I have over 3,100 bylines listed on Muckrack.com covering news, investigations, features, and more in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. Here is a sample of recent news reports.
Published Stories
- NCAA Women’s Final Four: A father’s drive: Enock Villalobos’ miles of love for his daughter’s journey
- NCAA Final Four: SDSU Dad Lamont Butler Sr. Reflects on Son’s Journey from Backyard Hoops to NCAA’s Big Stage
- SDSU 2024 Year In Review
- SDSU reaches 500K living alumni
- SDSU’s textbook accessibility program sets participation records, gets a rebrand
- SDSU’s Cutting-Edge Esports Engagement Center Bridges Gaming, Wellness, and Student Success
- SDSU Launches New Era of Artificial Intelligence Research With Boost From Brown Foundation
- Sweetwater Unified High School District responds to report alleging fraud, misuse of funds
- Map: These San Diego zip codes got PPP loans over $150K, retained over 193K jobs
- Temecula mayor quits after writing that no ‘good person of color’ has been killed by local police
- La Mesa protest turns violent with fires, looting
- COVID-19: Chula Vista, county’s second hardest hit city, ready to reopen for business
- Nearly $700M PPP disbursed to San Diego businesses, 36 local companies received $5-10M
- California city official resigns after throwing his cat during Zoom meeting
- Chula Vista councilman who contracted COVID-19 making ‘steady progress’; remains on a ventilator
- CIF to rule on Coronado High tortilla-throwing incident next week
- San Diego NAACP calls on CIF to ban two Coronado High players, parents involved in tortilla-throwing incident
- FAA investigating San Diego airport incident after recording captures confusion between pilot, air traffic controller
- Gaslamp Quarter shooting survivor’s son shares details of deadly confrontation
- Chula Vista family confronts man in alleged animal abuse viral video
- Date set for Downtown Disney District expansion, opening of Buena Vista Street
- California health officials ease limits on private gatherings
- California playgrounds can reopen, but rules are strict; masks required for children over 2-years-old
- Chula Vista elementary schools propose starting in-person instruction by late October
- VALLEY FIRE: Resources on where to get help, air quality, and animal shelters
- Family outraged over racist attacks on Chula Vista’s Mango Man
- Nearly $700M PPP disbursed to San Diego businesses, 36 local companies received $5-10M
- San Diego-area retail centers offering virtual Santa experience
Podcast/Traffic Anchor Reel
View more published articles at https://muckrack.com/mario-sevilla
About My Work
Award-Winning Commencement Coverage: SDSU Graduates Share Powerful Stories of Transformation
Role: San Diego State University | Managing Editor & Content Strategist
For SDSU’s commencement coverage, I led the editorial planning and execution of a multi-story series that reframed graduation not as a single event, but as a shared, emotionally resonant experience. Working with campus partners and student contributors, I developed a coverage strategy centered on storytelling that reflected the university’s mission and the lived experiences of its graduates.
I oversaw dozens of interviews and the production of in-depth feature stories highlighting the diversity of the graduating class, including students with disabilities, formerly incarcerated scholars, DACA recipients, binational graduates, and non-traditional students. Each story was edited to stand on its own while contributing to a cohesive narrative about transformation and achievement.
In addition to enterprise reporting, I identified and pre-planned coverage of key milestone moments, including a surprise on-stage proposal and the announcement of SDSU’s 500,000th alumnus, integrating these moments seamlessly into the broader editorial package. Content was strategically distributed across SDSU’s news site, social platforms, and newsletters to maximize reach without additional budget.
The series earned a national CASE Circle of Excellence Silver Award for Writing | News/Feature (Series or Collection). Engagement results included a 132% increase in clicks on a special edition e-newsletter and a 107% increase in news site traffic. Judges praised the collection for its narrative strength, demographic breadth, and ability to unify individual stories around a shared milestone moment.
In The Press: San Diego’s ABC 10NEWS New Social Media Leaders
Role: ABC 10News San Diego | Digital Director – News
Before taking on the role of Digital Director at ABC 10News in San Diego, the station’s social media efforts struggled to against its seven major competitors. KGTV ranked fourth in Facebook interactions against the five local broadcast stations. I implemented new social media strategies, policies, and metrics. I shifted the team’s focus from volume and pace to messaging and visuals that emphasized meaningful experiences and connections. I implemented training to improve writing and voice, content diversity and innovation.
Within months, our station began dominating the competition in followers and user engagement. Our transformation paid off tremendously. Our team earned San Diego’s top spot for followers among local publishers and ranked first in social media interactions each year of my career at 10News. Our success became the subject of a profile on TVNewsCheck’s MarketShare by Paul Greeley. Read report here or visit TVNewsCheck article.
Interactive And Data Visualization
Role: Mercury News/ Bay Area News Group and ABC 10News – Digital Producer, Interactive & Data Visualization Projects
Interactive Map: Bonny Doon Fire (2008) – Mercury News
- Situation: As a digital producer at The San Jose Mercury News, I sought to expand breaking news coverage through interactive tools.
- Action: Built an interactive map charting wildfire perimeters and evacuation zones, populated with photos, reports, eyewitness accounts, and official police/fire updates. Coordinated newsroom staff to continuously feed updates into the map.
- Result: The map became one of the paper’s most-viewed digital projects, driving record traffic with nearly 2 million page views in a single day. It was positively reviewed by a leading web technology magazine, positioning the newsroom as a pioneer in digital storytelling.
COVID-19 Data Tracker (2020) – ABC 10News
- Situation: As COVID-19 cases surged in San Diego, audiences needed localized, accurate, and accessible data.
- Action: Inspired by Johns Hopkins’ global tracker, I created a San Diego County COVID-19 dashboard, visualizing cases by demographics, geography, and hotspots through an interactive heat map. Maintained daily updates by sourcing county health data and built a backend spreadsheet to fuel automation.
- Result:
- Informed 1M+ people locally and globally with critical data.
- Sparked investigative reports into pandemic inequities affecting underserved communities.
- Trained my team in data gathering, interpretation, and visualization (including Tableau), leaving lasting new skill sets within the newsroom.
Impact: From breaking news wildfires to a global pandemic, I’ve consistently used interactive content and data reporting to inform communities, expand newsroom capabilities, and push the boundaries of digital storytelling. LINK: TABLEAU
San Diego’s First Virtual Town Hall, 2020 Mayoral Election
Role: Project Lead — Virtual Town Hall Debate (Editorial + Technical + Production Oversight)
Situation: In 2020, San Diego partners Meals on Wheels and Oasis planned an in-person mayoral town hall. The pandemic forced them to pivot to a virtual format, with the added challenge of reaching senior audiences unfamiliar with video conferencing.
Task: Deliver a live, interactive, virtual debate accessible to candidates and voters — especially seniors — while maintaining broadcast quality and audience engagement.
Action:
- Researched/tested platforms, selecting Streamyard for its accessibility and broadcast integration.
- Designed debate format, rules, countdown timers, and audience participation methods.
- Trained candidates, partners, and staff; led rehearsals; built workflows to standardize production.
Result:
- First station in the market to host a virtual debate.
- Generated thousands of live interactions and record-breaking traffic across site, social, and broadcast platforms.
- Workflow adopted by other stations across the company.
Impact: This project exemplifies my ability to innovate under pressure, bridge technical and editorial needs, and deliver audience-first solutions in high-stakes situations.
Broadcasting News And Events To Digital Audiences
Role: Digital Director — ABC 10News San Diego (Editorial, Technical & Strategic Lead for Hyperlocal Live Streaming)
Situation: Market research showed audiences wanted stronger connections to hyperlocal news and events.
Task: Build a live streaming strategy to deepen community ties, increase audience engagement, and create new monetization opportunities.
Action:
- Documented best practices and created training manuals for producers, talent, and operators.
- Established editorial calendars and live-stream production workflows.
- Partnered with community organizations (Port of San Diego, Gaslamp Quarter Association, county officials) to expand coverage.
- Collaborated with sales on monetization strategies and sponsorships.
Result:
- Exclusive live streams set record traffic and video engagement on site and social, growing Facebook followers and community reach.
- ABC 10News became the only San Diego station to live-stream major holiday events, including the Bay Parade of Lights and Mother Goose Parade.
- Strengthened station’s community connection, with audiences locally and worldwide expressing gratitude for access to beloved traditions.
Impact: This initiative not only drove measurable digital growth but also positioned ABC 10News as the city’s most community-connected newsroom.
Exclusive And Original Digital Reporting
As Digital Director at ABC 10News, I led the editorial strategy and execution of a newsroom-wide shift toward original, in-depth digital reporting. While I regularly contributed my own enterprise and investigative work — drawing on a reporting background that includes more than 3,100 bylines on MuckRack — my primary focus was building a team capable of producing high-quality journalism with consistency and purpose.
I developed a training and editorial framework that transformed digital producers into multimedia reporters and content creators, equipped to deliver depth across breaking news, enterprise, and investigative coverage. This strategy was informed by my prior leadership experience in the San Francisco Bay Area and adapted to the needs and audience of the San Diego market.
To establish a strong foundation, I assigned evergreen, high-impact topics such as flood vulnerability, drought, wildfire risk, and immigration. These projects emphasized reporting fundamentals — research, source development, question design, issue anticipation, and narrative clarity — while allowing the team to work methodically and build confidence. Within one month, the newsroom published its first deep-dive digital report on the effects of rising tides along San Diego’s coastline.
I also led cross-training efforts with broadcast and creative services teams, integrating original digital reporting into on-air storytelling and promotions. As skills and confidence increased, I introduced a structured editorial calendar, consistent production deadlines, and coordinated marketing strategies to expand reach and visibility.
What began as a monthly initiative evolved into a daily best practice. Original and deep-dive reporting became embedded in newsroom workflows, with teams regularly producing sophisticated, multi-format stories that translated complex issues into accessible, audience-centered journalism. By leveraging video, audio, photography, data visualization, and interactive elements, our digital coverage developed a distinct editorial voice and visual identity.
This leadership-driven approach resulted in sustained audience growth and engagement, with traffic and time-spent metrics increasing across major projects and helping the station surpass annual digital KPI goals for five consecutive years.
Marketing & Promotional Multimedia Production
ROLES: SDSU Voice Over
Description: San Diego State University is now officially an R1 institution, reaching the highest level of research activity and doctorate education. Ranking among the nation’s top research universities, SDSU researchers are reaching new levels of impact for their communities.
ROLES: Voice Over, Producer, Writer, Editor, and Graphics
TV broadcast commercial for Bay Area News Group. Breast Cancer Awareness and special section promotion. Flight info: SAN FRANCISCO KGOTV-7, 10/12-10/20/2013.
Marketing & Promotional Video Production
ROLES: Filmography, Writer, Producer, Graphics, Editor
The assignment was to create a brand video for use during an open house event for the Northern California business and leadership community. I recruited our human resources director to host our show, conducted interviews with company staff, coordinated and executed on-location shoots for testimonials and b-roll, and edit the video for playback on multiple platforms (online, CCTV, and mobile). From the video, I edited it down to create client testimonials for use in sales/marketing presentations. I used DLSR, lavs and shotgun mics, jib booms, and three-point lighting. Production lasted four days.
Video News Gathering: Occupy Oakland Protests
ROLES: Multimedia Reporter; Editing Within 24-hours
Newsgathering for Bay Area News Group and Bay Area News Group, on the scene at Frank Ogawa Plaza to talk with both the public and law enforcement about the events in Downtown Oakland.
Mario Sevilla 