Award-Winning Journalist • Host, Reporter & Producer • Expert Digital & Visual Storyteller • Certified Nutrition Specialist
AT A GLANCE
Olivia Smith is an Emmy award-winning, multi-platform journalist based in Los Angeles. She is a Reporter/Producer at ABC News National and Good Morning America Digital, where she creates original videos and content across all media platforms. Olivia covers a wide range of topics, from feature stories to breaking news, and specializes in culture, lifestyle, health and wellness reporting. She is also a Certified Nutrition Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Olivia has extensive experience with 10+ years in print, broadcast, multimedia and digital journalism, as well as with local, national and international reporting. She has worked on stories for several media organizations throughout her career, including CNN, CNNMoney, 60 Minutes, Al Jazeera, NY1 News and the Columbia Journalism Review.
Follow Olivia for day-to-day updates on her work @LivNews and #LivWell.
CURRENTLY AT ABC NEWS & GMA
Olivia reports, hosts, presents, anchors, pitches, writes, shoots, edits and produces. She loves writing as much as she loves working with video. Olivia has reported live for ABC network television and special reports, and she is a correspondent across ABC’s digital platforms for live reports and segments.
Throughout her career at ABC, Olivia helped build two digital video teams from the start. She was one of the first people hired to the original video unit for national news, before moving on to her current role with Good Morning America. She joined the GMA video team from the beginning as well, helping to build and develop content for the platform pre-launch. In addition, Olivia is also the point person for digital video on the West Coast, where she assists with breaking news as well as manages and supervises development and production to establish a presence and expand coverage.
Olivia regularly focuses on using innovative methods to create visual stories for digital audiences, and she has contributed to ABC shows. At times, she operates as a one-woman band, from pitching to shooting, editing, reporting and producing her own stories. Olivia does everything from in-depth magazine-style and documentary pieces to experimenting with new technology for storytelling. She has created, hosted and anchored different series and video franchises, including a live stream show called Healthy Living, explainer videos on everyday oddities and health and science facts called Did You Know That? and an interactive quiz show called Know The News.
Olivia created and produced the investigative series Underground, which you can find on Hulu and OTT platforms along with other Digital Features. She has developed and executed strategy for branded content as well. She also produced one of the first series for Facebook Watch.
HONORS & AWARDS
Olivia co-produced a documentary, Dead Horse Bay, which was the first-ever piece to be nominated and to win an Emmy Award for ABC News National’s digital unit. During her time at the digital unit, ABCNews.com was awarded theEdward R. Murrow Award for Best Website. Olivia also reported for the social news team, which was nominated for the Shorty Awards.
Olivia’s reporting on FGC/FGM in the U.S.was nominated for a Webby Award. She has held a CNN Fellowship, an Emerging Journalist Fellowship and she has traveled abroad on a Fulbright grant.
A California native, Olivia began her journalism career at 15 with a front-page exposé for her town newspaper about a rat problem at the local high school. She wrote a weekly column on world issues for the paper as well. Olivia was also the Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper.
EDUCATION
Olivia earned her master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she received honors for her reporting and for her thesis on a mysterious food allergy. One of her investigative, environmental pieces was featured at the program’s first Innovation Showcase.
Olivia earned her bachelor’s degree from New York University, where she studied communications and liberal arts. During her time at NYU, Olivia wrote for the school paper as well as literary and poetry magazines. She also spent a semester living abroad in Paris, France.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Olivia has appeared on CBS News Sunday Morning to talk about social media. She has moderated panels, guest lectured at universities and spoken at events about her work and topics she covers. Olivia worked in New York City for a number of years, before relocating to Los Angeles.
When Olivia isn’t reporting, she’s most likely writing, traveling, exploring and staying active. She enjoys volunteer work and mentoring other journalists. Olivia is a member of the Online News Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Journalism & Women Symposium and the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators.