Alumna Marta Fernandez ’02 To Receive College of the Arts’ Distinguished Alumni Award

Alumna Marta Fernandez, a 2002 graduate of the Broadcasting program, will receive the College of the Arts’ Distinguished Alumni Award at the College’s Convocation on May 21 at Sprague Field.

In her current position as senior vice president of original programming for the premium cable network Starz, Fernandez handles drama development and current production. Her most recent projects include  Da Vinci’s Demons with The Dark Knight and Man of Steel co-writer, David Goyer, and Incursion, an epic science-fiction drama with Spartacus screenwriter, Steven  S. DeKnight.

Previously, she worked in television development for Starz, where she oversaw the network’s first ratings hit, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, as well as Golden Globe-winner Boss with Kelsey Grammar, and cult favorite Party Down. Prior to joining Starz, she worked as a coordinator on the NBC series Fear Factor and on USA’s Monk and Criminal Minds.

As an undergraduate broadcasting major at Montclair State, Fernandez and her fellow students produced the short feature, Book of Thanks, which was part of an hour-long NJN special program, America Together: New Jersey Voices…Heroes, and won a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award. Fernandez received the 2002 Gracie Allen Award for American Women in Radio & Television for her documentary, Women Pioneers in Broadcasting.

Associate director of Broadcast and Digital Media Facilities, Patricia Piroh, remembers Fernandez as “an enthusiastic student who had tremendous talent and drive.”

Fernandez added the credit was not all hers.

“I am honored to receive this award and be invited back to my alma mater,” she said. “I can honestly say, a huge part of my success is due in large part to the skills I acquired at Montclair State University.”