Tanisha Bucad, Executive Producer
Tanisha Bucad is the Executive Producer of Features, Arts & Entertainment at Beach TV News. When Tanisha was 11, she virtually met her aunt Michele, a sports reporter for Sunday Night Football. Seeing her command the screen with confidence and grace inspired Tanisha to dream of following in her footsteps. As years passed, she began to doubt her path and questioned if journalism was a right fit. That all changed when Tanisha joined Beach TV News. From the first moment she stepped in front of the camera, Tanisha felt alive. She realized storytelling wasn’t just a career— it was her calling. Now, she is embracing the passion she almost lost, and is ready to bring stories to life that inspire others.
James Grech, Executive Producer
James Grech is the Executive Producer of Sports at Beach TV News. Grech is passionate about delivering engaging and high-quality sports content. His goal is to deliver insightful coverage that connects with fans on a deeper level. He brings several years of experience in sports media, including founding Steelers Update, an NFL-verified news outlet with over 160,000 followers. While his heart may belong to the Steelers— and building the occasional Lego Star Wars masterpiece— he is eager to share his passion for sports with BTVN’s viewers. As a Southern California native, he is also a proud supporter of our local teams— go Lakers and Angels! When he is not in the studio, you’ll find Grech catching a game or hitting the gym. He aspires to work in the sports journalism field and his dream career would be at ESPN or NFL Network. He enjoys the dynamic aspects of reporting, but he would also like to explore producing, anchoring, and writing while continuing to grow Steelers Update.
Karla Valdez, Executive Producer
Karla Valdez is the Executive Producer of News at Beach TV News. She is currently in her final semester at Long Beach State, where she’s gained valuable experience in writing, research, content creation, and travel abroad studies. One of the most rewarding highlights has been producing content for Beach TV News, where she’s honed her storytelling and media skills. She is also an intern at Long Beach 908 Magazine, focusing on social media management. As a first-generation Mexican student, Valdez is dedicated to paving the way for her future. After graduation, she aspires to pursue a career in broadcast journalism to further refine her skills and make a meaningful impact in the industry.
Linsey Towles, Executive Producer
Linsey Towles is a California State University Long Beach senior pursuing her bachelor’s degree in journalism. A southern California native, Linsey has worked for local radio and news outlets covering breaking news and feature events in the Santa Clarita Valley and Long Beach area. As an aspiring multimedia journalist, Linsey uses all storytelling mediums, including photography and video.
Dante Estrada, Social Media Manager
Dante Estrada is a third-year journalism major and multimedia journalist based in Echo Park. He transferred from Pasadena City College to CSULB and was the former video and social media editor for the PCC Courier. As a video journalist, Dante aspires to continue reporting on hard news stories, film reviews, the local music scene, and profile stories. After graduation, he plans to join a local newspaper as a video journalist or venture into the broadcast scene.
Liz Hanna, Assistant News Director
Several years ago, Liz Hanna decided to reinvent myself, looking for a way to merge decades of life experience with my ongoing quest to know a bit about everything. As an avid consumer of news, she was led to journalism during this journey, and her path unraveled exactly when it was meant to. As a Reporter, Executive Producer and now as the Assistant News Director of Beach TV News, she is immersed in all things broadcast journalism. BTVN’s bootcamp learning style has laid a solid foundation that helped Hanna earn an invaluable CNN Newsource internship. After graduation, she is ready to hit the ground running in pursuit of a career in journalism, during a pivotal time in its own journey.
Jesús Ayala, Founder & News Director
Jesús Ayala is one of the most distinguished and decorated broadcast journalism professors in the country and brings over 20+ years of professional journalism experience into the classroom. As a veteran news producer, Ayala has won 5 national Emmys and 7 Edward R. Murrow Awards, and has trained and mentored 10 Emmy winners and 9 Murrow Award winners. Under his leadership, his students have won over 90 national collegiate journalism awards including a College Television Award/student Emmy, 4 Hearst Awards, a Pacemaker Award for overall excellence, and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award. In 2022, the College Media Association named Ayala one of the most distinguished broadcast advisers in the nation— he is the first and only professor in the CSU to receive this distinction. Prior to transitioning into academia, Mr. Ayala covered breaking news stories from around the world as a Producer for all ABC News broadcasts including World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Nightline and 20/20. He excelled as an expert covering Latin America and South America and covered the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Pope’s visits to Cuba, civil disturbances in Venezuela, and the rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile. In 2008, he covered Barack Obama’s historic presidential campaign as a white house pool producer. Moreover, he has covered all major natural disasters— from earthquakes, wildfires, and floods to tornadoes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina. While at ABC, he worked with news icons like Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Ted Koppel, and the late Peter Jennings. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism. Ayala serves as a judge for the Golden Mike Awards, the News Emmy Awards, and the Edward R. Murrow Awards.
