Kamelia Kilawan is a television and digital producer based in Washington, DC. She grew up in Queens, New York — her parents originated from Berbice, Guyana.
She has experience working in New York City and Doha, Qatar in award-winning local, national, and international newsrooms. Kilawan has told multiple stories across broadcast and digital platforms.
Kilawan graduated from the City University of New York’s Baruch College and the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique Interdisciplinary Studies with her Bachelor’s in Journalism and Religious Studies in 2014. A year later, she received her Master of Science from Columbia University’s School of Journalism, with a focus on Multimedia Journalism.
In 2012, she received the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship, under the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. In 2013, she was awarded the CUNY Thomas Tam Scholarship from the Asian American Asian Research Institute for her undergraduate honors thesis — examining the role temples devoted to the goddess Kali play in the healing and empowerment of women primarily of Indian and Caribbean descent.
Her journalism career began as a college student when she started writing a culture column for The West Indian — a local newspaper circulated across Queens, NY. Her coverage revolved around those within the Caribbean diaspora.
Currently, as an interview and on-air guest booking producer for the American bureau of the China Global Television Network in D.C.– one of her responsibilities include seeking out voices that contribute to shaping global perspectives.
Prior to her role at CGTN — she worked as a digital producer for the Al Jazeera Media Network in Qatar and as a producer in Washington, DC for Al Jazeera English’s live discussion program “The Stream.”
During her time at Al Jazeera, she authored a piece on the 2020 Guyanese election and co-produced live television programs examining the potential impact of Guyana’s oil and challenges regarding the country’s high suicide rate.
Throughout her career, Kilawan has also worked at various media outlets across New York City — from The New York Daily News, The New York Observer, and The Gotham Gazette to the women’s empowerment media brand MAKERS Women — which highlights stories of powerful women, including former U.S. Secretary of State & 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to talk show host, actress & producer Oprah Winfrey.
Through bridging the divide between international news coverage and the Guyanese community, Kilawan hopes to inform global audiences about Guyana’s most challenging and pressing issues — with the hope that “more international attention is paid to a part of the world that often gets overlooked in global media.”
Also, she discusses that as a Guyanese-American woman, others who identify as Guyanese should take notice that “It is our responsibility as Guyanese women to use our unique ancestral histories to make the world a better place.”
“Guyanese women come from a long line of hard-working and trailblazing female ancestors, many of whom traveled by boat across continents in tragic and difficult circumstances yet they survived the journey and created a path for future generations to thrive,” Kilawan said.
She can be found on Twitter and on Linkedin.
