Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Overstreet.
Hi Mark, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My advertising career started when I graduated from college and got my first job in the Outdoor Advertising industry. It was a very short tenure of fewer than 16 months. I was hired as an Account Executive and was promoted very quickly to Local Sales Manager. Once I joined the advertising ad club I met my mentor who changed my entire career by giving me my first television job in advertising as an Account Executive in Augusta, Georgia.
His name is Mr. Louis Wall and he has not only supported me for the last 40 years but continues to support me at Telemundo Minnesota which he owns. He is the CEO of SagamoreHill Broadcasting. As GM of Telemundo Minnesota, it also helps to have a solid leader at the top who has given me great guidance and a solid road map to my Telemundo success. His name is Mr. Steve Downing -National Director of Telemundo Operations for SagamoreHill Broadcasting. I am fortunate to have great mentors.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing in life is ever a smooth road but having a great mother made me the man I am today. My father passed when I was just turning 10 years old and my mother had a dual family role in my life a soft and sometimes a very heavy-hand to make sure I stayed on track in life and graduated from college. You meet many people in your life who sometimes can give you great direction and other times people who are “Dream Stealers”. Not everyone wants you to succeed in life. Some people like to see you fail or not even try to reach your dreams. Sometimes that person can be “YOU”. Sometimes you are your worst enemy.
In my early elementary school days, I was bullied and discriminated against sometimes since my heritage was French, Japanese, and Cherokee Indian. I excelled in many sports in elementary and high school which helped me stand out and change the perception of my heritage. Sports was definitely an outlet for me to escape from being singled out and being part of a team. As I started to mature in college I realized that I wanted to be a leader and do great things in the community that could support, affect change and create positivity among people of different cultures. All of my struggles placed me in my dream job as GM of a TV station.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My name is Mark Overstreet and I am the General Manager of Telemundo Minnesota. My responsibilities are Overseeing Daily Business Operations, Developing and implementing growth strategies, Training, Creating and managing budgets, Improving local revenue, hiring employees, evaluating performance & productivity, and establishing partnerships in the local community. What are we known for and proud of: Telemundo Minnesota: We have a strong commitment to serve, inform and educate the Hispanic community, but we can never do it alone because we need local partners to build that bridge together. Telemundo’s name and brand come with a built-in trust for the Hispanic community, and we want to assist our Partners to start and improve their relationship within this community.
Under our new ownership group, SagamoreHill Broadcasting, we are making substantial investments in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan area to expand our signal coverage. In addition, we have built two new towers in Rogers and Rochester, respectively, while adding Comcast Xfinity Cable and Dish satellite. Our streaming carriage is through Hulu-TV, YouTube TV, and Fubu TV are up and running. All of this is to ensure we meet our viewers where they are in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul market. Telemundo is fueled by original content made by U.S. Hispanics for U.S. Hispanics. In addition to its original scripted storytelling, Telemundo delivers the most trusted Spanish-language news and is the home of world-class global sporting events – including the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup through 2026, and the summer Olympic Games through 2032.
While we provide the best in entertainment, news, and sports, our commitment is to strengthen our local community. The Latino population growth in Minnesota has been significant, increasing by 38% since 2010. We celebrate this growth and pledge to be an active contributor in ensuring there is also progress in the visibility and representation of Latinos in our state. Telemundo’s name and brand come with a built-in trust within the Hispanic community, but we serve our community best when you partner with local organizations. In Spanish, we say “Juntos Imparables”, which means “together unstoppable”. We truly believe this and opened an office on the 10th Floor of the UBS Plaza in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Our Programming Strengths:
• Telemundo Primetime- more innovative storytelling stories have revolutionized the “Novela” genre. Hispanics can relate to this.
• Awards & Specials- Best in Latin Music & Pop Culture-the most entertaining pop culture phenomena most relevant to U.S Hispanics.
• Global Sports-Coverage in the best Spanish sporting event franchises in the world- Olympics & FIFA World Cup.
• Reliable Network News & Entertainment-Shows for the entire family. Award-winning talent delivers the best
national & world news.
• Acceso Total- 30-minute half-hour entertainment show produced in LA by Telemundo and localized for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul market. Airs weekdays 10:30a-11a. We have 2.3-minute local insertion segments daily about local entertainment and events in the MSP market.
What sets us apart from others? We want to serve, inform, and educate the Hispanic Community
• Telemundo Minnesota-Plans to launch a Local News in the near future.
• Our TV Promotions-All Localized to fit our community
• Our TV signal can reach our audience in many ways: Over the air, cable, and our Hispanic social media platforms.
We can attract and reach our Hispanic audience wherever they live.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
I learned the meaning of having a “Birthday”. My mother was a big believer in Birthday celebrations. As a young child, it was all about how many gifts I received and how big was the cake. I finally learned it was a celebration of another year of my life and another valuable year of life lessons learned. My mother always made sure that my “Birthday was Special”. She always made me feel important.
Growing up I always thought that it was a mother’s job to just take care of you. The job of being a mother was much “Bigger” because your mother does not have to nurture you in life. My mother always wanted me to grow up being happy, healthy, and a successful adult in society. She “Loved ” me unconditionally and I am forever grateful. May she rest in peace!
Contact Info:
- Website: telemundomsp.com
- Instagram: @telemundomsp
- Facebook: @telemundomsp.com
- Twitter: @telemundomsp.com
Image Credits
Gustavo Rosso – Telemundo Minnesota
