demetria kalodimos
communication
adjunct faculty
biography
demetria is a career broadcast journalist with decades of experience as a primary evening news anchor, investigative reporter and documentarian. she has won some of the most significant awards in the field including 3 ire awards, 3 edward r. murrow awards, 16 emmys, 2 national headliner awards, the bronze telly and the gracie. she is a member of the tennessee journalism hall of fame and the natas silver circle. born and raised in chicago, the middle child in a tight-knit greek american family, she still calls her siblings every day. demetria is married to singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso verlon thompson. they've been lucky enough to travel the world through his music. in 2000, demetria established her own production company genuine human. she has produced festival awarded documentaries, a national pbs songwriter series, barnegie hall, awareness campaigns, music videos and other content at her studio, the filming station. she loves hiking, hunting for treasure at estate sales and junk shops and the chicago cubs. proud mama of exotic cornish rex cats. excited to inspire the next generation of truth tellers!
academic degrees
b.m.e. cum laude, illinois wesleyan university
m.s. journalism university of illinois urbana champaign
honorary doctorate, illinois wesleyan university
academic department
journalism, school of communication
- news reporting
- on camera delivery
- video editor
- adobe premier
- final cut pro
- podcast producer
- circle back/the nashville entrepreneur center
- extensive voice over portfolio
- festival documentaries:
- friends seen and unseen (2000 genuine human productions)
- injurious george (2002 genuine human productions)
- pre-madonna (2004 genuine human productions)
- indelible: the case against jeffrey womack (2010 genuine human productions)
- barnegie hall (2019 genuine human productions pbs)
- the meaning of life is this (2021 genuine human productions)
- mercy now (mary gauthier music video)
- waitin' for the day to break (shawn camp music video)
- verlon thompson (the guitar, my heart is there, the barn door is open)
- 3 investigative reporters and editors awards (ire)
- 3 edward r. murrow awards for investigative reporting
- national murrow medal for continuing coverage (2018)
- 16 regional emmys / one national emmy nomination
- 2 american women in radio and television (gracie) national awards
- 2 national headliner awards
- member, tennessee journalism hall of fame (2016)
- ap broadcaster of the year (1997)
- ap award best documentary (1988) (1990) (1995)
- inducted natas silver circle (2016)
- robert f. kennedy prize for international reporting, finalist (1995)
- best of show, gold medal, national mental health media awards (1990)
- finalist, livingston awards for young journalists, university of michigan (1988)
- finalist, iris award (1992)
- national nppa award/best documentary (1988)
- honorary doctorate, illinois wesleyan university (2007)
- robert montgomery outstanding young alum award/illinois wesleyan university (1995)
- telly award, bronze, barnegie hall (2018)
- american women in film and television lifetime achievement award
- chicago international film festival /documentary/ honorable mention.
- official selections: chicago/nashville/sidewalk/indie memphis/berkeley/barebones film festivals
- best music video/ nashville film festival