Who Is Maria Sebastian From Jeopardy? Meet the NBC News Designer, Illustrator, and Storyteller Behind Major Media Brands

Maria Sebastian has built a career at the intersection of creativity, journalism, design, and storytelling. A New York City-based graphic designer, illustrator, writer, and media professional, she has spent more than a decade working across multiple areas of the entertainment and broadcast industries. Today, she serves as a Senior Graphic Designer at NBCUniversal, where she creates visual content and branding assets for NBC News and other major media properties.

Her professional journey reflects an unusual blend of artistic talent and media expertise. From producing films and writing articles to creating marketing campaigns and designing visual identities, Sebastian has continually reinvented herself while remaining focused on one central goal: telling compelling stories through visual communication. Her appearance on Jeopardy! introduces viewers to a contestant whose career has spanned journalism, filmmaking, marketing, illustration, and graphic design.

A Creative Foundation Built Through Education

Maria Sebastian’s path into the media industry began with a strong academic focus on communications and creative media. She attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts with a concentration in Creative Media between 2010 and 2014.

During her time at Marymount Manhattan, Sebastian immersed herself in both creative and practical aspects of media production. Her coursework exposed her to communication theory, visual storytelling, film studies, and media production techniques that would later influence her professional work.

A particularly significant part of her education came in 2012 when she participated in a semester abroad program at the University of Westminster in London. There, she studied Film and Television Production, gaining an international perspective on media creation while exploring the technical and artistic elements of filmmaking.

Her academic studies also included subjects such as Cultural History of Media, Film History, and European Cinema. These courses reflect her longstanding interest in visual culture and narrative storytelling, themes that continue to appear throughout her professional portfolio.

Developing Leadership Skills Through Student Media

While attending college, Sebastian gained hands-on experience through student media organizations. One of her most notable roles was serving as Promotional Manager for The Monitor, Marymount Manhattan College’s student newspaper.

In this position, she was responsible for coordinating promotional initiatives, managing social media accounts, organizing events, and contributing written content. The role required a combination of creativity, marketing knowledge, and organizational skills.

Student media environments often serve as training grounds for future communications professionals, allowing participants to develop practical skills while managing real-world projects. Sebastian’s involvement provided valuable experience in audience engagement, content promotion, and editorial operations.

The experience also helped establish her interest in combining visual communication with storytelling, an approach that would become a defining characteristic of her later career.

Early Internships Across the NBCUniversal Family

Sebastian’s professional journey began through a series of internships that exposed her to multiple facets of the media industry. These opportunities provided valuable insight into journalism, production, social media, marketing, and television operations.

One of her earliest experiences was as a Social Media Intern at Oxygen Media. In this role, she helped manage social media campaigns, audience engagement initiatives, and promotional efforts designed to expand viewer interaction with network programming.

She later joined NBC Latino, where she worked on journalism and content creation projects. Her responsibilities included researching stories, writing articles, assisting with interviews, and editing news packages. The position allowed her to gain direct experience in news production while developing editorial and storytelling skills.

Sebastian also worked as a Production Intern with LXTV, NBCUniversal’s lifestyle programming division. Through these experiences, she gained exposure to television production workflows, digital content creation, and multimedia storytelling.

Together, these internships provided a broad understanding of the media landscape and helped prepare her for future opportunities within NBCUniversal.

Building Experience in Film Production and Storytelling

Before fully transitioning into graphic design and branding, Sebastian spent several years working in film and independent media production.

Her production credits include serving as a Producer’s Assistant on the feature film Lotus Eaters and as a Paperwork Production Assistant on the short film Healthy Start. These roles required attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and the ability to coordinate complex production logistics.

She also worked as an Associate Producer for Pureland Pictures. In this position, she handled responsibilities including grant writing, social media management, interview transcription, event coordination, and relationship management with external organizations.

At the same time, Sebastian pursued freelance filmmaking projects between 2014 and 2021. During this period, she worked as a writer, editor, videographer, assistant director, and production assistant on a variety of creative projects.

These experiences helped strengthen her storytelling abilities while giving her practical knowledge of every stage of content creation, from concept development to final production.

Growing Her Career at NBCUniversal

Sebastian’s long-term professional relationship with NBCUniversal began in an area far removed from graphic design.

Her first full-time positions focused on talent acquisition and recruitment. She worked as a Talent Acquisition & Campus2Career Assistant before being promoted to Campus Coordinator. These roles involved managing recruitment processes, coordinating internship programs, attending career fairs, conducting candidate screenings, and helping support early-career talent initiatives.

Although these positions were primarily operational, Sebastian’s creative skills quickly became an asset. She frequently contributed branded content, promotional materials, and visual communication projects that showcased her design abilities.

Over time, her artistic talents became an increasingly important part of her professional responsibilities. This eventually led to a transition into NBCUniversal’s marketing and branding divisions, where she could fully leverage her creative background.

Her journey illustrates how diverse experiences and transferable skills can open unexpected career opportunities within major organizations.

From Marketing Professional to Senior Graphic Designer

A major turning point in Sebastian’s career came when she joined MSNBC’s marketing team as a Brand Marketing Coordinator.

In this role, she supported branding initiatives, promotional campaigns, and audience engagement efforts across one of the nation’s most recognized news networks. The position allowed her to combine her understanding of media with her growing expertise in visual design.

Her success in marketing and branding led to another significant milestone in May 2021 when she was promoted to Senior Graphic Designer.

As a Senior Graphic Designer, Sebastian creates visual assets that support NBC News properties, campaigns, and special projects. Her work helps shape how audiences experience and engage with NBC’s journalism and media brands.

The role requires both artistic vision and strategic thinking. Effective visual design must communicate information clearly while reinforcing a brand’s identity and values. Sebastian’s background in journalism, storytelling, and production provides a unique perspective that strengthens her design work.

Contributing to High-Profile NBC Projects

Over the years, Sebastian has contributed to a variety of notable NBCUniversal initiatives.

Among her recent projects was work connected to the launch of MONOPOLY: TODAY Edition, a special version of the iconic board game tied to NBC’s TODAY brand. Her design contributions helped shape the visual presentation and branding elements associated with the project.

Such collaborations demonstrate the wide range of creative work performed by designers within major media organizations. Beyond traditional news graphics, designers may contribute to promotional campaigns, consumer products, brand partnerships, and special events.

Her work continues to support some of the most recognizable media properties in the United States while helping NBCUniversal maintain a consistent visual identity across multiple platforms.

An Illustrator, Writer, and Creative Storyteller

While Sebastian’s professional role centers on graphic design, her creative interests extend well beyond branding and marketing.

She describes herself as an illustrator, graphic designer, and writer, emphasizing her passion for visual storytelling and narrative creation. According to her professional portfolio, she specializes in translating the spirit of a company, brand, or artist into compelling visual artwork.

Her creative interests include fantasy themes, mythology, character design, world-building, literature, and cinematic storytelling. These influences are evident throughout her portfolio, which showcases a wide variety of illustration, editorial design, branding, and storytelling projects.

For Sebastian, design is not simply about aesthetics. It is a method of communication that combines imagery, narrative, and emotion to create meaningful connections with audiences.

This broader artistic perspective distinguishes her work and reflects the diverse creative influences that have shaped her career.

A Versatile Media Professional

One of the most remarkable aspects of Sebastian’s career is its breadth. Few professionals successfully navigate so many different areas of the media industry.

Her technical expertise includes Adobe Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, video production, video editing, post-production, screenwriting, camera operation, social media marketing, branding, editorial design, and illustration.

This diverse skill set allows her to approach creative challenges from multiple perspectives. Whether working on a branding campaign, designing visual assets, editing video content, or developing narrative concepts, she brings a comprehensive understanding of storytelling and audience engagement.

Her ability to bridge multiple disciplines has helped establish her reputation as a versatile and adaptable creative professional.

Maria Sebastian’s Jeopardy! Journey

Maria Sebastian brings to Jeopardy! a fascinating blend of artistic creativity, media expertise, and storytelling experience. Her career has taken her through journalism, film production, talent recruitment, marketing, illustration, and graphic design, all while remaining connected to her passion for visual communication.

From her early days at student media organizations to her current position as a Senior Graphic Designer at NBCUniversal, she has continually expanded her skills and embraced new creative challenges. Her work has helped shape the visual identity of major media brands while allowing her to pursue her interests in storytelling and design.

As viewers watch her compete on Jeopardy!, they will see a contestant whose professional life reflects curiosity, creativity, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Her journey demonstrates how artistic talent and media expertise can combine to create a successful and dynamic career.

Maria Sebastian Quick Facts