Robin N. Hamilton facts for kids

Robin Nicole Hamilton is an American journalist, writer, and TV host. She also leads her own company, "ARoundRobin Production Company." She has worked as a journalist on TV in many cities, including Florida, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. In 2015, she directed a short documentary film called This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Hamer.

Robin Hamilton's Education

Robin Hamilton grew up in Columbia, Maryland. She went to Duke University and earned a degree in English. Her college paper was about how schools became desegregated in Durham. She then earned a master's degree in journalism from New York University. She also has another master's degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. This degree focused on public administration, which is about how governments and public services are managed, and media.

Robin Hamilton's TV and Film Career

Robin Hamilton started her TV career as a reporter in Florida. After working in New York, she became a reporter for WBZ-TV in Boston in 2001. After four years, she became the host of the UPN38 Morning Show on UPN38 (WSBK-TV), which was a sister station to WBZ-TV. This morning show was like a local version of The Today (U.S. TV program) Show. It shared news, weather, and traffic, along with fun segments on fashion, parenting, and gardening.

Later, Hamilton moved back to Washington, D.C. There, she worked for DCW50 TV (WDCW) as a reporter for a news show called NewsPlus. She also hosted DCW50's Living Black History series for six years. Robin Hamilton even appeared in the 2012 comedy movie Ted as a news anchor. She is also the head of ARoundRobin Production Company, which makes videos.

Documenting History: This Little Light of Mine

In 2015, Robin Hamilton wrote, produced, and directed a documentary film. It was called This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Hamer. This film is about Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights activist from Mississippi. Fannie Lou Hamer fought for voting rights for African Americans. She is famous for her powerful speech in 1964. In her speech, she described the harsh treatment Black people faced in the Jim Crow South.

This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Hamer was shown at several film festivals. It was the first film at the March on Washington Film Festival on July 15, 2015. It was also shown at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival and the NYC Independent Film Festival. The film was also screened at the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital in Washington, D.C., on August 5, 2015. This screening was part of a civil rights program series by the Library of Congress. After the screening, Robin Hamilton was interviewed by NPR host Michel Martin.

To help promote her film, Robin Hamilton was a guest on the Spirit of Jazz radio show on WPFW on July 19, 2015. She was also featured in a story by All Digitocracy. On August 4, 2015, she was a guest on the Kojo Nnamdi Show.

Robin Hamilton's Awards

Robin Hamilton has won and been nominated for many awards for her work. Many of these awards were for her Living Black History series on DCW50 TV (WDCW).

Emmy and Gracie Awards

On June 15, 2013, Hamilton won a regional Emmy Award. This award was for her documentary called The Dream Began Here. This film explored the changing roles of African Americans in Washington, D.C. In 2012, she won a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media. This was for her work on Hattie's Lost Legacy. This film followed the career of Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar. It also looked into the mystery of her lost Oscar statue. Hattie's Lost Legacy was also nominated for a regional Emmy Award in 2011.

NABJ Awards

Hamilton also won two National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Awards. In 2013, she won for The Dream Began Here. In 2011, she won for Howard Theatre: A Century in Song. This was a documentary about the historic Howard Theatre. Hamilton was also nominated for a 2012 NABJ Salute to Excellence Award for Hattie's Lost Legacy.

Robin Hamilton's Public Service

In the fall of 2010, Robin Hamilton was a Public Media Corps (PMC) Fellow. This role allowed her to help teach people in underserved communities how to use social media tools. PMC is a project of the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). Hamilton is also on the board of the Energy Justice Network. This group works to promote environmental justice.

Robin Hamilton's Personal Life

Robin Hamilton is married to Mark Falzone.