Emmy Award-winning journalist and NBC News correspondent Mara Schiavocampo is a pioneer in the field of digital reporting. She’s every news reporting agency’s wish for an employee. Here, the wife, expectant mother and self-contained journalist shares how she climbed the ladder to success, why self-sufficiency is crucial in journalism and where she’d love to live outside of the United States. –yvette caslin
When did you decide that you were going to be a journalist?
When I was little, I always loved to write. In high school, I was interested in science and medicine and decided I wanted to be a doctor. Then, I went to school for pre-med and took some science classes and realized I had to no talent for science at all. I circled back to my first love, which is writing. I wanted a job that would let me write. I was really interested in current events and travel. I traveled a lot as a kid because my father worked at the World Bank. Journalism was the field that made the most sense to me and combined all of those things.
Tell us about your dual citizenship.
My father is first-generation Italian, and my mother is African American, born and raised in the States. I have dual citizenship through my father. I have very close connections in Italy. I traveled there as a child in the summer, and I grew up in a bilingual household. So, my first languages are English and Italian. Italian is a big part of my cultural identity, even though I grew up here and lived here most of my life.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Maryland, right outside of D.C.
Have you ever lived abroad?
I have lived in East Africa, in Somalia. We spent every summer in Italy. When I was growing up, we did a lot of travel. For Christmas vacation, we’d be in South America and other times we’d be in Africa. We were all over the place. So, that’s where I got the travel bug. Ironically, as a kid, I hated to travel. I wanted to stay in one place. As I got older, I started to get that itch and wanted to get back out. I blame my genes. I think it’s genetic. I just can’t shake it [laughs].
What is the most intriguing place you’ve ever visited that you’d consider for residency?
Jordan is my favorite place on the planet. It’s in the Middle East and close to everything that I am interested in. I felt totally safe. Culturally, I love it. It has everything that you could want. It has the desert, the sea, the city, a really nice mix of cosmopolitan, traditional Arab culture, western influence, the people are amazing. I just think it’s a tremendous place. If there was one place that I’d want to live other than the U.S., it would be Jordan.
Why is it important to be a self-contained journalist in the era of digital media?
For me, it was really important to be able to control my work. A lot of opportunities that you get will be dependent on if there is an editor available. Is there a crew that can go with you? How expensive is it going to be? Is there a producer that has the skill set? There are a lot of opportunities that will be affected by other people. For me, it was important for me to do as much as I could so I wouldn’t be missing out on any opportunities. When I was freelance, I was doing everything myself. I wanted to be able to do the stories that interested me without the impediment or lacking certain skills. Today, with the technology and the amount of hours that are out there, you really are able to do a lot more and get it out to a pretty wide audience in a much more self-sufficient way than you could before. That’s why it was key for me. I always ask young journalists, “Why aren’t you being more self-sufficient and self-publishing if all of that is available to you?”
Are you excited about motherhood?
This is something that I really want. I have always wanted to start a family. We just found out that we are having a girl. I am really crazy excited about having a baby. I am already in love with her.
What is it like working at NBC?
I have been at NBC four years. The best thing about being at NBC are the people that work at NBC. They are the most talented, smartest, best journalists I have ever had a chance to meet. For me, I am like a kid in the candy store. I am always learning. That is something that I was really thirsty for before I came to NBC … was the opportunity to be in an environment where I could really learn how things are done right and well. That never stops because we meet people all the time and are always learning something different that you are working with. That has been the great pleasure of working at NBC, being surrounded by people who are always bringing their A game, inspiring me to do better and always teaching me something new.
