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Rodríguez will travel to South Africa this summer for her first assignment as an ESPN Deportes reporter covering the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Today ESPN Deportes announced Daniela Rodríguez of Houston, TX as the winner of the network’s second installation of the reality series Dream Job: El Reportero. Rodriguez, 27, was chosen among seven finalists during a special three-episode show telecasted on ESPN Deportes. As the winner, Rodriguez will travel to South Africa on her first assignment to serve as an ESPN Deportes reporter and cover the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
After being selected at the Dallas auditions as the only female finalist in the competition, Rodriguez stood out among the seven contestants with her broadcasting skills, personality, camera presence and her general knowledge of soccer. Throughout the competition, Rodríguez and the finalists were challenged in a series of on-air tasks including, serving as an anchor for studio shows, reporting news, interviewing sports personalities and participating in numerous debates. During the final show, Rodríguez competed head-to-head with Dhaniel Sanchez, finalist from Los Angeles and Rafael Luna, finalist from San Diego, proving to the judges that she has what it takes to become an ESPN Deportes reporter. As the winner of the competition, Rodriguez won a brand new 2010 Ford Fusion Sports car.
“This year we saw a lot of talent during the casting tour,” said Christian Calcagno, coordinating producer for ESPN Deportes and ESPN International. “Our seven finalists’ vast knowledge, skills and competitive attitude showed us how passionate fans are about soccer. We are very excited about Daniela joining our team and we are confident that she will do a fantastic job representing ESPN Deportes with her enthusiastic reporting style and passion for this game.”
Born in Mexico, Rodriguez resides in Houston where she worked as an account executive for a communications company. She was raised with a passion for the Mexican team, América, having been exposed to the sport at an early age through her grandfather, who was a professional soccer player.
“I still can’t believe this moment. This is a dream come true for me,” said Rodriguez. “The Dream Job journey has been an incredible experience, the best of my life. I entered this competition just for the experience and look where my passion for soccer has taken me. Becoming an ESPN Deportes reporter is an honor and a big responsibility and I look forward to joining the network’s reputable commentator line-up.”
The three-episode show Dream Job: El Reportero aired on ESPN Deportes on April 26, May 3 and May 10. A panel of judges consisting of ESPN Deportes’ most recognized soccer experts including Daniel ‘El Ruso’ Brailovsky, David Faitelson, Rafa Ramos and 2006 Dream Job winner Mauricio Pedroza, oversaw the competition and voted on the contestants to select the winner.
The six other finalists included Ernesto Miranda (New York), Joseph van Wyk (Miami), Andrés Arias (Chicago), Rafael Luna (San Diego), Dhaniel Sánchez (Los Angeles) and the AT&T Wildcard finalist chosen by fans, Mauricio Villarreal (Chicago).
The second installation of Dream Job: El Reportero traveled the country holding open auditions and allowing sports fans the opportunity to become part of the network’s team and travel to South Africa to cover the biggest soccer event of the year. During a six-city casting tour, more than 1,000 contestants were judged by the network’s top commentators on their knowledge of soccer, on-camera presence and their overall smooth reporting style. Throughout the journey, ESPN Deportes, their judging panel, along with the program’s marketing partners Ford, AT&T, Infinity Auto Insurance and Burger King had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of fans, many with extraordinary storylines and the dream of becoming the network’s next reporter. For more information, visit: dreamjob.espndeportes.com.
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