Top photos: Money with Melissa Francis Left bottom: Melissa as a child actress Right bottom: Melissa with her husband Wray Thorn and their two sons, Thompson and Greyson
Resident (R): Tell me about the impetus of the book, how did it come about?
go to see Thomson and Greyson in plays at school and they will visit me at work.
Melissa Francis (MF): I always wanted to be a writer, and I always tried to write and send it around. They liked my writing style but the story arc was not up to scratch, so with this in mind I asked people for advice and they helped me to correct that, so then it
R:
R: What did you do after college? MF: I went to Harvard, I majored in economics and I worked for the Chief
R: but you’ve been here a long time.
Maine and got a job at a local newsroom.
MF: been here since 2003 and just moved to the Upper East Side, with my husband and two
R: Tell me about your experience with Fox Business. MF: I love Fox, it incorporates many more viewers because it covers the intersection between Wall Street, Main Street and Washington. Everything that happens in
R: MF: It means you love the city and are committed to it. I always say I have two kids and they can walk out the front door and do whatever they want. Some people think it’s crazy here; it’s crazy for them but it’s perfect R: How is it to have kids in the city? MF: I love it because I feel like they have the opportunity to do so many things without driving a car; it just feels like we are all working together in this vibrant place. I often
Resident September 2012
our own opinions. We have a segment called ‘Disagree With Me’, which is the story of the day and I argue with someone who thinks the complete opposite to me, and that type of show now is why I love news versus acting.
job and so on. It is much broader; it is more about how everything that happens in economy affects the individual and how it impacts job market. MF: I really enjoyed it all, but when I got to college I decided to go somewhere far (Harvard) so I couldn’t put one foot in the business. I did an internship when I was in loved acting but it was always someone else’s words and thoughts, whereas in news we use
R: Do you do write for the show? MF: Most of the show isn’t written. We will attack them. We write the facts of the situation that we are discussing but then it becomes a dialogue between guest experts