Mariana van Zeller is a Portuguese-born news correspondent for National Geographic and a Peabody award-winning investigative journalist.
Mariana van Zeller Net Worth
Mariana van Zeller’s net worth is reported to be between $1 million to $5 million. Her wealth is mainly from her very successful journalism career.
She is a journalist for the National Geographic Channel and the chief correspondent for Fusion TV. She also worked as a correspondent for the Vanguard documentary series which aired on the now defunct Current TV.
For National Geographic, she hosts “Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller.”
Personal Life
Mariana van Zeller was born on May 7, 1976 in Cascais, Portugal to her parents Eduardo Belo Van Zeller and Marta Filomena de Vilhena de Bettencourt.
She studied international relations at the Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal. After graduation, she worked for two years at the Portuguese television network, SIC.
She applied for a master’s degree at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism three times. The first time she applied, she was rejected, the second time, she was waitlisted, and the third time, she flew to New York herself and talked to the college’s dean. She stated that the dean was impressed and allowed her to enroll.
After just a month of moving to New York, the September 11 attacks happened. Van Zeller was contacted by SIC to cover the attacks and to meet their news crew on the rooftop of the CBS Building in Manhattan.
She is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, English, Italian, and some Arabic. As of March 17, 2015, van Zeller officially became an American citizen.
Professional Career
After receiving her master’s degree, Mariana van Zeller moved to London in the hopes of covering the Iraq Wars. She studied Arabic at Damascus University to further understand the situation in the Middle East.
Over the next two years, she did freelance journalism in the Middle East which aired on several channels including PBS and CBC.
In 2005, she joined Current TV’s Vanguard as a correspondent. She is also a news correspondent for Fusion TV.
She is the host of National Geographic Channel’s “Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller.” It is a original documentary series that explores the complex and dangerous things happening in the world of human trafficking.
Van Zeller has a new show called “Breaking Borders,” which airs on the Travel Channel. On the show is Chef Michael Voltaggio and the aim of the show is to try and solve conflicts over a meal.
Because of her outstanding career in journalism, she has received multiple accolades. In 2009, she was also awarded the Webby Award by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. In 2010, she received the Peabody Award from Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She also got the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in Mollie Parnis Livingston Foundation.
Mariana van Zeller Relationship Status
Mariana van Zeller is married to Darren Foster. The two met as classmates in Columbia University.
Foster works as a series producer and director for National Geographic. In July 2010, they had a son named Vasco.
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