Andrea Chediak

Andrea Chediak is a reporter and producer who focuses on all things entertainment, fashion and beauty, for Univision’s national morning show, Despierta América.

She has been working for Univision since she graduated in 2010 with a double major in broadcast journalism and political science. But she took her first steps in Spanish-language broadcasting at the University of Miami, where she worked for almost two years in UMTV’s UniMiami, a news and entertainment show done totally in Spanish.

“I remember going to UM in high heels with the camera in my backpack. I would put the camera at an angle where I thought it was recording me, because there you were taught to be a one-man band. You were the reporter and also your own cameraman,” Chediak said.

While in school, she also wrote articles for the university’s magazine, Distraction. She said that her work at UM prepared her not only academically but also as a professional broadcaster.

“When I went to an internship with Univision, they noticed that I was really prepared, and they made me an assistant producer,” she said.

For Despierta América, Chediak, 27, hosts and produces Lo Mas In, a weekly segment where she talks about the latest trends in the fashion, beauty, lifestyle, music, technology and cooking industries.

But Chediak is also a fashionista and a budding businesswoman. She is founder and CEO of AC Styling, Inc., which offers image consulting and styling services for television appearances, editorial, print, advertising campaigns, commercials and photo sessions. Through her company, she is now working with 3 Lillypads, a brand of bags designed by Fiorella Di Lorenzo.

“Andrea is extremely professional and passionate about what she does,” said Ana Rivera, 28, a colleague of Chediak’s.   

Chediak has been in the fashion industry since she was born, she said, because her family owned fashion boutiques, first in Venezuela and then in Miami.

“I used to go with my mom to the fashion shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas,” Chediak said. “I remember buying clothes with her for the stores and even working in the boutiques.”

Chediak is the oldest of four sisters, one of whom – Victoria– is a School of Communication student. Her father, Mauricio Chediak, and three of her uncles, are also a UM graduates

Chediak said she always knew she wanted to stay and work in Miami and reach the Latin television audience. As a child, though, she had others plans. She wanted to become a professional singer, and took singing lessons twice a week with pop star Enrique Iglesias’ voice coach in South Beach.

“I remember her doing shows at my house and selling tickets to the family and neighbors,” Chediak’s mother, Pipina, recalled. Her sisters were her dancers, and Chediak remembers dressing and making her sisters up for the show.

“Everybody would sit on the living room waiting for me and my sisters to perform, and every time we would have so much fun dancing and signing,” Chediak said.

Claudia Spadaro is asophomore majoring in broadcast journalism and public relations.