Vic Vela
Vic is a Colorado native and was the first member of his immediate family to attend college. He's been a professional journalist for 20 years since graduating from the Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2000.
Vic started his career as a sports anchor/reporter for an NBC affiliate in Texas. He also worked for newspapers, including as an investigative crime reporter for the Albuquerque Journal. He has covered government and politics in Colorado, and was a five-year member of the Colorado Capitol Press Corps.
Nowadays, Vic is a news and podcast host for Colorado Public Radio. He's also an affiliate journalism professor at his alma mater.
Vic is a three-time Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist, and has won more than a dozen other journalism awards in the Rocky Mountain region.
For 15 years, Vic suffered from a crippling addiction to powder and crack cocaine. He’s been in recovery since 2015. After testing positive for HIV in 2006, the virus has long-been undetectable thanks to his rigorous adherence to antiretroviral therapy.
He’s the host of “Back from Broken,” a podcast about recovery and comeback stories from Colorado Public Radio.
Fun Facts:
1. Vic is a die-hard Deadhead. He’s been to hundreds of concerts involving members of the Grateful Dead.
2. Vic has interviewed dozens of politicians, celebrities and musicians. His all-time favorite interview was with the late, great comedian Don Rickles. Vela spent time backstage with “Mr. Warmth” at shows in Santa Fe and Las Vegas prior to his death in 2017.
3. Vic is a dog lover and a supporter of causes aimed at protecting animals and finding good, safe homes for shelter pets. His favorite pal is his dog Rider, named after a Grateful Dead song.
4. Vic has deep ties to Colorado and New Mexico. He is a fourth-generation Coloradan on his dad’s side. His mom’s Native American and Spanish ancestral history in New Mexico predates the earliest New England colonies.