Wiki Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
The American journalist and photographer, Marika Gerrard is best known for co-founding the news company Los Angeles News Service with her now ex-husband back in the 1980s.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Marika was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.
- She is known for being married to Hanna Zoey Tur, a transgender American news reporter, who was born with the name Bob Tur, until she transitioned in 2014.
- The couple first met in 1978 when Bob was a regular patron of Westwood’s Bruin Movie Theatre where Marika worked. Marika was living with her parents in Beverly Hills at the time.
- The pair soon moved in together.
- They got married in 1983. Marika was 28 and pregnant with their first child at the time. Bob was only 23.
- The couple had two children, Katy (born in 1983) & James (born in 1985).
- Marika’s daughter, Katy Tur, is now a famous news reporter who works for NBC News and lives in New York City.
- Her son, James Tur, is a medical student at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. He is expected to graduate in 2018.
- Marika & Bob eventually got a divorce in 2007.
Education : Qualifications, High School & College Info
- Marika attended the University of California, Los Angeles to pursue a Masters in Philosophy.
- She was accepted into UCLA Law.
Marika Gerrard Reporter & Journalist Career :
- Marika first worked for The L.A. Times & covered many popular stories such as The Laurel Canyon murders.
- Then, along with her ex-husband, Marika created the news company Los Angeles News Service in 1983. The company produced video and audio recordings of important events and licensed them. They were the first to televise a high-speed police chase.
- From 1980 to 1997, Marika worked as an aerial videographer for the company for 17 years.
- Some of her well-known work includes video footage of the beating of Reginald Denny during the 1992 riots & the OJ Simpson road chase in 1994.
- They had contracts with the morning radio station KFWB, based in California.
- They later switched to the news radio station KNX and also reported for KCOP, a MyNetworkTV-owned television station. Both were also based in Los Angeles, California.
- After KCOP, they worked with KCBS-TV, a CBS-owned station in Los Angeles, where they broadcasted the OJ Simpson chase.
- Since 1980, she has been Los Angeles News Service’s library manager, where she licenses the company’s 10,000+ archives of tapes. The company is now closed.
Awards and Recognition :
- Three Television News Emmy Awards
- Edward R. Murrow Award for Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989
- Edward R. Murrow Award for Jewish Americans leaving their homes for Israel
- Associated Press National Breaking News award
- National Press Photographers Association Humanitarian Award
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Marika’s first date with Bob was also her first flying lesson.
- Marika was shot at, while in a helicopter, by rioters during the 1992 riots.
Shalom Zoey. And Katy love to watch you on TV.