LEÓN FELIPE GONZÁLEZ UNIVISION ARIZONA León Felipe González, a 2018 Rocky Mountain Emmy recipient for his coverage of the closing of the Tent City jail, was born and raised in vibrant Mexico City. “Growing up, I always knew I wanted to somehow share Mexico’s culture and traditions, as well as showcase present-day Latin culture to the world,” says González, noting the news industry was a natural fit. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in communication sciences from Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in 1995, he earned a reporting position at Televisión Azteca in 1996 before moving on to Televisa, Mexico’s largest broadcast network, soon after. “Televisa holds a special place in my heart because I met my wife, Belén, there,” González says. His work eventually got noticed by Univision’s Primer Impacto, an international news program, which offered him a position as a Mexico City news correspondent in 2002. “Over the next 10 years, I covered everything from presidential elections and papal visits to drug trafficking and natural disasters,” González says. Soon, he found himself missing his family and sought a way to spend more time at home. His solution: a new home and a new country. “In 2012, I picked up my family and moved to San Francisco for an anchor position with the Univision affiliate there,” says González, noting at the time he only had basic English skills. Thankfully, the language came easily enough to him and the move was a hit, though the bustling position eventually began to take him away from his family yet again. “In 2017, an amazing job came along – an anchor position hosting evening newscasts at Univision Arizona,” González says. “It gives me ample time to be with my family, but it allows me to continue showcasing the culture and people I love to the world.” 2019 nominations (six total): Talent anchor news, journalistic enterprise, writer, investigative report, arts and entertainment, and societal concerns.
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So Scottsdale! September ‘19