Behind the scenes of my NYC media tour
It was one of the busiest days of in-person media interviews and meetings I've ever had, and I'm taking you along with me.
Hi there, my friend.
I freaking love my job.
Honestly, I really do — and I know how fortunate I am to be able to say that because it is decidedly not normal.
With that in mind, I wanted to take you behind the scenes on one of my favorite things I do in my job… a New York City media tour.
A few times a year, I make my way to the city to have meetings and do interviews as part of my job as Chief Consumer Finance Analyst (or Money Expert Guy) at LendingTree. I also did a media tour there when my book came out. That’s because while a whole lot has changed when it comes to people talking about money in the media, one thing has not: New York is still the absolute center of it.
I’m wrapping up my latest trip later today, and it has been one of the busiest I’ve ever had.
So what does that look like?
Here’s a walkthrough of my day on Tuesday…
After starting off the day with some free eggs and sausage at my hotel, I had to be at 30 Rockefeller Plaza to record an interview with NBC New York.
I had to walk past a line of people at this entrance that you might recognize…
Then, I checked in for my meeting in this room that people have to go through to visit people in NBC Studios. The walls are lined with images of NBC legends from over the years. (I’m guessing at least a few of them are familiar.)
Then, I got to check out the new studio setup at NBC New York. The producer was nice enough to take a picture of me, looking more than a little windblown, at the anchor desk.
Then, I did an interview about tips for managing holiday debt and another about a report that LendingTree did about the rise of theft at self-checkout lanes. The numbers are crazy on that one. You should seriously check it out.
After that, I made my way to the lower levels of 30 Rock to find a place where I could do a little bit of work before my next meeting, which was about 45 minutes later.
Honestly, I don’t remember the name of the place, but they sold bottles of water and had room for me to crank out a couple of emails, so it was all good.
Next up, I had coffee — OK, I had hot chocolate — with a journalist with Katie Couric Media whom I’ve known for many years. I didn’t end up taking any pictures, but we had a great conversation that ran the gamut from newsletters to her wedding planning to inflation to that self-checkout report to great food.
Once that was done, I had about 30 minutes before I had to be at a meeting at Reuters, which is in the heart of Times Square. On the way, I stopped to take a photo or two.
And yeah, it was cold. Texas Guy was all bundled up.
At Reuters, I spoke with one of the most respected journalists in the financial space about all things personal finance. That self-checkout theft report came up again, but we also talked about affordability issues in general, the state of the job market, what 2026 might hold and more.
After we spoke, she was nice enough to point out some of the amazing views from the Reuters office. For example, you can see the famous New Year’s Eve ball from the cafe in the Reuters office. Or rather, you would be able to if it were there right now. The long pole in the picture is where the ball-drop happens. They’ve just removed the ball for a while for some reason.
Clearly, that would be a million-dollar view on New Year’s Eve.
Once I was done there, I had about 30-45 minutes to get some lunch and get to my next meeting. I ended up going to a pizza place just south of Radio City Music Hall, off of 6th Avenue. Were they the best pizza slices in the city? No, they were not. Were they still really good and convenient and easy for someone without a whole lot of time? Darn right they were.
Side note: Jalapenos on pizza are magical.
All filled up, I headed over to The Wall Street Journal to chat with two of their amazing reporters. Again, we talked about self-checkout theft, but we also touched on most anything related to personal finance.
Once that was done, I headed to the cafe a few floors down in the same building to finish answering emails for about 30 minutes before my final meeting of the day.
I met with an author/financial journalist I’ve known for many years. You might recognize her, too. I did this Q&A with her about her new book a few weeks ago…
We talked about author stuff, AI and practically everything personal finance before she headed out to sign copies of her book I had seen at a bookstore near 30 Rock and I went to take some pictures of this tree you might’ve heard of.
It was complete pandemonium around the Rockefeller Center tree — which I’ve been fortunate to see many times over the years — but honestly, it never gets old. Taking it all in was a really fun way to unwind after a long day of nonstop meetings. The day eventually concluded with a few more emails and Slacks sent, an amazing bowl of pasta and a glass (or two) of wine, and a call home to tell my wife and son about the day.
I was worn out, but excited about another day of meetings (albeit fewer than what I had on Tuesday).
So that’s it! Thanks for coming along.
The big takeaway
I’ve promised to always provide some financial takeaway with every article. So what’s the big takeaway here?
It’s simple.
Relationships are everything.
The relationships that I have in the personal finance space are why I’m able to do what I do. Period.
One of the biggest reasons why they’ve grown is that I’ve made a concerted effort to meet people face-to-face, have coffee or lunch or a glass of wine, and talk to them — in real life. These things matter. In today’s crazy-challenging job market, these types of connections are maybe more important than ever.
This isn’t the first time I talked about the importance of creating connections here. I dove into it in this Q&A with marketer and social media creator Grace Lemire.
“The goal,” she said, “is to focus on genuine connection and let it lead to genuine opportunities because of a true mutual desire to work together. I find that when I detach from the outcome, I connect with people more, and oftentimes the outcome is better than what I anticipated.”
That’s how I approach my New York trips. When I meet with people, I’d love it if they’d quote me in a story they’re writing or producing, but if they don’t, it’s all good. I’ve made a connection or rekindled an old one.
Do all of the meetups go beautifully? Noooooo. I could tell some stories. Are they worth doing? Way more often than not, the answer is yes.
Go to meetups. Reach out to friends, former colleagues or relatives you haven’t spoken with in a while. See if a coworker wants to grab coffee one day. I know it can be scary and awkward and weird and hard and unnatural to do these things. Trust me, the people who know me best know that I’m anything but a natural in doing these sorts of things. But I continue to put myself out there because I’ve seen the value in these connections.
If you’re not a jerk, people want to help. People want to be friendly. People want to see people that they like succeed. But you have to put yourself out there.
And one last tip: Interested people are interesting. When you meet with someone new or for the first time in a while, ask them to tell you something cool they’ve done or seen or heard lately. Then, listen and then ask them more about it. It’s simple, but it is amazing how far a little bit of genuine interest can go in establishing connections.
Until next time!
Matt
This was so fun!