Mercedes Barba’s Journey: From Red Carpets to Financial Public Relations (Ep. 20)
What does it take to go from celebrity interviews to financial PR?
In this episode of PRess Play: The StreetCred Podcast, hosts Elena Krasnow and Jimmy Moock sit down with Mercedes Barba, StreetCred’s newest account supervisor, to explore her journey from journalism to public relations. From her time spent on the red carpet in Hollywood to crafting compelling narratives in personal finance and financial services, Mercedes shares how her journalism background informs her current PR pursuits.
Mercedes also highlights her passion for elevating diverse voices and shares some of her best tips for building strong relationships with journalists.
They discuss:
- Mercedes’ dynamic career journey
- her Emmy nomination for a documentary at Money Magazine
- the impact of personal finance journalism in amplifying underrepresented voices
- strategies for building relationships with journalists
- the role of SEO in crafting successful pitches
- what excites Mercedes about her future at StreetCred PR
- and more!
Discover how Mercedes’ experience behind the mic and in the newsroom is now helping StreetCred’s clients shine in the media spotlight.
Topics:
- (0:53) Meet Mercedes Barba
- (2:18) What’s for lunch (breakfast)
- (4:00) From entertainment media to financial journalism
- (7:09) Working on CNBC’s Make It series
- (8:10) “Finance can kind of touch all aspects of journalism”
- (8:50) Behind the scenes with Misty Copeland and other inspiring stories
- (10:56) The stresses of parenting young ballerinas
- (13:50) Teaching at Mercedes’ local community college
- (15:00) Building relationships with journalists: tips and tricks
- (16:26) The power journalists have to elevate entrepreneurs
- (17:46) Networking with journalists on social media
- (18:06) Knowing the journalist’s beat, and sticking to it
- (19:09) The importance of strong relationships in public relations
- (19:30) The evolving newsroom: editors vs. reporters
- (22:11) Finding the right angle for a given publication
- (23:15) The “million dollar baby” storyline and the power of compound returns
- (25:58) The unique tactics that are needed for effective public relations in financial services
- (28:04) How some journalists earn their stripes
- (31:17) The power of SEO
- (32:13) Exciting opportunities at StreetCred PR
- (34:22) Time for our Play segment!
- (35:19) The joys of motherhood
- (37:21) “Did anyone see Wicked?”
- (37:38) Moment of gratitude: Mercedes’ father and his lasting legacy
Connect with StreetCred PR:
- Contact Us
- Website
- LinkedIn: Elena Krasnow
- X (Twitter): Elena Krasnow
- LinkedIn: Jimmy Moock
- X (Twitter): Jimmy Moock
- LinkedIn: StreetCred PR
- X (Twitter): StreetCred PR
Connect with Mercedes Barba:
About our Guest:
Mercedes joined StreetCred as an Account Supervisor after an almost 10-year career as a personal finance journalist. She’s worked with renowned brands like CNBC, Money Magazine, Bankrate and more, where she led large editorial and video teams, earning an Emmy nomination in the process.
Her journey into journalism started in Los Angeles in 2008, where she was interviewing celebrities on red carpets. In 2015, Mercedes moved to New York City to pursue her master’s in journalism from NYU, where she found her passion for personal finance.
Mercedes has played a key role in shaping hundreds of personal finance stories that have reached millions of readers monthly, and has a firsthand understanding of how media exposure can drive business growth. Since joining StreetCred, she has applied her experience and media contacts to further boost our clients’ media profiles.
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