Val Mazzenga 

It didn't take long before he was asked to join the Tribune's photo staff. But it came with a price.  He had to give up his first name. "We have too many Tony's around here" the chief of photographers told him. "What's your middle name?" Mazzenga's middle name was Val and that's how this indefatigable Chicago photojournalist has been known ever since.

Val Mazzenga's career is one of the most storied in American photojournalism. His photographs have won more than 200 awards including 5 Beck Awards - the Chicago Tribune's highest accolade. He may be the most honored photographer in Tribune history. He has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize six times.

Val has covered major breaking stories on just about every continent on the planet. His work has been exhibited nationwide, including a recent exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. He has done prize winning photo essays on the late Mother Teresa, the late President Nixon and Michael Jordan. 

He has photographed the Wonders of the World - Machu Pichu the Lost City of the Incas, the Taj Mahjal, Angkor Wat, the Great Wall of China, Carnival in Rio, and life along Bangkok's Kong waterways. Among his assignments:  the Mass Suicide in Jonestown Guyana, the Afghan Resistance fighters in Pakistan, Starvation in Africa, the Sikh revolt in India, the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon and Refugee Camps in Southeast Asia.

Val is an ongoing visiting lecturer at the School of Journalism at the University of Illinois, is a freelance photographer and shows his work via a riveting slide show that reveals the "rest of the story" behind each photo.

Inspirational Speaking

Award winning photojournalist and a dynamic but humble speaker, Val Mazzenga takes you on a journey around the world in pictures, as he reveals... "The Untold Story." Today in addition to freelancing for major publications, Val shares his extraordinary experiences in an engaging multi-media presentation that inspires, enlightens and touches the hearts and minds of his audience. With humor, insight and evocative images, Val takes us on a journey through time and places, where he reveals the untold stories behind his pictures.  

We meet heroes and villains, view wonders of the world and learn how through Attitude, Determination, Anticipation, Preparation, and Tenacity. Val applied his personal philosophy of life to ADAPT, overcoming tremendous obstacles and rising to the top of his profession.

"The key to success is learning to ADAPT..."
                     Val Mazzenga - "The Untold Story"

You will see pictures that document the news stories for our times. Meet the famous, the infamous and the unsung heroes who reflect our human nature. Travel on assignment with Val from Bangkok to Bombay to Rio de Janeiro. You will hear golden insight from a man who has learned to make the most of every situation, survive the elements and return with precious images that move the heart and provoke the mind. 

Val's Perspective on Current Events

In light of the tragic terrorist attacks in Washington and New York City, Val is also extremely knowledgeable of the political situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He spent time in Afghanistan covering the Afghan resistance fighters during the Russian invasion in the seventies and eighties. He can speak to the history of the conflict, the reality of the lifestyle and what it is like to be an American walking the streets... 

Real life perspective and photographs to educate and inform. Val is a photojournalist who has visited every refugee camp in the world, covering tragedy as well as glory. He offers insight on how to cope with disillusionment and conquer fear. 

Through picture and story we learn that in the bleakest environment - hope will survive.

A fascinating visual experience to inspire and entertain any audience.