The first cancelled radio interview

How a segment that never happened led to a new media venture.

Four years ago I stayed up all night preparing for a radio segment that never happened.

A local news producer had emailed me about a Business Insider article I’d written. She wanted me to do a three-minute segment over the phone.

It was the first time being asked to appear anywhere outside of print.

I knew the material well, but I still “studied” for hours like it was a college final.

An hour before airtime, the producer emailed me again. The schedule changed and I was off the schedule.

I didn’t say it out loud but I was relieved.

Fast forward to when I left Business Insider to launch Opening Bell Daily, I knew I had to move beyond the written word to grow as an individual and also build the business.

The same nerves came rushing back before I posted my first social video.

By this point I had published thousands of stories and two books, but getting on camera still felt foreign and uncomfortable.

Two friends of mine, Julia Munslow and Ryan Cheah — both prolific video creators — pushed me to post that first video.

They promised me everything gets easier after that first one.

That was 200 videos ago.

Julia and Ryan were right. I’ve since told the same thing to other friends and writers and creators.

That first social media clip has now led me to filming on a daily basis across my own channels and other networks — like in the above photo at the New York Stock Exchange! — and I’m having fun getting better each day.

I wonder how things would have panned out if that first radio segment never got cancelled.

I’ll have some news to share with you all about a new video venture in the coming days. It’s going to challenge me in new directions, and I’m excited to share the progress here along the way.

In the meantime, please subscribe to my YouTube channel, which will be the home of my next project.

Speak soon!

Phil Rosen
Co-founder & Editor-in-Chief, Opening Bell Daily

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