Arrioja will travel to Brazil this summer for his first assignment as an ESPN Deportes reporter covering the 2014 FIFA World Cup
ESPN Deportes announced Diego Arrioja of Seattle as the winner of Dream Job: El Reportero live on #Redes, the network’s social media-driven show, just after airing the Copa del Rey Final on Wednesday, April 16. Mexican actor Jesus Ochoa presented the winner with the trophy.
Driven mainly by social media participation, the network’s third installation of Dream Job: El Reportero selected Arrioja among thousands in a nationwide search for the final member joining the network’s team of soccer experts in Brazil to report from the world’s biggest soccer stage, World Cup 2014.
“ESPN Deportes’ on air team will provide some of the most comprehensive and best-in-class coverage of the FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil—and Diego completes this offering,” said Rodolfo Martinez, vice president, production, ESPN International and Deportes. “His natural talent and passion connects us even further with sports fans.”
“We saw a lot of talent in all our finalists, but this year’s Dream Job search looked beyond the contestants’ soccer knowledge, on-camera presence and reporting style—the winner required a strong grasp of social media as today’s sports fans are more connected than ever,” said Maria Soares, senior coordinating producer, ESPN Deportes. “We are excited to welcome Diego to the ESPN Deportes team covering the World Cup. We are confident the voters helped us find the right combination of talent, skills and passion to bring all the action to U.S. Hispanic sports fans via all media platforms.”
Arrioja attended the Dream Job launch event in Los Angeles and was the first of eight finalists selected to advance and complete a series of challenges, weekly online assignments and guest appearances on #Redes. Following two elimination rounds, Arrioja and three other finalists moved on to Mentorship Week, where they were matched with a popular ESPN Deportes show. Arrioja traveled to Nación ESPN in Los Angeles, where he gained real-world experience and received professional training from talent and producers. During the final round, the remaining two appeared on #Redes Tuesday, April 15, before the winner announcement.
“To cover the World Cup for ESPN Deportes isn’t just a dream, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Arrioja said. “Participating in Dream Job has been one of the best decisions I’ve made; I cannot wait to join the network’s renowned soccer personalities, learn from them and grow professionally with their support.”
Born in Mexico, Arrioja lives in Seattle and works at Microsoft Corporation as a marketing manager. He also works as a commentator and co-hosts the Seattle Sounders FC’s Sounders FC en Acción. Arrioja founded an independent sports program, Latinfut Radio Show, which airs on ESPN Deportes Radio Seattle every Saturday.
His passion for soccer began at a young age when his neighbors took him to his first “The New Classic” match between the Mexican teams America and Cruz Azul. Having been raised by a diehard Chivas de Guadalajara fan, the household rivalry between Arrioja and his father is still present, but it doesn’t stop them from watching the live matches together despite living in different countries.
Launched on Nov. 3, 2013, the third installment of ESPN Deportes Dream Job: El Reportero provided sports journalists across the nation the chance to compete for the opportunity to serve as a reporter for ESPN Deportes in Brazil, alongside the network’s team of soccer experts. Different from the previous casting tours, this year’s search was driven by social media participation and supplemented by TV studio programs, the network’s top soccer talent, ESPNDeportes.com and ESPN Deportes Radio.
The seven other finalists included Astrid Méndez of San Diego, Gabriel Sotelo of San Diego, Elimar Ugueto of Seattle, Carlos Echeverry of Naples, Renata Zanchi of Miami, Roberto Dawidowski of Los Angeles and Samuel Sandoval of Phoenix.
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