- Christine Chen
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Christine Chen Born San Francisco, CA, U.S. Education University of California, Berkeley Title Principal, Chen Communications Spouse(s) Richard Velazquez (2009 - present) Notable credit(s) 10 EMMY Award nominations
2 EMMY Award wins as a journalist from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Northwest RegionOfficial website Christine L. Chen is an American journalist[1] who has been an anchor and reporter for several U.S. television news networks. She is an Emmy Award winner, and is presently the managing partner of Chen Communications,a marketing communications consulting group based in Seattle, Washington, and creator of the blog, Xbox Bride,[2] an accounting of the social ramifications of wedding a non-video gamer with an avid gamer.
Contents
Background
The younger of two children born to Taiwanese immigrants,[3] she was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her father was the first Asian Senior Vice President of Bank of America.[4] She graduated from Miramonte High School in 1986, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, double majoring in English and Mass Communications Theory in 1990 from the University of California, Berkeley.[5]
Career
Chen’s network television career has spanned CBS, UPN, Fox (Fox Broadcasting Company), and PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). Her career began as a writer and producer for the News Travel Network in 1990 after graduation from the University of California at Berkeley.
CBS
Chen’s first break as a reporter and weather anchor occurred in 1991 in Great Falls, Montana for KRTV, a CBS affiliate. She worked in Great Falls for two years and during that time, she was selected by CBS News in New York to be part of an elite group of 5 journalists nationwide in the CBS Minority Correspondent Apprentice two year program.[6] This program resulted in her placement in Portland, Oregon for an assignment as a reporter for KOIN-TV, another CBS affiliate station. She also served as a CBS Minority Correspondent Apprentice.
Chen moved to Seattle, Washington in 1995 to accept a new position as a reporter and anchor for KSTW, a CBS and UPN affiliate station. In 1996, Chen received the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Northwest Chapter Emmy Award for Individual Achievement in the News Reporter category during their 34th Annual Ceremony. In 1998, amid financial difficulties, KSTW announced that it was closing its doors and laying off all 62 employees, including Chen.[7] Despite this, Chen received another Emmy award nomination in 1998.
Fox
With the demise of KSTW, KCPQ-TV, a Fox affiliate, recruited Chen as a reporter in 1999. In 2000, KCPQ launched ‘Mornings Live on Q’, and Christine Chen was promoted to Anchor and served as the Launch Host. The show was later rebranded ‘Q13 Fox News this Morning’. In 2000, Chen was nominated for another EMMY by the NATAS Northwest Regional Chapter. Christine Chen was anchoring ‘Q13 Fox News this Morning’ on September 11, 2001.[3] During the World Trade Center tragedy in New York, Chen stayed on air throughout the ordeal, providing essential news coverage to a shaken public.[3] This would lead to her second Emmy award. On June 15, 2002, Chen received the NATAS Northwest Chapter Emmy Award for Individual Achievement in the News Anchor category during their 39th Annual Ceremony for 2001.[8]
Chen was nominated for an EMMY award each year from 2000-2006 for Individual Achievement in the News Anchor category for the NATAS Northwest Regional Chapter.[9][10][11][12] She was nominated twice for an EMMY in 2006 during the 44th Annual NATAS Northwest Regional Award Ceremony, one nomination for Individual Achievement as a News Anchor, the second for On-Camera Talent - Program Host/Moderator.[13] This was the last of her Emmy nominations, resulting in a total of 10 EMMY award nominations and two wins since 1996.
In 2004, she moved to the anchor position for Q13 Fox News @ 10. That year, Christine was named to the list of top 40 Under 40 business leaders by the Puget Sound Business Journal.[3]
PBS and Chen Communications
In 2006, the Obama campaign selected Christine Chen to emcee his public campaign kickoff event for Seattle.[14] In that same year, Chen announced that she was leaving Fox and anchored the show for the last time on November 29, 2006.[15] Some factors involved in her decision to leave were the desire to start her own venture and the need to care for her ailing mother.[15]
She launched a new business and personal finance show on PBS called “About The Money with Christine Chen” in 2007, serving as the Launch Host and Anchor.[16] During the same period of time, she was named the West Coast Editor of MyCloset.com which is affiliated with Project Runway on Bravo (US TV network).[17]
Also in 2007, Chen formed her own marketing communications consulting group, Chen Communications LLC. As part of Chen Communications, Chen has delivered keynote speeches on the topics of communications, media, business ownership and execution, as well as enabling personal and professional change through developing self-awareness. Some of her audiences included the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Filipino Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.[18]
On April 11, 2007, Chen served as Master of Ceremonies for the launch of the Washington State Quarter during a special ceremony at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion. The quarter was launched by Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire, as well as United States Mint Director Ed Moy and the Washington Quarter Advisory Committee.[19]
Chen also emceed the 2007 Induction Ceremony for the Asian Hall of Fame on April 26, 2007 at the Asian Resource Center in Seattle.[20]
Chen had a cameo role in the 2007 indie award winning film, Fortune Hunters.[21] She also appeared in a scene on the documentary “The King of Kong: a Fistful of Quarters”. Most recently, she presented a combined session to the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce[22] for the WNET (Women’s Network for Entrepreneurial Training) on May 15, 2008, entitled “Networking 101: Leveraging Connections in Person and Online”.[23] As of 2009, Chen is focused full time on Chen Communications.
Career Timeline
1990-91 Writer/Producer, News Travel Network
1991-93 Reporter & Weather Anchor, KRTV (CBS), Great Falls, Montana
1993-95 Reporter, KOIN-TV, Portland, Oregon (CBS Minority Correspondent Apprentice)
1995-98 Anchor & Reporter, KSTW (CBS & UPN), Seattle, Washington
1998-99 Reporter, KCPQ-TV (Fox), Seattle, Washington
2000-04 Launch Host & Anchor, KCPQ-TV Mornings Live On Q (rebranded as Q13 Fox News This Morning)
2004-06 Anchor, KCPQ-TV Q13 Fox News @ 10
2007-08 Launch Host & Anchor, KCTS 9 PBS About The Money with Christine Chen
2007-08 West Coast Editor, MyCloset.com
2007 Founded Chen Communications, LLCReferences
- ^ The Seattle Times: Christine Chen leaves KCPQ
- ^ Xbox Bride Official Blog
- ^ a b c d Puget Sound Business Journal: Christine Chen is accustomed to persevering through the unexpected
- ^ Puget Sound Business Journal: Talking with Christine Chen, former anchor, Q13 Fox News at Ten
- ^ Asian Hall of Fame: Induction Ceremony
- ^ Career Woman Inc. Feature Story: Christine Chen
- ^ Seattle Weekly: KSTW - Fade to Black
- ^ The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 39th Annual Northwest Regional EMMY awards Recipients List
- ^ The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 40th Annual Northwest Regional EMMY awards Nominations
- ^ The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 41st Annual Northwest Regional EMMY awards Nominations
- ^ The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 42nd Annual Northwest Regional EMMY awards Nominations
- ^ The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 43rd Annual Northwest Regional EMMY awards Nominations
- ^ The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 44th Annual Northwest Regional EMMY awards Nominations
- ^ Chen Communications Official Website
- ^ a b Seattle Post Intelligencer: On TV, Times are changing, so Chen changes too
- ^ About The Money, PBS KCTS 9 Official Website
- ^ MyCloset.com Official Website
- ^ Chen Communications Official Website
- ^ Washington Quarter Launches Today at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion
- ^ Asian Hall of Fame: Honoring the achievements of Asian Americans
- ^ Internet Movie Database (IMdb)
- ^ Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce Events
- ^ U.S. Small Business Administration Events Website
External links
- Chen Communications (Official website)
- Xbox Bride Blog (Official Blog)
- Chen Communications on Facebook (Official Facebook Fan Page)
- Chen Communications Twitter Page (Official Twitter Account)
Categories:- 1968 births
- Living people
- American people of Taiwanese descent
- People from Seattle, Washington
- University of California, Berkeley alumni
- American businesspeople
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