GMA Network is set to represent the Philippines in the global scene once more as GMA Senior Vice President for News and Public Affairs Marissa Flores, First Vice President for Public Affairs Nessa Valdellon, and GMA News pillar Jessica Soho were again named to the 2021 New York Festivals (NYF) TV and Film Awards Grand Jury.
With years of industry experience, Flores brings both leadership and creativity to the role as head of GMA’s News and Public Affairs (N&PA) Group, in the process propelling it to become the country’s most awarded and most credible broadcast news organization.
In 2020, amid the challenges brought by the pandemic, GMA N&PA continued to provide the public with the much-needed news and information on air and online while sparking hope and inspiration through various innovative shows and projects. GMA News led all Philippine media organizations in video viewership across all digital platforms for the said year while digital powerhouse GMA Public Affairs recorded a total of 80 million followers across popular platforms. GMA Public Affairs also reached 10 million subscribers on YouTube in April 2020, making GMA Network the first Philippine media organization to receive two Diamond Creator Awards from the streaming site.
On top of being a Grand Jury member, Flores will also be part of the NYF’s Advisory Board.
Valdellon, on the other hand, is behind some of the country’s most ground-breaking and compelling public affairs programs and specials. In 2011, she led the launch of GMA News TV, which recently rebranded to GTV. Valdellon also produced the pioneering mobile journalism newscast Stand for Truth.
Under her watch, GMA Public Affairs was able to launch a fresh programming line-up in 2020. These included the New Normal: The Survivor Guide strip which was geared towards helping viewers navigate the “new normal”: the timely documentary Lockdown: Food Diaries, The Atom Araullo Specials: Nang Tumigil ang Mundo, and various public affairs shows that featured stories about COVID-19.
This year, Valdellon’s team recently launched the socially relevant rom-com series Owe My Love on GMA Network as well as the top-rating TV series The Lost Recipe and the weekly romance fantasy anthology My Fantastic Pag-ibig, both airing on GTV.
Soho, meanwhile, is the first Filipino news anchor to be shortlisted at the NYF TV & Film Awards last 2018 and later winning the Bronze Medal in the Best News Anchor category for State of the Nation with Jessica Soho.
Widely regarded as the most-awarded broadcast journalist in the country, Soho is a two-time recipient of the highly prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and a Hall of Famer at the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Awards, winning the Most Trusted News Presenter award for eight consecutive years. She currently hosts the top-rating public affairs program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.
Joining Flores, Valdellon, and Soho in the NYF Grand Jury are award-winning directors, producers, writers, actors, and other creative media professionals from across the globe. Together, they are tasked to determine this year’s winners from entries coming from over 50 countries. All NYF judges are prohibited from judging entries from their own companies.