help of highly-placed government officials. This incident opened my eyes to incredible stories that had to be told. Once I created my very first news story based on this event, I never looked back. I knew my calling was to be a journalist. Alberto Jubiz Hazbúm was a Colombian chemical engineer of Lebanese descent who was wrongfully accused of one of the most significant crimes in Colombia’s history. Alberto was also my step-grandfather. In 1989, Jubiz Hazbúm was accused of assassinating a prominent presidential candidate, Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento. The event was predicated upon several years of increasingly pervasive corruption, as the powerful drug cartels interacted with a dysfunctional government, which was heavily invested in a civil war among communist guerrillas, paramilitaries, and the government’s military forces. Galán Sarmiento was widely predicted to win the election, particularly because he advocated reinstating an extradition treaty that would have allowed Colombian international drug traffickers to be tried in the United States. The Medellin cartel in particular opposed the treaty. Four days after the murder, Jubiz Hazbúm was arrested and incarcerated. His claims of innocence fell on deaf ears. A number of witnesses with questionable motives came forward to condemn him. Witnesses who were initially willing to attest to his alibi were mysteriously silenced. From his jail cell, Jubiz Hazbúm found himself entangled in a conspiracy concocted by high-level government officials along with the world’s most powerful drug lords. We now know that the assassination was ordered by the Medellin cartel and executed with the help of highly-placed government officials. This incident opened my eyes to incredible stories that had to be told. Once I created my very first news story based on this event, I never looked back. I knew my calling was to be a journalist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career is very challenging but nonetheless a very rewarding one. As a journalists, especially a TV journalist, you never know what to expect. Everyday is different, exciting and at the same time humbling. The stories we encounter are often stories of battles and injustices. In my case, there’s nothing that gets me going more than someone being treated unjustly. I LOVE giving that person or community the platform to seek justice and speak their truth. A platform that they often don’t have because the odds are usually not in their favor. Getting to where I am today has not been easy. I’ve been paying my dues for approximately 10 years now! COVID-19 has made things difficult but I’m finally at a point where I can breathe and think about what’s really important in my life, my priorities and give my mental health a break. However, my heart is in storytelling so I don’t think I could ever stop doing it. As far as exciting projects: News Quickies. A few years ago I embarked in this journey to create a different brand of news. A brand that incorporates news, social media, lifestyle, creativity and people. A brand that pioneers the way how news is delivered and consumed through social media. News Quickies are short, fun and casual video explanations of today’s top headlines, deviating from traditional news outlets and styles. It is a no B.S. news outlet with a hint of personality. It’s also a way for me to embrace who who I am: a millennial and an immigrant.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
I’m not much of a person that likes the “touristy” things so I would definitely not take them to the Walk of Fame unless they asked for it. In that case I’ll drop them off and picked them up on the other corner lol. It’s too crazy! I enjoy more a nice dinner then a rooftop with a view for drinks (like Perch or somewhere along the Pacific Coast Highway). Having grown up in the East coast I have never been much of a hiker but I’ve learned to appreciate it especially if there’s an incentive on the other side (i.e. brunch). People watching and sunsets in LA are incredible so beach time is a must as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Back in 2007, during a very hard time in my life, I crossed paths with an angel called Nathan Fisher. He is lawyer who I worked for for many years, helping him grow his Hispanic clientele. He not only encouraged me to grow, learn, explore, but also gave me the freedom and flexibility to do so. At the end he was not my boss, he was family.

Website: www.stephmnews.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/stephmnews
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmnews
Twitter: www.twitter.com/stephmnews
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephmartineztv
Youtube: www.youtube.com/newsquickies

Nominate someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.