There’s a new show on the street from The Wall Street Journal, as Gunjan Banerji leads The WSJ Money Interview.
“We are inviting some of the most compelling tycoons of our time to have a candid conversation about how they cemented their place in business, how they built their wealth, [and] how they think about money,” Banerji, who serves as a Lead Writer in the Live Markets sector and podcast host for The Wall Street Journal, said.
Banerji is more than just a writer. She’s the tenacious journalist asking your pressing questions to the wealthiest people in the world on The Wall Street Journal‘s new video series, The WSJ Money Interview.
“I really fell in love with viewing stories through the lens of money,” the journalist recalled. “My first job was covering a really niche area of financial markets, the municipal bond markets and the distressed debt markets.”
It’s been a long nine months working on the video series, which Banerji and the team officially launch on Monday.
“It’s actually really, really exciting. The strategy behind it is really distinctive, and I’m really proud of how we are approaching launching a new show,” Banerji said. “WSJ subscribers get access to these full-length conversations with business tycoons, investors, and people who have made it from all walks of life.”
There is also a rollout plan for non-WSJ subscribers. And of course, there will be lots of clips across all socials. Banerji noted the pilot episode had a few clips go viral.
“Kenn Ricci took us behind these family money meetings that he has with his kids and his wife. All the way down to the agenda of what they talk about and how he talks about passing down money and his estate plan,” she remarked.
It was a conversation that resonated with WSJ readers and across social media. “The clips that I have shared on estate planning, on real estate investments, on people’s money philosophy have done quite well,” Banerji said.
The social media interaction is one Banerji loves. “One of my favorite things to do is talk to our subscribers, investors, and readers who land in my inbox. I think it’s just so fun to engage with them.”
It’s an interaction that is now a pillar of the show. “It’s like an Ask Me Anything segment, where we are posing WSJ subscribers’ questions to our incredible guests.” Banerji added, “They are weighing in on everything from questions about entrepreneurship to investing, money philosophies, and estate questions. We’ve just gotten such a wide range of questions from WSJ subscribers. And it’s an opportunity for us to deepen that relationship with them.”
Another pillar of the show is a game — luck versus skill. The guests place a rock on a scale as they answer the most essential business questions: is having a successful business luck or skill?
“We use it as a closer. And I have to say, every single interview that I’ve done so far, that’s been the segment that people are the most animated about,” Banerji said. “I’ve got to give credit to the incredible WSJ team that helped bring this to life, where we wanted to experiment with creative formats, and this game was one of those things.”
It’s more than just a show about money. There’s a lifestyle element too, including one executive who spends $800,000 on vacations. “Our goal here is to give a window into how the ultra-successful think about their money. My goal is for this interview to provide insights for anyone. Whether they are in the C-suite already, or if they’re building a startup that they hope really blows up.”
One thing Banerji has learned over the years of covering business news is, “People manage conversations around money in so many different ways. So we want to represent a really broad swath of philosophies around how to build, grow, and spend your wealth.”
For the show, however, she believes, “The number one thing is we always want to keep it candid. It’s important for me that we bring our viewers and readers a conversation that they cannot find anywhere else.”
Banerji added, “People are letting us into their homes. They’re letting us into their lives. And they’re sharing details about how they think about money that you can’t find anywhere else.”
“I truly believe everything is a money story,” Banerji said. “I don’t think there are any exceptions at all to that. Every single thing on the planet is a money story. I love looking at everything through the lens of money.”
As for those looking to follow in The Wall Street Journal host’s footsteps? She says, “Journalists of the future need to be really flexible with how they tell their stories. And be really adaptable across mediums.”
Many view The Wall Street Journal as a print and digital outlet. Banerji’s hard work is proving WSJ is way more. “I think it’s important to think of yourself as a cross-platform journalist and meet the audience wherever they are.”
It’s a skill Banerji is continuously honing. “Once I write a piece for the Journal, I’m often thinking about how I can take this reporting and repackage it. How do I tell the story once, twice, maybe three times, maybe four times through different mediums?”
“I really think it’s important to take that exclusive bit of reporting that you’ve done and tell it in as many different ways as possible,” Banerji added. “I think it’s a lot of experimentation, because you just never know what’s going to land, especially on social.”
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