Erica Vella

Digital Broadcast Journalist

Erica Vella is a digital broadcast journalist with Global News Toronto as well as the creator, co-producer and host for the award-winning podcast What happened to…, a bi-weekly episodic podcast examining stories that once dominated headlines.

She started her career at Global News after completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Toronto Metropolitan University for theatre and a post-graduate degree at Humber College for journalism.

Erica has produced numerous long-form features with Global News, including Cold Case Files — a series that revisited several cold case investigations. Among the stories profiled included the murder of nine-year-old Christine Jessop and the death of Margaret McWilliam, who was killed while jogging in Warden Woods Park.

She also produced #FirstTimeIwasCalled, a series that explored how people’s first brush with discrimination can often follow them into adult years. Several high-profile Canadians spoke candidly about their experiences with the hope of sparking social change and for people to gain an understanding that the words we use can have a long-term impact on others.

Both series received regional and national RTDNA awards, respectively.

More recently, Erica also produced Global News Toronto’s #TechInTO series, which highlighted prominent technology leaders, start-ups and young technology-oriented minds in Toronto.

Erica currently reports for Global News at 5:30 Toronto and Global News at 11 Toronto, covering breaking news across the Greater Toronto Area. Notable stories have included Toronto’s record number of homicides in 2018 and the Toronto Raptors’ NBA championship run.

When she is not at work, Erica can be found reading or exploring Toronto with her dog Toby.