Hi, I'm Elena!
Hello and welcome to my website! My name is Elena Barilla. Below is what you won't find in my reel or resume. Before getting to know me professionally, let me tell you how I got here, first.
I feel an incredible amount of pride when I think about being raised on Long Island, New York, by my Italian-American family. Growing up, I enjoyed big Sunday dinners, waking up to the smell of homemade tomato sauce and meatballs, scarfing down half my weight in pasta and wrestling with my cousins over the last zeppole.
Surrounded by history, a beautiful coast, and arguably the greatest cuisine of any sort in the world, Long Island gave me a life-long zest for diving deeper into history and culture, and a true love for my roots in the Northeast. It's given me a natural curiosity about life; asking questions about things most people only see at the surface level.
I always knew I wanted to be a journalist. Growing up outside of New York City, I had wide-eyes for the industry. In fifth grade, my heart was set on studying broadcast journalism in college.
I chose the University of South Carolina. Between college football, shrimp & grits, and summer heat seemingly lasting forever, I knew I was completely out of my element. It was exciting.
I go into further detail about the specifics of UofSC's journalism program in my resume. I had the privilege of learning from incredible professors with decades of experience in the industry, whose lessons, expertise and mentorship led me to earn a Southeast Student Emmy Award for in-depth reporting in my junior year, and become the RTDNAC Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.
I began my professional career in the late winter of 2020 at NBC5 News in the Burlington, VT-Plattsburgh, NY market. Our coverage is special in that it spans three different states; New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
Of course, nobody could predict our world turning upside-down in March of 2020, let alone starting my career at the start of a global pandemic. It has become the greatest responsibility of my life to inform Northern New York as its senior reporter during this time; from lock-down, to reopening, COVID-19 testing, vaccine rollout, and now spread of the delta variant.
I led the station's New York vaccine coverage, building contacts spanning each sector of providers across the region, informing viewers about supply, eligibility, and accessibility. I told countless stories about leadership efforts to bring the vaccine to homebound populations in remote, rural areas of the Adirondacks.
I was one of the first faces our viewers saw moments after Governor Andrew Cuomo's resignation, following the attorney general's report of sexual harassment. I was the first journalist on scene of a homicide investigation just outside of Plattsburgh.
Most importantly, I prioritize connecting with those who are willing, brave or vulnerable enough to share their stories with me every single day. It is an honor to go out into the community with my camera, talk to people, listen, and allow fellow neighbors to learn from their experiences through my storytelling. It is both a rewarding job, and something I am incredibly passionate about.
On top of being a full-time MMJ, I also work as a fill-in weekend anchor. I am on the hunt for my next job in the industry. You will find a montage of both reporting standups and anchoring clips in the beginning of my reel.
Here are a few important facts before you navigate my page:
- I haven't missed an episode of The Bachelor franchise since 8th grade.
- I love my dog, Rosie. I grew up on golden retrievers, but Rosie is a wild card. She's a crazy black lab who eats vintage couches, can inhale entire rotisserie chickens, and never listens when her name is called. She's the best.
- I am a total Swiftie. If you're hopping in my car, expect to hear every Taylor Swift album on repeat, and don't ask me to pick my favorite one. Impossible.
​
Have fun navigating! Get in touch through the "Contact Me" tab.