My Huge Passion For Traveling And For The Sports World ‒ Exclusive Interview With Valeria Rubino

Ciao! I am Valeria Rubino, an Italian Journalist and Video Maker based in New York and Miami. Despite not looking Italian, I was born and raised in Naples. I was a pro swimmer and swam long-distance races for team Italy. Even 25K competitions in open water, which can last over 6 hours, depending on currents, waves, weather, and sea conditions. Hence, my big passion for sports journalism. I love the thrill of doing interviews and getting to know the men/women behind the athletes, going beyond race/game results and deeper into the soul of the person.

Since I was a little kid, I had an American Dream and I wanted to attend an American University. I studied in Naples, where graduated with distinction in Political Sciences from the Oldest public University in the world (Federico II), where I also won a scholarship and took a master’s degree in Law. Then my dream came true: I went to the University of Miami for a master’s in broadcast journalism. It felt like I was living in a movie every single day.

Valeria Rubino, Journalist, PR, Travel-Sports-Fitness Consultant

Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.

I was catapulted into the world of basketball by chance. During my internship with NBC6 in Miami, I insisted they take me to cover an NBA game. Finally, that day came, and I admired Kobe Bryant shooting like there was no tomorrow. And that was just practice (here’s my article on the long list for AIPS Awards). On that same magical day, I met an ESPN executive who offered me to discover the world of sports production. I started working with ESPN, TNT, Sun Sports covering the Heat. It was proof dreams can come true. I went from saving money to buy NBA game tickets to being paid to be part of that world and close to the action. I made the mistake of moving to New York to work for the main Italian TV network RAI in the news. But I kept covering basketball and other sports for French tv l’Equipe, ESPN Todo Deporte in Spanish, Italian outlets, such as Corriere della Sera, the second most-read newspaper in the world. I founded ViaggioSport.com, focused on my two biggest passions: Travel and Sports. I became the only Italian, and one of the few Europeans, to have ever interviewed all the biggest NBA stars, but also many boxing and soccer champions. I had a special relationship with Kobe Bryant due to our common Italian soul (he grew up in Italy) and I used to always interview him in Italian.

Among my other passions, I love dogs, especially large breeds. I saved my cane Corso Nikita from a shelter. She had been beaten and abandoned at 9 months. I miss her to death because she is in Italy with my family, including my Weimaraner Teo. Her life would be a nightmare in my NY apartment, especially because I am never there.

The most difficult part of living in the US? Being far from my loved ones, my family and my dogs. And missing them a whole lot. Also, feeling guilty for being far away and following my dreams.

What is your business name and how do you help your clients and what kind of audience do you target your business towards?

My first business is VSport and I am also creating bestplacestokiss.com, a sort of travel guide for couples, families, and friends.

VSport targets sports lovers who want to go beyond game results and really get to know who the athletes are, going beyond the golden facade of professional sports.

What are your current goals for your business?

My goal is to grow my business VSport, perfect my brand, and find sponsors, which would allow me to inspire a wider audience and reveal the secrets of success in the sports and entertainment world, but also in life in general. I want to cover inspiring life stories and get constructive messages from those who ‘made it’ in their field to allow anyone to learn from them.

I’d cover more games, more sports, and get more in-depth interviews. I would love to have a tv show with great interviews and active participation of the fans, who usually have no voice and no way to ask questions to their favorite athletes and celebrities.

I also want to share the bestplacestokiss guide with airlines and travel companies.

Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?

I come from a loving, old-fashioned family from Southern Italy.

My dad was totally against my childhood dream of being a model, but it was to protect me from a corrupted environment.

When I started working in the television business, I had to find out that, sadly, that environment is very corrupted as well. Many times, I was offered a TV show or a business deal, only to find out they’d expect from me to “celebrate in their suites’ in exchange. I never accepted those compromises, also because I wanted to make my parents and myself proud. Unfortunately, I had to miss many “opportunities’ because that’s the way this business works in many countries, especially if you’re dealing with Italians. But today, despite not having a big TV network behind me which would make everything easier on the job – I am extremely proud to say I never had to go low in my career, I never accepted any of those sad proposals and I can look at myself in the mirror and smile. I always think: One day, I will tell it all!

What is your work inspired by?

My work is inspired by my huge passion for traveling and for the sports world. Being an athlete myself, I know about the sweat, the sacrifices you have to make in order to be successful. I know one simple health setback can ruin your whole season and even your career. I know how hard it is mentally to always be focused and on point. That’s why I respect athletes and their job. That’s why I love the sports world.

If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?

Today, besides interviewing all the biggest stars in the NBA and other sports, I have had the honor to cover many NBA Drafts, the days when dreams come true and the lives of young players change forever. I covered the NBA Finals for over 15 years and most All-Star Weekends since 2009.

I understand they had to protect the players, but for a videographer interviews made on a Zoom call and controlled by a PR staff are a total nightmare. In some sports, the leagues are still using COVID-19 as an excuse to limit access and impose restrictions. It turns out the ones who have “second-grade” credentials and aren’t allowed into the locker rooms anymore, even in 2023, are mainly international media. This is really limiting our work, especially for us who work with videos. It would be great to see things go back to normal, to the pre-COVID way of working.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube, or visit my website for more info!

Read more from Valeria!