Marissa L. Flores (Marissa La Torre Flores)

Marissa L. Flores (Marissa La Torre Flores) is a TV network senior vice president, broadcast producer, and manager. She was born in Quezon City on 25 April 1964. Her parents are Jose R. Flores and Susan La Torre. She comes from a family of broadcast and film artists. Her maternal grandfather was movie director Olimpio “Olive” La Torre whose films in the 1950s were Roberta and Dalagang Ilocana (Ilocano Maiden). Her maternal grandmother, Leonora Reyes, was a kundiman (love song) and opera singer. Her mother was a radio and TV performer in shows such as Operetang Putol-Putol, Operetang Tagpi-tagpi (Disjointed and Patched Up Operetta). Her mother’s sister is singer and actor Sylvia La Torre. Her uncles Roger and George La Torre were performers in Las Vegas. Cousins who were in show business are former child actor Che-che Perez de Tagle and actor/TV performer Artie Perez de Tagle. Her niece Anna Maria Perez de Tagle is a US-based singer and actor.

Flores finished elementary and secondary education at St. Scholastica’s Academy, Marikina City. She completed her journalism degree in 1985 at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. In the next three years after college, she worked as production assistant, writer, and researcher for foreign press and news organizations in Manila. In 1987, she joined the News and Public Affairs department of GMA Channel 7 and rose from the position of production assistant to executive producer. Her appointment as program manager in 1990 began her ascent on the corporate ladder. In the mid-2000s, she became the senior vice president of GMA Network’s News and Public Affairs and executive vice president for GMA News Online. She is also a member of the board of trustees of GMA Kapuso Foundation.

Under her management, GMA Channels 7 and 11 created successful shows. News programs include 24 Oras (24 Hours), Saksi (Witness), State of the Nation with Jessica Soho, and News to Go. Some long-running public affairs shows are Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (One with You at Heart, Jessica Soho), Imbestigador (Investigator), Wish Ko Lang! (Just My Wish!), i-Witness, Reporter’s Notebook, Front Row, Reel Time, Investigative Documentaries, and Biyahe ni Drew (Drew’s Trip), and the animation program Alamat (Legend).

Her able leadership in news and public affairs programming resulted in the consistent recognition of GMA Network. It earned numerous local and international awards such as the Catholic Mass Media Awards, Star Awards for Television, Asian TV Awards, Peabody Award, and US International Film and Video Festival.

Flores was cited as the Television News Producer of the Year by the Rotary Club of Manila in 1996. She was appointed as a juror of the International Emmy Awards in 2004, 2005, and 2008. She received the Ten Outstanding Young Men award for broadcast management in 2004, and the CEO Excel Awardee for Communication Excellence and Organization from the International Association of Business Communicators in 2012.