Beto Ortiz facts for kids

Beto Ortiz in 2019

Beto Ortiz (full name: Humberto Martin Ortiz Pajuelo) was born in 1968 in Lima, Peru. He is a well-known Peruvian TV personality and writer. As of 2006, he lives in Lima, but he used to live in New York City.

Beto Ortiz became famous in Peru with his TV talk show "Beto A Saber" (2000). In this show, he openly shared his opinions about the government of Alberto Fujimori. This was at a time when many other Peruvian news outlets were quiet.

One of his first jobs in Peruvian media was writing funny stories. These appeared in "No," a humor section of "Si," a popular Peruvian magazine in 1987.

For 15 years, Beto Ortiz led and hosted late-night shows and documentary series on national television. As a TV reporter, he created many stories about important social and political topics. Some of these stories even won international awards. As a writer, he has written articles and columns for major newspapers and magazines in Peru. He is a regular writer for the "Peru 21" newspaper. His first novel, "Maldita Ternura" ("Damned Tenderness"), published in 2004, was a best-seller in Peru. He also hosted his own TV interview show called "Callate Beto" ("Shut up Beto") on RBC (Channel 11, Lima, Peru).

From 2008 to 2010, he co-hosted the TV show "Enemigos Intimos" ("Intimate Enemies") on Frecuencia Latina. He worked with fellow writer Aldo Miyashiro. He later left Frecuencia Latina due to disagreements with the new management.

Soon after leaving, he returned to TV. He co-hosted "Enemigos Publicos" ("Public Enemies") on Panamericana Television, again with Aldo Miyashiro. In August 2010, Beto Ortiz left "Public Enemies." A short time later, "Public Enemies" was canceled. It was replaced by another late-night show hosted only by Miyashiro. However, this show also ended quickly when the team left Miyashiro to work with Ortiz on a new TV project.

As of August 2019, he was thinking about returning to TV on a late-night show on Frecuencia Latina, the same network he had left in 2010.

Journalism & TV Work

Early Career & Reporting

• 1989: TV Reporter for "Esta Noche" news show on Andina Television.
• 1989: Staff writer for "El Comercio" newspaper, covering police news and arts.
• 1990: Guest writer for "The San Diego Union" newspaper.
• 1990: Staff writer for "Pagina Libre."
• 1991-1993: Staff writer for "Caretas" Magazine.
• 1993-1996: TV reporter for "Panorama" news show on Panamericana Televisión.
• 1995: Columnist for "El Mundo" Newspaper.
• 1996: Editor for "Rumbos" Travel magazine.
• 1996-1999: TV reporter for "La Revista Dominical" news show on America Televisión.
• 1999: Conducted interviews for "Somos" weekly magazine.

Hosting & Directing Shows

• 2000: Host and director of "Beto A Saber," a live political talk show on Canal A Producciones (Channel 11). The title is a clever play on words, meaning "Go figure" or "Beto to Know."
• 2001: Host and director of "Nobody sleeps… with Beto Ortiz," a live late-night show on Frecuencia Latina (TV Channel 2).
• 2002: Host and director of "God deliver us from Beto Ortiz," another live late-night show on Frecuencia Latina (TV Channel 2).
• 2002: Host, writer, and director of "Secret Lives" (Vidas Secretas), a series of biographical documentaries on Frecuencia Latina (TV Channel 2).
• 2001-Present: Columnist for "Peru 21" Newspaper.

Education & Studies

• 1985-1990: Studied Journalism, Radio, TV, and Film at the University of Lima. He did not complete a degree.
• 1990: Participated in the International Journalism Exchange Program at Tufts University, specifically at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
• 2003: Attended a screenwriters workshop at the San Antonio de los Baños Film School.

Awards & Recognitions

• 1990: Received the Tufts University Fellowship from The American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) in Boston.
• 1993: Won first prize in a journalism contest from UNICEF (UN Children's Fund) in Lima. This was for his documentary "Not for all the gold in the world," which was about child labor in gold mines in Peru.
• 1994: Awarded "The 1,000-word short story" in a literary contest in Lima.
• 1994: Received the "Citizens for Peace" award for excellent journalism from the legal bar of Lima.
• 1995: Earned a Gold Medal at the Port de Bouc International Festival of Young Journalists in Paris, France, from UNESCO (UN Cultural Fund). This was for "Children of chaos," a documentary about street children in Lima, Peru.

See also

In Spanish: Beto Ortiz para niños