JOSE COHEN OVADIA
Producer
CONTACT DETAILS
Cell: 52 1 55 54 54 36 10
Email: josecoh@mac.com
DATE OF BIRTH
JUNE 25TH 1970
EDUCATION
BACHELLOR IN VISUAL ARTS AT
'THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF WESTON' USA.
CITIZENSHIP
MEXICAN
LANGUAGES:
SPANISH, ENGLISH, HEBREW
FOREIGN ASSIGNMENTS
Russia (including Chechnya), former Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro), Israel and Palestine, USA, Colombia, Belize, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador (including the Galapagos Islands), Cuba, Costa Rica, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua and Granada.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Since 1999 I have worked for ABC News as their bureau chief in Mexico. I have editorial responsibilities for World News Tonight, 20/20, Primetime, Nightline and the weekend news.
I manage the bureau, assigning crews, coordinating and booking satellite and fiber feeds as well as managing the budget.
During this time I have developed the bureau's telecommunications system by installing a microwave link to Televisa Mexico and fiber optics to and through Aldeavision to ABC's New York headquarters.
I have also coordinated the ABC/Good Morning America production with Diane Sawyer live from Mexico City and 7 New Wonders of the World at Chichén Itzá, coverage for the White House TV pool and Pope John Paul II's visits, as well as planned the workspace operation and feeding capabilities for ABC News and its affiliates.
Apart from ABC News, during my many years in television I have also worked for NBC News, Rai Italy, APTN, Reuters TV, Swiss TV, PBS Frontline CBC, CTV, Fox News, Columbia Pictures, Maryland Public TV, BBC, ITN, Fuji, ABC Australia and of course Cactus Film & Video.
SELECTED PROJECTS
2010
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-ABC News: Coverage of the aftermath of the Haiti and Chile earthquakes.
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-ABC News - Coverage of the murder of Monica Burgos, wife of Survivor-producer Bruce Beresford-Redman.
2009
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-ABC News: Coverage of the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico in April and May for various ABC programs.
2008
- BBC: Tropic of Cancer, international travel series following the Tropic of Cancer. Local producer, among other things organizing an embedding with the Federal Police in Sinaloa drug country.
- Al Jazeera English: Technical producer for the US election debate panel from Tucson, Arizona.
Al jazeera English: Technical producer for the live broadcast of Mexico reactions on the night of the US elections.
- ABC News: US Guns: Drug Gangs' Weapons of Choice with Brian Ross.
- ABC News: Coverage of John McCain's visit to Mexico City during his presidential campaign including interview with the ex-secretary of public security in Tijuana.
- Media Training: Hostile Environment Training in Virginia
- Medical Mysteries: Manuel Uribe: Fat Man, the Story.
- ABC News for Good Morning America: Missing marine spotted in Guadalajara, Mexico.
- ABC News: ABC World News Tonight 24 H in Nogales on the Mexico border.
- World News coverage for Good Morning America: Single survivor in Panama plane crash.
2007
- ABC Good Morning America: Production Coordinator for the live transmission from “Sanborns Los Azulejos” in Mexico City with ABC’s Diane Sawyer. Setting up interviews with President Felipe Calderón and one of the world's richest men, Carlos Slim.
- ABC News: Coverage of Hurricane Felix in Belize.
- ABC News: Coverage of Hurricane Dean in Cancun, Mexico.
- ABC News: Venezuela World News coverage.
- ABC News: Cuba without Fidel.
- ABC News: Coordinator of the White House TV Pool coverage of the visit of the US President, George W. Bush, to Merida, Mexico.
- ABC Weekend News: Drug War in Mexico. Embedding with the Mexican Marine, Acapulco, Mexico.
2006
- ABC Medical Mysteries: "Wolf Man".
- ABC News, ABC ABSAT Workspace: Coverage of the Mexican presidential elections at the Zocalo square with six live positions and six satellite paths.
- ABC News: Coverage of post-election conflicts.
- ABC Good Morning America: Seven New Wonders of the World. Two-hour live from Chichén Itzá pyramid anchored by ABC's Robin Roberts.
- Cactus Film & Video/WWF: Co-producer of the documentary Papalotzin – Flight of the Monarch Butterfly.
2005
- ABC News: Coverage of Hurricane Wilma and Hurricane Emily
- Nightline with Chris Bury: Coverage of the Drug War in Nuevo Laredo.
2004
- World News Tonight and Good Morning America: Venezuela's Political Riots.
2002
- ABC News: Coverage of Pope John Paul II's 5th visit to Mexico.
- ABC News: Organized White House TV Pool Coverage of the APEC Summit in Los Cabos, as well as President Bush's Visit.
- ABC News: Coverage of the Assassination of Drug Lord Ramon Arellano and the Capture of Drug Lord Benjamin Arellano.
- Nightline Special: Monterrey World Poverty Summit for the White House TV pool as well as Jimmy Carter's visit to Cuba.
2001
- ABC News: Coverage of the earthquake in El Salvador.
- ABC News – In charge of the White House TV pool operations for President Bush's first foreign visit at President Vicente Fox's ranch in Mexico.
- Five 30-minute episodes for the movie ¨Traffic¨.
- Nightline: Local producer with Ted Koppel.
- Peter Jennings' interview with President Fox at his ranch.
- ABC News: The New Frontier series.
- Personally organized President Fox's visit to ABC's headquarters in New York for an editorial board meeting hosted by David Westin.
- ABC News: Coverage of Hurricane Michelle in Belize.
- ABC News: Millennium
show live with Jorge Castaneda.
2000
- 20/20: Emmy award-winning show Mental Health.
- ABC News: Elian Gonzalez coverage in Cuba for three months.
- ABC News: US Marines operation in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
- ABC News: Mexico Presidential Elections.
- ABC News: Sam Donaldson special with Vicente Fox at his ranch.
- ABC News: Coverage of Clinton's visit to Colombia, White House TV pool.
- ABC News: Galapagos Islands oil spill.
1999
- ABC News: The Pope's five-day visit to Mexico City.
- ABC News: Colombia earthquake.
- Features on the War Against Drugs prior to Bill Clinton's state visit to Mexico.
- ABC News: Clinton's three-day visit to Merida, Mexico.
- ABC News: Former President Carlos Salinas' return to Mexico.
- ABC News exclusive: Personally tracked down the infamous "Railroad Killer" – wanted in the US – before the FBI found him.
- ABC News: Mexico floods.
1997, 1998
- Founded Cactus Film & Video, an independent production company with headquarters in Mexico City.
1996
- Worked on the documentary Money, Mexico and Murder, directed by Neil Docherty.
- PBS/CBC Frontline/The Fifth Estate Feature Film: The Mask of Zorro. Location manager in Guaymas, Sonora.
1995
- Cyber Guerrilla Documentary: Producer for director Nicolas Wadimoff's TV Swiss project.
- NBC News: Cuba Generation X, special with Tom Brokaw.
1994
- NBC News: Haiti Operation Uphold Democracy.
- NBC News: Coverage of Zapatista uprising in Chiapas.
- FUJI TV Japan: Coverage of Mexican Presidential Elections.
- NBC News: Coverage of Russian offensive in Chechnya.
- NBC News: Coverage of war in former Yugoslavia.
1993
- NBC News: The assassination of Cardinal Posadas.
- NBC News: Haiti coverage during coup d'état.
- NBC News: ”Balseros” (Rafters) crisis in Cuba.
- NBC News: Coverage of the assassination of Pablo Escobar in Colombia.
