Alex Nogales
President & CEO
National Hispanic Media Coalition
Los Angeles, CA USA
“It’s not always about talent. There are a lot of really talented people in the world. It’s about being in the right place at the right time.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationAlex Nogales
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
He grew up in Calexico, CA, on the border with Mexico—his parents were Mexican immigrants and migrant farm laborers.
Experienced a lot of racism growing up and remembers signs in stores saying “No Dogs or Mexicans Allowed”; this has driven him to work to ensure that Latinos are able to walk in any door.
Decided to drop out of school after seventh grade because he didn’t like how segregated his school was and how the Hispanic and Latino populations were treated.
Was 28 years old when he realized that he needed to go back to school to get ahead—enrolled in community college and then transferred to UCLA where he graduated magna cum laude.
Says he always had a passion for media and entertainment, so he began writing for children’s television shows—ended up losing his job and was unemployed for over a year.
Got a job as a producer for CBS Television where he worked for over 13 years and received multiple Emmy awards.
Eventually, he got tired of the lack of diversity and representation in media, so he co-founded the National Hispanic Media Coalition in 1986.
He’s now a passionate advocate for Latino representation in all forms of media, a leader in the fight against hate speech, and was instrumental in forming the Multi-Ethnic Media Coalition.
Keep following my journey
Education
Career
President & CEO
I advocate for Latinos in media and work to diversify the news and entertainment industry.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Television
Entrepreneurship
Upholding a Cause and Belief
Day to Day
Multi-tasking, meeting and directing staff, calling allies and non-allies on issues important to NHMC. Having meetings with funders, community and national leaders.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for middle school students
Experience working in a media company is paramount. Read a lot, especially anything having to do with media, politics, history, and english.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"You don't have the talent to work in media."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation Immigrant
First-Generation College Student
Racial Discrimination
Interviewed By
Beating the Odds
Overcoming barriers as a first-generation college student
