denisse oller

President and CEO, Newsworks Productions LLC New York NY

Journalist, writer, chef and businesswoman, Denisse Oller is one of the most honored women in Spanish-language television. Oller has been recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Hispanic Personalities in the United States. Most recently she was chosen as one of the 50 most influential women by the prestigious Spanish-language newspaper El Diario La Prensa. Currently she is the president of Newsworks Productions, LLC a multimedia company which develops instructional and recreational material for the Latino community in the US. Ms. Oller, a native of Puerto Rico, began her journalism career in the mid 1980's as a reporter for Telemundo's local New York station, WNJU-Channel 47. She later joined Univision as anchor of the network's first national weekend newscast and as the network's news bureau chief in Los Angeles. This position marked history for Denisse, becoming the first Puerto Rican to anchor a national news show. Her return to New York came in 1989 as anchor for Noticias 41 Univision, a post she held until 1993. Later that year, Oller anchored Telemundo's "Primera Hora," its national morning newscast, advanced to become the network's special political affairs correspondent from Washington D.C., and was later promoted to anchor "CBS Telenoticias". Since 1999, Denisse Oller anchored Univision's award winning newscasts, Noticias 41 a las 6p y a 11p, along with veteran news anchor Rafael Pineda, position that she held until November 2007, when she quit to pursue other interests. Denisse Oller’s outstanding journalistic work includes interviews with statesmen such as Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Oscar Arias, Senator Hillary Clinton and world-renowned writers such as Isabel Allende and Mario Vargas Llosa, as well as other prominent figures in the world of politics and culture. When covering major news events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Oklahoma bombings and the 1993 earthquake in Northridge, California, Oller has given in-depth reporting that invites her audience to experience the multiple dimensions of these shattering events. Across Latin America, Denisse’s voice is familiar communicating comprehensive information about presidential elections, summits, and the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba, where she interviewed both dissidents and government officials. Her exclusive interview with Zoilamerica Narváez, stepdaughter of former president of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega, sent shockwaves throughout Latin America when accusations of sexual abuse against him were detailed. Denisse’s work in media has brought her widespread recognition and awards such as five Emmys, nine Emmy nominations, five A.C.E. Awards, two Gracie Awards given by the American Women in Radio and Television organization and the Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in investigative reporting. Besides her journalistic endeavors, Denisse is a consummate chef. A graduate of the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, she is the producer and host of the popular cooking segment “A la mesa con Denisse” which airs weekly on NBC/ Telemundo 47 New York. Previously she created and hosted the highly acclaimed and very popular weekly cooking segment “ Riquisimo con Denisse” in Univision-41’s morning show “Al Despertar”, which became an unprecedented success. Currently, Denisse is putting the finishing touches to her first book on Latino cooking and lifestyle. She also writes a monthly food-related column for Tempo, The New York Post’s Latin Magazine, and teaches recreational cooking classes at I.C.E. Her work on behalf of Hispanic families has gained the recognition of distinguished organizations. She sits on the boards of the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families and the Puerto Rican Family Institute, among others. On a personal note, Denisse is happily married to Cuban essayist Juan Montoro and has two girls ---her beloved dogs Nina and Lana ( deceased but alive in our hearts).