About Julie

Julianne Donofrio
co-founded TheHardestYear.com in 2009.

As a writer, producer, videographer, photographer, editor, and all-around travel enthusiast, hitting the road to help share the stories of Americans dealing with tough economic times was the perfect fit.

Julie started her career at the national bureau of ABC News in Washington, DC after graduating from Syracuse University. She worked her way up the production ranks at “World News Tonight,” “This Week” and other ABC News programs before joining the documentary long-form unit.

During that time, Julie worked on projects for “20/20,” “PrimeTime” and “Nightline.” As Field Producer for the program “Nightline: The Survivors,” which profiled two of the burn survivors from the 9-11 Pentagon attack and their rehabilitation, she received a 2002 George Foster Peabody Award and was cited in the Smithsonian Institution Exhibit “September 11: Bearing Witness to History.”

Julie returned to daily news coverage as an Assignment Editor/News Writer/Producer, where she was responsible for providing day-of-air editorial guidance to all ABC News platforms. In 2006, she was named a RIAS German / American Journalist Exchange Program Fellow.

TheHardestYear.com was a remarkable experience and one that has influenced Julie as she continues her career as an independent filmmaker.