If there’s a breaking news story, Natalie Martinez is usually on it!
Natalie joined NBC Chicago as a general assignment reporter in January 2001. She spent many years reporting for all of our daily newscasts and anchored our weekend mornings for several years. She’s now seen every weeknight at 10 p.m. reporting on the top stories of the day.
Natalie has covered big stories, like the deadly tornadoes that devastated Fairdale and Washington, Ill., and smaller stories that matter to the "little guy." She won one of her Emmys for her non-stop reporting of those Washington tornadoes.
With nearly two decades of reporting and anchoring, she came to NBC Chicago from WXXA-TV, the Fox station in Albany, N.Y. During her final two years Albany, Martinez was the primary anchor.
Prior to her work at WXXA, this award-winning journalist had worked as an anchor, reporter and producer for several upstate New York television and radio stations.
Natalie is very active and recognized in the Latino community and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, for which she was elected Chicago Chapter President in 2016. In 2017, the national NAHJ organization awarded her with the coveted "Si Se Puede" Excellence in Leadership award. In 2018 she was recognized by Negocios Now publication as Who’s Who in Hispanic Chicago for her contributions to the betterment of the community.
She also does charitable work for CAWC (Chicago Abused Women Coalition), Center on Halsted and the Salvation Army among many others, and frequently services as Mistress of Ceremonies for groups all over the Chicagoland area. In March 2011, Martinez was named one of Chicago's Most Influential Women by the I'm Every Woman Expo.
Natalie has taken her love for helping aspiring journalists to a new level. She is now an adjunct professor at DePaul University. She’s excited to be teaching the Spring 2021-2022 Introduction to Journalism course.
A native of Buffalo, New York, Martinez is a two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist who graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and University of North London on scholarship.
In 2012, she was among the journalists honored with a Chicago Headline Club Peter Lisagor Award for her role in covering the verdict in the trial against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. She was honored with another Emmy Award for her reporting of the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago. She won an AP award for Best Reporter in 2013 for her breadth of work covering breaking, hard and feature news stories.
Natalie’s work covering the Laquan McDonald case helped NBC 5 earn a coveted Peabody Award in 2016.
Natalie grew up with a Ukrainian mother and Dominican father. She embraces and appreciates all the diversity that Chicago has to offer, and is a proud supporter of the Ukrainian community as well.
Throughout her childhood and teens, Natalie danced ballet and has a deep-rooted appreciation for the arts. She’s often seen attending or hosting art related events around the city.
Natalie married her lifetime love, personal trainer Flavio Gama, who moved from Brazil in 2013 to marry her. You'll often see the two doing outdoor activities at the beach with their baby girl, Sailor.
The Latest
-
Parents protest decision to close Skokie's Dr. Bessie Rhodes School
As plans move forward to close the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies in Skokie, parents and students pleaded with the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 board to reconsider shutting down the building on Monday night. At a spirited standing-room-only meeting, parents and supporters of 40-plus seventh- and eighth-grade students begged the board to reconsider its plan to close the…
-
Glenbrook South board meeting held following student social media post many considered threatening
A Glenbrook South High School board meeting was held Tuesday night following a controversial social media post made by a student last week that many in the community considered to be antisemitic and threatening.
-
Chicago-area native living in Tel Aviv recalls ‘horrifying' experience during Iran missile attack
A Chicago-area native currently residing in Tel Aviv, Israel is describing her harrowing experience during an Iranian missile attack earlier Tuesday on the country.
-
Chicago alderman calls for ShotSpotter to be reactivated after deadly shooting
A Chicago alderman renewed calls for Mayor Brandon Johnson to reactivate Chicago’s ShotSpotter contract after a weekend shooting left the body of a 19-year-old woman lying in an alley for hours.
-
Diver who died in Lake Michigan trying to retrieve severed line in shipwreck remembered as ‘family man'
Loved ones and friends of Patrick Kelly are remembering the 72-year-old diver as a friendly, family man after his body was recovered from Lake Michigan Wednesday.
-
‘It's unbelievable:' Relatives cheer on Team USA Wrestler and Lake Zurich native Payton Jacobson
Some north suburban residents who tuned into the Paris Olympics’ Opening Ceremony saw a familiar face – a world-class wrestler who hails from their town.
-
‘An amazing woman:' Son mourns mother, relatives killed in Grand Crossing shooting
Two women and an 8-year-old boy died were killed after multiple shooters unleashed a hail of bullets following a dispute on the Fourth of July in Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood.
-
Rally held in response to Pro-Palestinian protest outside US Rep. Schneider's home in middle of the night
Residents in suburban Highland Park took a stand on Monday, just days after masked pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration in the middle of the night outside Jewish U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider’s home.
-
‘Made sure we stayed safe:' Emergency crews honored for response to Matteson train derailment
Hundreds packed the commons outside Matteson’s Village Hall on Friday night with chairs, picnic gear and smiles to honor the responders who rushed to the scene of a huge train derailment and arrived within three minutes.
-
3 shot outside funeral at Salvation Army center in Blue Island
Multiple corridors of 127th Street in south suburban Blue Island were shut down on Friday afternoon as a heavy police presence was reported nearby.
