Michele Ruiz

Michele Ruiz (born January 21, 1965), is an entrepreneur, award-winning broadcast journalist, author, public speaker and former Los Angeles news anchor for KNBC-TV. She is President and CEO of Ruiz Strategies, a communications firm that develops and executes content marketing strategies for businesses, government entities and executives. She is also the founder and former President/CEO of SaberHacer.com, a bilingual, expert-based "how-to" educational broadband website for US Hispanics. She maintains a self-titled blog on the site MicheleRuiz.com.

Ruiz was born in Glendale, California on January 21, 1965. Her mother was Panamanian, and Ruiz described a difficult childhood growing up in Southern California dealing with racism, discrimination and poverty, an upbringing that she credits for making her "scrappy" and determined. Her first language was Spanish, and she didn't learn English until she went to school. She attended Cal State Fullerton while working full-time in a clerical position, and graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.

Ruiz began her broadcasting career in 1989, co-anchoring Channel One News. The program initially began as a pilot program broadcast in four high schools, before its national debut in 1990.

From 1991 to 1998, Ruiz worked at KTLA in Los Angeles, California as a field reporter and morning anchor for the station's KTLA Morning News. She also co-hosted a weekly public affairs program, called "Making it! Minority Success Stories".

In 1998, she joined KNBC-TV as a general assignment reporter. In 2001, she was promoted to an anchor position, where she co-anchored the station’s nightly 6:00 pm newscast with Chuck Henry.

Journalism awards

Ruiz has received 19 Emmy Award nominations, and is a five-time honoree, as well as a four-time Golden Mike recipient. While at KTLA, she won three Los Angeles-area Emmys and two Golden Mikes. In 2003, she won two more Emmys for her work on NBC4 news specials “Journey to Africa” and “LA Riots: Rubble to Rebirth.” She has received numerous honors, including two Golden Mikes, for her work on NBC4’s “Beating the Odds” series, and in 2002 was presented the LA Press Club Award for a series on autism.

In 2005, Ruiz met with Angel investors for lunch, after which they unexpectedly told her they would provide seed capital to launch her business idea. Two months later she decided to leave KNBC to become an entrepreneur.

Saber Hacer

In 2006, Ruiz launched Saber Hacer, a bilingual, expert-based "how-to" educational broadband website for US Hispanics. She launched the video-on-demand site when she determined there was a void of culturally relevant content for Hispanics.

Michele Ruiz ~ My Life as a Latina Entrepreneur

Ruiz launched the website MicheleRuiz.com and started her personal brand, entitled "Michele Ruiz ~ My Life as a Latina Entrepreneur". In her self-titled blog, she shares stories of her personal and professional life.

Ruiz Strategies

In 2011, Ruiz started Ruiz Strategies, a strategic communications and content marketing services company that uses social media, new media, traditional media and virtual technologies to help companies and individuals promote themselves. Interviewed in the Spring 2013 issue of Racing Toward Diversity Magazine, Ruiz stated her mission is simple - to do what she can to help people and change lives.

In January 2016, Ruiz published her first book, a guide to legal marketing and advertising entitled Content Marketing For Lawyers. She stated "My goal in writing this book is to help attorneys and law firms generate more referrals, implement time-saving strategies and stand out among the plethora of law firms in their marketplace."

Ruiz is known for her charity work and has volunteered her time with many organizations. She has served on the Board of Directors for the non-profit agency Para Los Niños for 13 years. She has also served on the Cal State Fullerton College of Communications' Dean's Advisory Board.

Ruiz was given two commendations for "Outstanding Citizenship for Civic Contributions" and "Dedication to the Community" by the City of Los Angeles. She was named "Latina of the Year" and "Comision Femenil De Los Angeles". She also received the Certificate of Congressional Commendation from the U.S. House of Representatives, a commendation letter from the United States Senate, and a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate.

Ruiz was honored in 2006 with Cal State Fullerton's Vision & Visionaries award. The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor that the university bestows on those who have gotten their degrees from this institution. It has been presented to titans in business, science, education, communications and the arts, and brings to the forefront, the vision, achievements and philanthropic efforts of Cal State Fullerton's graduates.

In 2013, Ruiz was named “Inspiring Latina” and featured in Latina Magazine. Also in 2013, Ruiz was named as a Champion of Diversity, by DiversityBusiness.com.

Ruiz had a cameo role as a television reporter in the 1993 film Rising Sun. The film was directed by Philip Kaufman, and starred Sean Connery (who was also an executive producer), Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. Kaufman, Michael Crichton and Michael Backes wrote the screenplay, based on Crichton's novel of the same name.

Ruiz lives in Los Angeles.