# How Erin Ovalle Built a BIG Local Brand in a ROUGH Media Climate! Maine Life Founder on Media Biz Struggles & Building Her Dream Life

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/seacoast-stories-6948150/how-erin-ovalle-built-a-big-local-brand-in-a-rough-media-climate-maine-life-founder-on-media-biz-struggles-building-her-dream-life
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/seacoast-stories-6948150/how-erin-ovalle-built-a-big-local-brand-in-a-rough-media-climate-maine-life-founder-on-media-biz-struggles-building-her-dream-life.md
Podcast: [Seacoast Stories](https://stenobird.com/podcast/seacoast-stories-6948150)
Published: 2026-02-09T11:37:29+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/troy-farkas84/episodes/How-Erin-Ovalle-Built-a-BIG-Local-Brand-in-a-ROUGH-Media-Climate--Maine-Life-Founder-on-Media-Biz-Struggles--Building-Her-Dream-Life-e3erbp2
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/f731e08c/podcast/play/115240162/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-1-9%2F7eeba0a1-6e5f-87e6-3de3-6c9a2c06b617.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/seacoast-stories-6948150/episodes/how-erin-ovalle-built-a-big-local-brand-in-a-rough-media-climate-maine-life-founder-on-media-biz-struggles-building-her-dream-life
Duration seconds: 3746

## Resource

Erin Ovalle didn't want to do it anymore. No more storm-chasing. No more murder-suicides. No more doom-and-gloom of the news business. So, she quit the evening news business in Florida, and the Massachusetts native then found her way to the anchor chair, where she hosted morning TV shows in Portland, ME, for the city's ABC and CBS affiliates. After years of telling more positive stories in Portland, she began to get a different itch: Entrepreneurship. So, despite the challenges of the modern media climate, she decided to start her own media organization in 2016, Maine Life Media . Maine Life Media tells the stories of the people and businesses across the entire state of Maine. Their media network produces several TV shows, with lifestyle show Maine Life TV serving as the flagship. Their shows air on weekends on NewsCenter Maine, as well as NBCSports Boston. From her office in Portland, the nine-time Emmy nominee sits down with host Troy Farkas to discuss why she entered the media business several decades ago, the strange places her early career took her, the tragic circumstances that led her to move to Maine, the struggles of finding happiness working in the media business, why she started Maine Life Media, the joy telling stories brings her, and more. Plus, with Seacoast Stories Dinner Club preparing to take over Portland on Feb. 18, Ovalle lists the restaurants that we absolutely have to hit. To support Ovalle, you can follow her on Instagram @erinovalle and/or subscribe to the Maine Life YouTube channel. SPONSORS: ⁠⁠Jenn Bakos Photography⁠⁠ : Get 10% off your first photography session with one of the Seacoast's finest photographers! DM Jen ⁠⁠@jennbakosphoto⁠⁠ on Instagram to get started. ⁠Oomph Salon⁠ : Special happy hour haircuts for just $45 at New England's top-r…

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