Patricia Nazario, M.S.

Award-Winning Journalist | Filmmaker | Producer
Bilingual Storyteller | Investigative Reporter | Sailing Instructor

Los Angeles  |  [email protected]

Profile

International, bilingual journalist and award-winning filmmaker with expertise in live broadcast, investigative reporting, election operations and documentary film.

Columbia Journalism School graduate. Wrote, directed, produced and edited Backstreet to the American Dream, winner of 18 awards and commendations, now distributed by New Day Films.

Skills

Live Reporting and Anchoring • Breaking News • Investigative Reporting • International Reporting • Field Producing • Live Event Production • Bilingual Interviewing (English/Spanish) • MMJ: Shoot, Write, Edit • Nonlinear Video Editing • Multitrack Audio Editing and Sound Design • Documentary Production • Long- and Short-Form Storytelling • Nonfiction Scriptwriting • Public Speaking

Tools: Adobe Premiere Pro • After Effects • Photoshop • Final Cut Pro • Pro Tools • Audacity • iNews • WordPress/Elementor • Mailchimp • Canva • Microsoft Office

Selected Honors
  • Emmy Award, associate producer, KTTV: A 45-Year Legacy
  • Golden Mike honors (5), Radio & Television News Association of Southern California
  • L.A. Press Club honors (4), including Best Radio Series
  • NAHJ Ñ Award, Best Radio Reporting
  • Florida Associated Press Award, Best Public Affairs
  • Congressional recognitions (3)
  • Backstreet to the American Dream: 18 awards and commendations, including Best Director (Culver City Film Festival) and Best Feature Documentary (Highland Park Independent Film Festival)

Experience

DOCUMENTARY FILM
Aug. 2010 –
Current

Backstreet to the American Dream (Feature Documentary) – L.A., CA

Director | Producer | Writer | Editor

Trailer | Highlights Reel | EPK: English | Project Summary

  • Wrote, directed, produced and edited a bilingual feature documentary about race, labor, class and economic survival, following entrepreneurs from opposite worlds on L.A.’s street-food scene
  • Screened at 14 film festivals, including Dances With Films, Newport Beach, Sonoma, San Antonio and Ethnografilm Paris, earning 18 awards and commendations
  • Secured civil rights and labor leader Dolores Huerta as executive producer, Jarritos as promotional partner and the International Documentary Association as fiscal sponsor
  • Distributed nationally to schools and libraries by New Day Films; presented at 18 universities and cultural institutions, including Columbia, UCLA, USC, the Smithsonian/Japanese American National Museum and the National Hispanic Cultural Center
  • Created Cinema. Cultura. Comunidad. (2025), a daylong film and cultural festival at the historic Gardena Cinema, funded by an L.A. County grant and recognized by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
  • Built and manage Backstreet’s social media and website, BackstreetFilm.com
June 2024

Dances With Films Festival – L.A., CA

Behind the Scenes (BTS) Producer (6 Vignettes)

  • Led all BTS production, including interviews, shoots and editing of exclusive content with filmmakers and newsmakers, while managing production schedules for a 10-day festival at the TCL Chinese Theatre, which draws 20,000-plus attendees annually
BROADCAST JOURNALISM & ELECTION OPERATIONS
Nov. 2021 –
Current

Nexstar Media Group/KTLA 5 – Tournament of Roses Parade – L.A., CA

Segment Producer | Producer/Editor (Preditor) | Field Producer (2 Vignettes)

  • Contributed to KTLA's Rose Parade coverage, which won a 2025 Los Angeles Area Emmy
  • Spearhead coordination with on-air talent, camera crews and onsite technical teams for live coverage along the parade route under tight deadlines
  • Produced and edited feature packages for two live pre-parade specials: Backstage at the Parade and Parade Countdown
  • Field-produced along the parade route, coordinating talent and live broadcast teams with anchors, stage managers and line producers in a high-pressure, fast-moving environment
  • Partnered with producers and EPs to hit tight turnarounds under live show conditions
  • Parade audience: 800,000 in person and more than 76 million viewers worldwide
Oct. 2024 –
June 2026

Riverstreamz, for the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk – L.A., CA

Election Operations Field Service Technician (FST)

  • Supported L.A. County vote centers in three elections: the November 2024 presidential general, the November 2025 statewide special election and the June 2026 primary
  • Set up, tested and troubleshot voting equipment at vote centers in La Crescenta and Sunland-Tujunga, resolving or escalating issues under election-day deadlines
  • Followed chain-of-custody, security and documentation protocols while working with voters, poll workers and county support teams
Oct. 2022 –
March 2024

L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk – L.A., CA

Election Assistant I, Mobile Vote Unit

  • Operated voting devices, checked in voters, set up and broke down mobile and pop-up vote centers at sites across the nation's largest election jurisdiction
July 2006 –
March 2011

KPCC 89.3 FM (now LAist) – L.A., CA

Reporter: Health | Immigration | Housing (Listen)

  • Won 12 awards and honors for daily reporting and long-form stories under tight deadlines
  • Wrote spots and turned SOTs for live shots from the field and studio
  • Covered beats with multiple daily spots while advancing long-form features
  • Reported in English and Spanish, filing live and taped reports for NPR and other affiliates
Oct. 2004 –
June 2006

WLRN Miami Herald News 91.3 FM – Miami, FL

Fill-in Anchor | General Assignment Reporter

  • Delivered breaking news live shots from the field and studio, multiple daily spots and long-form features under tight deadlines
  • Earned a Florida Associated Press award for "The Mariel Migration: 25 Years Later"
Aug. 2002 –
June 2004

NPR | Marketplace | The World (co-produced by the BBC World Service) – Buenos Aires, Argentina

International Correspondent (Listen)

  • Enterprised spots and features on Argentina's social, economic and political crisis
  • Covered Argentina's contested 2003 presidential election and filed from Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica
Sept. 2001 –
June 2002

WFUV 90.7 FM – Fordham University, Bronx, NY

Fill-in Anchor | NYC Bureau Reporter

  • Covered the 9/11 terrorist attacks and New York City's early recovery
  • Earned an SPJ Mark of Excellence Award, Region 1, for "East Harlem Mural"
  • Anchored headline newscasts during morning and afternoon drive times
Aug. 1997 –
Feb. 2000

Central Florida News 13 – Orlando, FL

Fill-in Anchor | General Assignment Reporter

  • Shot, wrote and edited breaking news and enterprise stories as a multimedia journalist (MMJ), delivering multiple daily live shots for a 24-hour local news channel
June 1992 –
Aug. 1997

KTTV FOX 11/Good Day L.A. – L.A., CA

Coordinating Producer | Segment Producer | Field Producer

  • Wrote packages, coordinated live remotes and booked guests for a live regional morning show
  • Associate producer on the Emmy-winning half-hour special KTTV: A 45-Year Legacy

PRINT & EDITORIAL

April 2021 –
May 2025

Fairwind Yacht Club – Marina del Rey, CA

Newsletter Editor (volunteer) (Read a sample issue)

  • Wrote, edited and laid out the monthly newsletter in Mailchimp, translating technical sailing jargon for a general audience
  • Kept 600 members informed across Southern California's largest volunteer sailing club, which runs PTSD programs for U.S. veterans, Boys & Girls Clubs outings and free weekly public daysails from Marina del Rey to Channel Islands Harbor
April 2003 –
Oct. 2004

Latin Trade Magazine – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Freelance Writer (Read)

  • Enterprised and wrote economic features linking North and South America for a pan-regional monthly business magazine based in Miami
  • Reported in Spanish and English, producing stories for both audiences
July 2002 –
Dec. 2003

Buenos Aires Herald – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Editor | Writer

  • Enterprised and wrote feature stories for Argentina's English-language daily newspaper and edited its Lifestyle section
Languages

Bilingual: English and Spanish
On-air reporting, interviewing, writing, editing and translation in both languages

Certifications & Fellowships
Sept. 2026

Google (via Coursera)

Google AI Professional Certificate (Verify)

  • Eight courses applying AI to research, writing, content creation, data analysis and app building
March 2023 –
Current

American Sailing Association (ASA) – L.A., CA

Sailing Instructor

  • Teach sailing at California State University, Northridge, and Windjammers Yacht Club in Marina del Rey
  • ASA instructor certifications: 201 Basic Keelboat (2022); 202 Keelboat Sailing 2, 203 Coastal Cruising and 204 Bareboat Cruising (2026)
Dec. 2009

Knight Digital Media Center, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Knight Digital Fellow

2006 – 2009

USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Health Journalism Fellow (2006–07, 2007–09) | Senior Fellow (2009)

May 2008

International Center for Journalists

Covering Disasters

Education
May 2002

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Master of Science

June 1991

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

B.A., Political Science