PROFILE
At CNBC I did a little bit of everything; I did a lot of work in banking, hedge funds and private equity and then I got into the rotation of substituting for anchors that were out. I became the permanent substitute for Fast Money. When the anchor left, it was my shot.
I sat down with her at B&Co (fast becoming the most in-demand restaurant/bar/lounge in New York City) to talk about her formative years, what makes her a New Yorker and the state of the economy. In fact, it was the most wonky conversation I have had as Editor-inChief of Resident. Ironically, Melissa wasn’t, initially, interested in journalism. She says, “When I was growing up on Long Island I always thought I was going to be a doctor; did all types of research, went to Harvard for premed. It was what my family wanted me to do.” Yet, there was something about being in the press that appealed to her: “I wrote for a community newspaper, and while in college I worked at the school paper (The Harvard Crimson). Something clicked and eventually I gave up medicine and devoted myself to journalism.” Business news was a far cry from what she
t Resident November 2013
initially thought she wanted to cover. “I got a great internship with the New York Daily News in the business section, which is where they placed me. I wanted to cover politics and had a fantasy of covering City Hall; describing the ins and outs of politics, but I fell in love with business news.” In fact, she didn’t even pursue journalism after graduating from school: “I gravitated towards business and when I graduated from college, I didn’t get a job in journalism because it was a tough time for the industry and instead got a job as a business consultant.” But the bug of journalism would come back to bite her. After being offered a full ride for a MBA from her consulting firm, she declined and moved back to New York City. Her father wasn’t pleased, “I told my dad I was going to turn down their offer and move back to New York and find a job here. My dad said I was making the biggest mistake of my life.
Eventually, I landed a job as a PA (production assistant) at CNNFN; I got the job through the Asian-American Journalists Association.” Through charm and tenacity she found herself in front of the camera at Bloomberg TV. She quickly realized that this is where she belonged. And as the path of her career developed she became ever more comfortable. Clearly, she was being watched as she landed a permanent on-air gig at CNBC and moved up the ranks quickly. “At CNBC I did a little bit of everything; I did a lot of work in banking, hedge funds and private equity and then I got into the rotation of substituting for anchors that were out. I became the permanent substitute for Fast Money. When the anchor left, it was my shot.” Asked to describe the show she anchors daily at 5pm, she states: “It’s amazing! Think of it as ESPN - after the game, the announcers talk