Meet the New Board Member: Fonda Sanders

By: Jewel Benton

Meet Fonda Sanders, newly elected Vice President of Print on the New York Association of Black Journalists (NYABJ) executive board, starting January 1, 2026. Sanders knew she wanted to work in production from around the age of 10. She learned the names of the producers of her favorite artists and songs, and she paid attention to the credits rolling at the end of the shows she watched. That early appreciation for the professionals working behind the scenes led to a career that now spans more than two decades. Like many in life, her path has been neither linear nor seamless.

Currently, Sanders works in Technical Operations at Fox News and as the Graphics/LED Operator at the Prudential Center, where she recently operated graphics for sponsorship information during the sold-out stop of The Boy is Mine tour. She is also the owner of the streaming platform Content on Demand (COD), which offers a variety of programming including television, movies, and talk shows. The network is actively seeking more content.

Before joining NYABJ, Sanders, who studied Mass Communications and Media Studies at Johnson C. Smith University, developed her skills across radio and television stations. She eventually left Charlotte, North Carolina, and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, with the ambition to work at CNN. After passing the required assessment, she held positions there for twelve years as a video journalist, stage manager, and floor manager. Then, one day, she was laid off.

“That kind of rocked my world,” Sanders recalls to Pulse. “That’s when I realized, okay, there’s no such thing as being faithful. You just have to be more resilient.”

Initially, she aspired to move to Los Angeles to pursue entertainment journalism (Entertainment Tonight was among her favorites), but friends in New York convinced her to consider opportunities there. When asked whether she saw this move as more of a challenge or opportunity, she says both. Although she had years of experience by then, relocating from the South to the North felt like starting over. She also thought the city was “too crowded, too crazy, and too expensive.”

Nevertheless, she was willing to try. A cousin in New Jersey allowed Sanders to move in with her, and Sanders booked a freelance graphics gig at Al Jazeera America.

“And that’s when I got involved with NYABJ, when I moved up here,” she recalls. “I said, ‘I need to network and meet some people.’ So, I found NYABJ, started attending meetings, and began connecting with several people there.”

Her resume expanded to include production assistant roles on Project Runway, the Netflix special Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill, and Spectrum News NY1, where she worked as the graphics operator for the network’s morning show from about 2017 to 2024. However, she was laid off again in March 2024.

While maintaining her gigs at the Prudential Center, Sanders questioned her place in the industry, especially when a friend later informed her about a job opportunity at Fox News.

“I reached a point where I thought, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t be pursuing this anymore because I’ve been laid off several times. Maybe it’s a sign I should do something else,’” she says.

But with decades of experience behind her, walking away didn’t feel like an option. The idea of starting an entirely new path and risking unfulfillment held no appeal.

While her determination and resilience are undeniable, Sanders credits much of her success to networking. During her journey, she crossed paths with then-up-and-coming news producer Bonita Sostre— a multi-award-winning producer, current/outgoing president of NYABJ, and founder and Editor-in-Chief of Pulse—and has maintained connections with colleagues from over ten years ago.

Pivoting, sharpening skills, developing new ones, networking, and making connections are some of the key pieces of advice Sanders offers to her community and NYABJ members.

“You just need to stay in it,” she advises. “I’m proud of our organization because you have to be able to meet people, stay in contact, and not only reach out when you’re looking for a job. It’s a great organization. You get what you put into it.”