Maria Menounos

Maria Menounos Speaker Biography

Host & Correspondent on E!, Best-Selling Author,
Journalist, Activist, and Survivor

Maria Menounos is a first generation American, Emmy winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, CEO/co-founder of one of the largest digital broadcast networks worldwide, TV and movie actress, TV/Radio Host, part-time Professional Wrestler, brain tumor survivor, sports junkie, animal advocate and someone who gets her kicks in life from having fun and helping others.

First Generation American

Maria Menounos is the daughter of immigrant parents. Her family did not know English, had no formal training or professional skills and worked as janitors here in the states. The grueling work and experiences taught Maria hundreds of life lessons including the values of family, teamwork, resourcefulness, positive mental attitude, work ethic, endurance, pragmatism, gratitude and humility to name a few. The work also laid the foundation for the massive success Maria enjoys today and her groundbreaking, milestone-massive, career.

Journalist and TV Host

As a journalist, Emmy Winner, Maria Menounos, holds the distinct honor of having conducted the only interview with the entire Obama family. The interview was touted by ABC News as one of the defining moments leading to Obama’s historic victory. Maria’s groundbreaking conversational style of reporting led her, at the age of 22, to become the youngest person ever to host Entertainment Tonight. She would go on to do the same for theToday Show, Nightly News, Dateline and Access Hollywood. Maria has, in addition, held sit down interviews with every US President since George Bush and has traveled the globe, covering everything from the war in Afghanistan to earthquakes in El Salvador to the AIDS crisis in South Africa. While at Entertainment Tonight, Maria hosted ET on MTV and ET on VH-1, both of which soared to number-one weekend ratings on their respective networks and recently was the Host of E News where she did the same.

Movies

Maria is the first person in the history of Hollywood to report for network news and star in a wide-release feature film. As an actress, on the big screen, she starred in the romantic comedy Kickin It Old Skool opposite Jamie Kennedy, and played herself in the Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder. She also appeared in the 20th Century Fox sci-fi/action movie Fantastic Four. Her small-screen acting endeavors include guest roles on CBS’ Without a Trace, NBC’s Scrubs and HBO’s Entourage as well as a recurring role on the CW’s One Tree Hill.

Books

Maria’s book series, The EveryGirl’s Guide to, is critically acclaimed and New York Times Bestselling. Her first book, The EveryGirl’s Guide to Life is an A-Z handbook for women of all ages, with information and tips on nearly every subject from finance, fitness, beauty, organization, relationships , career, styling, cooking, health and more. Her second book The EveryGirl’s Guide to Diet and Fitness centers on the most simple way to lose weight and keep it off. This was followed up by Maria’s third book, the EveryGirl’s Guide to Cooking, featuring healthy, quick to prepare recipes from her mother, a professional cook, and her grandfather a chef in Greece. The main thing Maria prided herself on when writing the books was “authenticity of information.” The products and/or methods she promoted were true to her heart and not paid endorsements. This sentiment translates to Maria’s national radio show as well as her monthly magazine.

Fitness

Maria gained over 40 pounds in college but discovered a way to lose the weight and to keep it off. This method was chronicled in The EveryGirl’s Guide to Diet and Fitness. Her practical knowledge of diet and fitness, which she applies daily WITHOUT daily trainers or gym visits, has landed her numerous magazine covers such as Health, Women’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Self, Shape and countless others.

Health

Maria was diagnosed with a brain tumor just months after her learning her mother had one. Maria endured a difficult, 8 hour operation and recovery, but the tumor was removed and thankfully benign. Maria considers the experience a gift. It has helped her understand the importance of health above all else, redefined her career path to either be fun or purposeful and empowered her to want to help others with brain tumors, cancer and like illnesses.

Filmmaker and Producer

As a filmmaker, Maria has directed and produced several independent films, which have played most of the major film festivals from Tribeca to South-by-Southwest. She attended Boston’s Emerson College, where she double-majored in broadcast journalism and film and became the first freshman in the college’s 125 year history to win the prestigious Evvy Award. Along with Julianne Hough, Maria recently produced Dance Battle America for ABC and has numerous scripted and unscripted TV projects in development as well as movies.

Charity

Her coverage of the AIDS virus in South Africa inspired her to dedicate herself to charity work and to create the non-profit, Take Action Hollywood! (TAH!). TAH! is a charity whose mission is to utilize the power of the entertainment industry and the production medium to educate, empower and raise social awareness. Take Action Hollywood, and Maria, have produced such films as the Holocaust documentary, Paperclips, along with Miramax. TAH! And Maria have also produced Losing Lebron about the devastating economic effects of Lebron James exiting Cleveland and Elders, a compelling look at aging in America. Both films were critically acclaimed and both festival darlings. As a Diabetes Awareness Ambassador for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Maria has spoken on Capitol Hill and is working with lobbyists on improving treatment for the disease, worldwide. She is also the Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics and works closely with the LA Children’s hospital hosting her annual “Day Of Beauty” event for patients and their families for the last 8 years.

Entrepreneur

Maria, along with partner Keven Undergaro, co-founded AfterBuzz TV, one of the world’s the largest digital broadcast networks. Branded as “The ESPN of TV Talk”, the highly innovative AfterBuzz TV produces over 300 TV ‘after-shows’ for the globe’s favorite TV shows. The first to the TV ‘after-show’ game, before the likes of AMC’s Talking Dead, AfterBuzz hosts interview cast and crew from various series and provide an unprecedented amount of TV coverage. The network is comprised of over 250 hosts, has 5 state of the art, multi-cam studios, features daily celebrity guests and broadcasts weekly to over 20 million people from over 100 countries. In addition, along with Undergaro, she co-founded Popcorn Talk, a movie discussion network that reaches 2 million. The networks have also become a lightning rod for new talent and hosts.

Maria’s supermarket food line “Maria’s Greek Delights” is in select stores and, as a die hard sports fan, her soon to be launched stadium food chain, “Maria’s Greek Kitchen”, launches at historic Fenway Park in September.

Radio Host

Maria hosts the top-rated, SiriusXM female morning show, “Conversations with Maria.” The show features one on one interviews with A-list celebrities as well as interviews with the world’s leading experts and practitioners on every subject. Similar to topics Maria has covered in her books, the show focuses on authentic, solution-based lifestyle content and on positivity and growth in all areas.