Today marks Deirdre Bolton‘s one-year anniversary with the Fox Business Network. We caught up with Bolton to discuss how she ended up on TV, the difference between Fox and Bloomberg and her favorite place to grab a cheeseburger.
TVNewser: You started off selling European equities to U.S. portfolio managers. How did you end up on TV?
Bolton: After a few years on Wall Street, I liked it a lot but didn’t love it. You have to love anything that you if you are doing it 15 hours per day! I still work at that pace but the difference is that I love what I do. I have access to the people at the top of their fields, learn about what makes them outliers and how they take business risks according to their particular perspectives. The actual transition from Wall Street to TV was, like many things, a happy timing matchup. From the trading desk, I was familiar with the Bloomberg brand and the terminal. I interviewed at Bloomberg for a different job and its TV division was expanding at the time; they asked if they put me on the floor of the NYSE, if I could explain what was going on. The answer was YES, they tried me out, it worked and my TV career started. The elements that remain in common from both careers: processing a large amount of material, selecting the salient points and communicating them in context.
TVNewser: How is working at Fox Biz different from Bloomberg?
Bolton: I took the advice I give greener media pros who ask me about moving from one company to another. I asked myself the same questions: Is the company investing in the area of your expertise? Is it building its brand? Is it expanding..? Will it support your project(s) and plans? For all of those questions, Fox Business Network was a resounding YES for me and my show. At FBN, there is a great emphasis on explaining what is happening in the world — to citizens, investors, business owners, anyone with money on the line. We cover the financial angles of world and national leaders’ decisions, ones that have implications for investors of all kinds.
TVNewser: What has been the highlight of your first year at Fox Biz?
Bolton: One element of working at FBN that I’m particularly grateful for is how supportive the channel is of creativity. For example, when I was hired and told Roger Ailes about my Elevator Pitch idea, he was behind it right away. The segment features entrepreneurs and professional investors who give real time feedback. Every week, one founder gives me his/her best 30 second pitch in a moving elevator with a camera crew and a go pro (regulated via smartphone)! Then, angel investors and venture capitalists who give feedback on the pitch. Since we are approaching our one year anniversary of the show, we reached out to some of our standout guests and featured 2 “greenroom graduates;” one just sold his company for a solid profit, the other greenroom graduate partnered with a large firm that gives her start-up more reach& distribution. I’m really proud of their entrepreneurial talent & the fact that we helped others discover them.
Deirdre Bolton and Bill Ackman.
TVNewser: You’ve interviewed a ton of key players in the business world, but who is the one person you hope to eventually interview that you haven’t been able to land yet?
Bolton: We have had so many great conversations with Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, Bill Ackman and Glenn Youngkin. I would like to interview Seth Klarman from Baupost, he does next to no press so it is a tall order but that is OK. In a completely different category, I have done some “business of entertainment” interviews with James Franco, Jessica Alba and Dule Hill. I would like to interview two standout women in that field who also make me laugh a lot: Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling.
TVNewser: A few weeks ago you profiled Jonathan Cheban about his new restaurant, Burger Bandit. OK, I’m a big burger guy. How is this place, and what is your favorite burger in NYC?
Bolton: It is unfair to Jonathan because I didn’t try the burgers at Burger Bandit! The restaurant was full of teens who showed up just to meet him and it has a great atmosphere. Jonathan has such attention to design and detail, I could smell the marshmallows toasting in the kitchen for the toasted marshmallow ice cream shake. He is developing the chain in Dubai and other cities around the world; I’m sure it will be a great success. As for my favorite burgers, I have had the pleasure of interviewing Danny Meyer at the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Park and am an admirer of his entrepreneurial talent, including the relationship he has with the New York tech community; I’m also a big fan of the Shake Shack burgers! For NYC only burgers, the Burger Joint hidden inside the Le Parker Meridian hotel is one of my favorite places, because they have good burgers & it still makes me smile to “find” the somewhat hidden spot every time.
.@JonathanCheban calls himself the “Kanye West of food.” See his interview w/@DeirdreBolton: http://t.co/Tu7dMNXO43 pic.twitter.com/Rp4VGh0ELU
— Risk & Reward (@RiskRewardFBN) March 11, 2015