Press Profiles

The daughter of a journalist, Francine Lacqua spent the first twenty years of her life living in Moscow, Washington, London, and Paris. On this edition of Press Profiles, on location in London, we talk about how that upbringing influenced her career, discuss her many great interviews, filming a show on a Ferris wheel, shots of espresso, and of course, a whole lot more.

Maureen Farrell was always curious and had a deep desire to learn new things. It's no wonder she cast medical school aside and ended up as a journalist. On this episode of Press Profiles, we hear about her journey as a journalist, including tea with Hillary Clinton, being star struck in the WSJ newsroom, the paragraph that landed her the WeWork book deal, utter chaos on the home front, and of course…a whole lot more.

Howard Kapiloff loves writing about characters; it's no wonder he ended up covering the hedge fund industry. For more than 20 years he has been following the ups and downs of the smart and intriguing cast of characters that make up the industry. On this episode we talk about how he helps fill the pages of Hedge Fund Alert each week, how the industry has changed, playing the long game, using Bruce Springsteen references to get managers to open up, coaching soccer, Borscht Belt humor, and of course….a whole lot more.

Matt Turner never dreamed of being a journalist. But, a random comment in a bar set him on his way. On this episode of Press Profiles, Insider's Editor in Chief tells us about his fortuitous path into journalism, taking the leap from The Wall Street Journal into the unknown, utilizing data to understand what readers want, ultra-marathons, being confused for the US World Cup soccer goalie, and of course, a whole lot more.

Matt Wirz was always good with words. But, it took a stint living in Moscow listening to the stories of other reporters to know that he wanted to be one, too. Now, after over a decade in the industry, including 12 years at The Wall Street Journal, Matt has covered all sides of the credit and fixed income world. On this episode of Press Profiles, we cover Matt's upbringing as the child of immigrants, his road to reporting, how he comes up with the perfect lead, what happens when the reporter becomes part of the story, his love for the Wall Street Journal colleagues and his post-Covid personal transformation.

Carleton English likes to dabble. From dancing the tango, to drinking whiskey, to sampling Broadway; a little bit of everything has made for an interesting life. On this edition of Press Profiles, we dive into her impressive career journey including her pivot from the irreverent NY Post to straight-laced Barron's, her commitment to financial literacy, her Pete Sampras obsession, and of course, a whole lot more.

Michael de la Merced was employee number four at a new "blog" from The New York Times called DealBook. Now, almost twenty years later, DealBook is one of the first emails opened every morning by leaders across the financial industry. On this episode of Press Profiles, we talk about landing that first job at the Times, his "soft spot" for white collar crime, what it's like being married to someone in PR, cooking, Taylor Swift, exotic dancers, and of course, a whole lot more.

Sonali Basak has rapidly made her mark at Bloomberg, interviewing industry titans and breaking stories. On this episode of Press Profiles, we talk to Sonali about ditching medicine to follow her passion as a reporter, her crazy schedule at Bloomberg (kept in check by four different calendars), building and maintaining an impressive source list, what makes for a great interview, taking advantage of social media metrics, and a whole lot more about the life she calls "a beautiful mess that's still being untangled."

Dan Primack has always been a "newsletter guy." On this episode of Press Profiles, we talk about how the eponymous Axios Pro-Rata newsletter grew from an email he'd send out personally from his Outlook account to required reading in the PE and VC industries with hundreds of thousands of subscribers We also discuss Boston sports, the $50 that pushed him to go to college, "smart brevity", and of course, a whole lot more.

On this edition of Press Profiles, we sit down with the Financial Times' Robin Wigglesworth – Norway's favorite son – to discuss his long career covering the global financial markets, investment managers, and debt crises. We also talk 24-hour days without sunshine, COVID babies, the Eurovision Song Contest, and of course, a whole lot more.