Media in Minutes

Behind the Scenes at a Major News Network: Insights from Veteran Booking Producer Dan Holway

• Angela Tuell • Season 5 • Episode 3

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Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a major news network? Veteran booking producer Dan Holway, with over 22 years at MSNBC, pulls back the curtain on the fast-paced and unpredictable world of booking guests for live television. From his unexpected entry into journalism as a Seton Hall University student to his current role working with Anna Cabrera, Dan shares insights into the daily challenges of sourcing guests who can provide fresh perspectives on the day's news. Along the way, he reveals the human side of the news industry.

Discover how the role of a booking producer has evolved over the years, with changes in communication methods and team dynamics. Dan discusses the art of building long-term relationships in the media world and touches on the political division in the country and the hurdles faced when striving for balanced coverage. Plus, don't miss Dan's discussion on his passion for craft beer and the serendipitous encounter that led to the creation of his podcast, "America the Brew-tiful." 


Connect with Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danholway/


America the BREW-tiful podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/america-the-brew-tiful/id1518400160


Thank you for listening!  Please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to the Media in Minutes podcast here or anywhere you get your podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/media-in-minutes/id1555710662  

Angela Tuell:

Welcome to Media in Minutes. This is your host, Angela Tuell. This podcast features in-depth interviews with those who report on the world around us. They share everything from their favorite stories to what happened behind the lens and give us a glimpse into their world From our studio here at Communications Redefined. This is Media in Minutes. On today's episode, we are talking with Dan Holway. Dan began his journalism career at MSNBC 22 years ago and has spent his time there as a booking producer. He currently books interviews for the 10 am show with Anna Cabrera. Dan is also the co-host of the podcast America the Brew-tiful, where he and Tom Simpson cover current events in the craft beer industry and tips and tricks on how you can get better beer without having to travel too far from home. Hi Dan, thanks for joining us.

Dan Holway:

Thank you for having me. I'm excited to talk to you.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, me too. I'm excited to talk about your career and national news broadcast insight. I'm sure there's a lot there from how long your career has been.

Dan Holway:

Yeah, I've been doing this for a while, so we definitely have a lot to talk about.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, let's start with how you became interested in journalism and how you got to where you are. I know you recently told me this story, but I would love to share it with all of our listeners.

Dan Holway:

Sure, yes. So I guess it really all started in college. Most people that work at MSNBC or CNN or Fox News they come from a journalism background, a communications background, and when I was in college I was actually an international relations major, so I'm one of the very few that kind of didn't follow that path and got into journalism. But what happened for me was when I was in college and I went to Seton Hall, we had a really great radio station there and I started working at the radio station as a freshman all throughout college and I loved it.

Dan Holway:

So when I needed to do an internship before graduating, they gave me a bunch of choices at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations. So most people would want to intern at the UN. I asked them what about news? What if I did something in news? And they thought about it and they said, okay, yeah, that could work. As long as it's something that you know we'll touch on, kind of international news, I don't see why not.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Dan Holway:

And at that time I was living in New Jersey and MSNBC was located in Secaucus, new Jersey. So I applied and I got it and I kind of that's where it all started. I started as an intern in the booking department at MSNBC and I've basically been doing the same thing ever since.

Angela Tuell:

Wow, so you liked it obviously.

Dan Holway:

Yeah, I did. I did. It was a lot of fun. I mean, my job is basically talking to people, like I'm doing with you now.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, and you know it takes a lot or it takes a special kind of person to be a booking producer. But tell us a little bit about for those who are not super familiar with the role. You know what you do on a typical day I know days are not typical, probably, but and your main responsibilities.

Dan Holway:

Sure. So yes, basically my job goes as the news goes. So I'll give an example, a random example. We had an earthquake here in the Northeast earlier this year Very rare. So on a day like that we might have a set plan and have all these stories written, but on a day like that something happens. Now my job is to find a guest to come on and talk about this random earthquake in the Northeast that happened. So really my job depends on what the news is, but my job is finding guests to come on television and talk about whatever the news of the day is.

Angela Tuell:

Was there anything you were surprised to learn when you started at MSNBC?

Dan Holway:

You know, I guess the thing that was surprising is just kind of how everybody that I work with is a normal person with normal, you know, normal worries at home and a normal life, and not these super you know. You watch a television show and it's like their whole life is their job, but it's not really like that yeah, you mean the hosts, right, the talent as we call it yeah, well, the hosts are a little different.

Dan Holway:

The hosts are a little more intense. They have, uh, for them it's, it's maybe a little more okay, okay, it's a little more intense they have.

Angela Tuell:

For them it's maybe a little more Okay. Okay, it's a little bit more of their life then.

Dan Holway:

Yes.

Angela Tuell:

So could you tell us a little bit more about how your role has evolved over the years? I know you've essentially stayed in the same type of position. Has it evolved?

Dan Holway:

Sure, yeah, it definitely has. It's gone through kind of some cycles. It definitely has it's gone through kind of some cycles. When I started at MSNBC as a booking producer, we had kind of a whole team and that team booked for a number of changed for a while and then I worked on a show called the Cycle, and the Cycle was we had four hosts and it was a different monster, but we all had a specific team. So I would work directly with the segment producers, the senior producers, the executive producers, the anchors, and that happened for a while. Then it kind of reverted back and then reverted back again. So that's, it's basically what I'm doing now is you know, I work with a specific show team. The current show team is 10 am. Msnbc reports with Ana Cabrera.

Angela Tuell:

So what are you looking for with interviewees for the show?

Dan Holway:

Sure. So there are anchor favorites all the time. So there are certain people that they will say, hey, this story is going on. Let me get this person who covers the White House as you know, this is my favorite person okay, sure, um, but when it's something a little more random, then what? There's a few things. I look for the current host. I have loves having guests on set, so if I can find an expert in a field and get them to new york, it always makes for a better interview. But then you also just kind of look for people that are interesting and engaging, and that could sometimes be difficult if it's something like I mentioned the earthquake before. Not all geologists are super engaging.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, that would be tough. How many interviews do you typically book for an hour show?

Dan Holway:

So I would say in a normal show we probably have about five guests booked for the hour.

Angela Tuell:

And how can publicists most help you do your job, and do you have any pet peeves when it comes to working with PR professionals? Sure, sure, be honest with us.

Dan Holway:

Yeah, I will, I'll be honest. Sure, sure, be honest with us. Yeah, I will, I'll be honest. So I think it's kind of being on top of the news. I work on a show that is completely news. We don't really do anything, we don't promote products, we kind of don't veer off too much into other things unless it has a news peg, and a news peg that is kind of about what the headlines going on right now in the news world are. Yeah, so sometimes I get hundreds of emails a day, hundreds and hundreds.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Dan Holway:

Honestly, on a busy day I might literally get a thousand emails. Now, some of these are automated emails that we get. Every time a guest is booked by anyone on the network I get an email. But there are many, many emails that come through. And yeah, I mean the one thing hey can you, the world could be falling apart thing hey, can you, the world could be falling apart and somebody wants to send me an email about something that has nothing to do with what is being covered in the news. You know, as interesting as I might find the subject matter, there's just no way for that to happen.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, You're like hey, did you turn on the TV and see what's happening?

Dan Holway:

right now? Yes, exactly.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, that's definitely good advice. Do you prefer email?

Dan Holway:

Yes, so when I started kind of working, it was a lot more phone. We did a lot of things over the phone. When I talked to guests, I gave them a phone call old fashioned phone calls. Now I would say it's about 80% email and maybe 15% text message and 5% talking on the phone text message and five percent talking on the phone.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, yeah, I was still thinking it would be more than that. I mean, if it's, if it's more breaking news type stuff, is it? Does it tend to be more phone, then, or not necessarily?

Dan Holway:

if, if we're in breaking news mode, uh, I need to get somebody asap and I will give them a call.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, yeah, yeah so what does it take to be a great booking producer?

Dan Holway:

So I think it's a few things. First, being okay with when people say no. There are a lot of times that we go after different guests that are just not going to come on. Maybe they'll come on the Today Show, maybe they'll do a specific primetime show, but they're not going to say yes to every ask. That's one. The second is, honestly, to be a great booking producer. I think you have to have done it for a while, because you build those relationships up, you are able to have complete recall when something random that you haven't done in a while happens. Okay, yes, I remember this person that I booked eight years ago that can come on to talk about something. So so those are two things.

Dan Holway:

The other thing is just kind of having some some news judgment. You can't always rely on your team to tell you what to do when there's breaking news. I've never, hey guys, what do you think of this? It to tell you what to do when there's breaking news. I'm never, hey guys, what do you think of this? It's here's what you got, here's what I'm giving you.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, yeah, those are great, and not everyone has those skills, obviously you do them well because you've been there for so long, and that's something else I was going to ask. It is really unusual in this business in general, in journalism in general, I should say to stay in one media outlet for so long. What has kept you there?

Dan Holway:

It is super rare. I've worked with a ton of people over the years and generally people do leave and they look for a different opportunity and, to be honest, that's a very good way to increase your salary is to leave.

Dan Holway:

You know, you kind of give them the hometown discount for a while if you stick around. But I think for me what I saw the most is the people who left, who I still keep in contact with. A lot of times they would leave and they would just not be happy you know, the whole grass is not always greener on the other side thing.

Dan Holway:

Correct. And no, no job is perfect, no company is perfect. But uh, you know, I've been very comfortable in my job. I like the people I work with and that's even throughout the times that I've kind of jumped around. It's like you're working on this show now with this team. It's been pretty consistently good. So I like the people I work with. I think I've been treated pretty well by the company. So, yeah, some people are a little more risk takers and maybe I'm just into safety.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, those things you mentioned are important, though, and you don't know what you're going to get when you move. So it's true, and I've heard some.

Dan Holway:

I've heard several horror stories and I'm like oh OK maybe I should be happy that I am here.

Angela Tuell:

Right, yes, so I do have to talk about. With our current political environment and the negativity towards journalists, you know, especially at the national level. Has that affected your work or life?

Dan Holway:

It's a great question. I think it's funny because I'll have different co-workers have come up to me, some of the younger co-workers, and asked me for instance hey, are you worried? And I'm like, okay, about what? And you know certain people. Steve Bannon came out and said that he wanted to jail people from different publications. Right, msnbc was one of them. Great to hear, right. But you know, do I worry about it? No, I think, until I have to worry about it, I won't and I don't think that I will. I don't think that that is something that's going to happen in this country. But you know, I could be very wrong.

Angela Tuell:

We'll find out. Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of things happening that we don't think could happen in this country, right.

Dan Holway:

But I will say that. Another thing is I feel like the country is the most divided that I could ever remember it, and everybody is way more political in real life than I can ever remember. For most presidential elections that I've covered, or just even before I could vote, I don't remember there being such division. I don't remember people wanting to talk about things as much, and maybe you would drive through a neighborhood and people might have a little sign out for a candidate, but never flags, never as much as we're seeing now. So, yeah, things are different, I think, all over the country and people are not necessarily receptive to opinions that differ from their own, and that's on both sides.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, that's true. That is very true. Do you see any negativity towards you personally when people know that you're a journalist or work in the media or that sort of thing?

Dan Holway:

Yeah, honestly, I have not.

Angela Tuell:

And I I.

Dan Holway:

I now. I'm not usually in the field. I'm usually in front of a computer, so that that could be a thing. I know. Some of, uh, some of our journalists that have been out in the field have definitely gotten, um know, harassed a bit, but I have.

Angela Tuell:

I personally have not, so yeah, that's good, and I guess that sort of goes into my next question a little bit is do you embrace the perception that MSNBC skews left, or do you feel that is not the case? You know, that's kind of out there that all Fox Fox is a right is the SKUs right and MSNBC SKUs left.

Dan Holway:

Sure, I mean, I don't think it's a secret, especially in primetime, that MSNBC is. I mean, in primetime MSNBC is very liberal. You know, I work on the daytime programming and one thing we make a conscious effort to do is to try to be as even as possible. That said, that is not always the easiest thing to do, for the simple reason that Republicans don't want to come on our air. You know, if we're, if we're covering some kind of congressional vote and we're looking to get a congress member, it's very difficult. There are very few Republican congressmen that want to come on MSNBC, and I'm sure that's the same thing with Fox. I very much doubt it's going to be easy for them to get Democratic lawmakers to come on. So it's, we try to be as even handed, as non-bias as possible during the daytime, as non-bias as possible during the daytime, but certainly in the evening. I think anybody will tell you it's a very opinion-based program.

Angela Tuell:

That makes your job, as you were saying, making it difficult to get Republican lawmakers on. That makes your job harder of trying to balance it because you can't get on the other. So do you just have certain ones that will come on or ones that you will talk for?

Dan Holway:

Some will. Honestly, it's pretty tricky. And it's especially tricky then as well, when you know there's several hours of programming that are all going out to the same person because they know that they might be able to come on and we don't really repeat guests throughout the day. Okay, that's good to know.

Angela Tuell:

That's why you get the emails with what guests are being booked and what shows yes. So okay, that's good to know. That's why you get the emails with all the guests, with what guests are being booked and what shows yes. Yeah, that makes sense. So is there anything you wish the general public knew about national broadcast news and the whole 24 hour news cycle stations that they likely don't know?

Dan Holway:

It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work from a lot of people, know it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work from a lot of people and I will say that my job is a 24-7 job and not everybody's is so. Our writers we have a few writers on our show. Once the show is over, their day is over. For someone like me, when our show is over, maybe I still need to plan a little bit for the next day, but if something happens at 9 pm, that's going to be the news for the next day. Then I am working at 9 pm. So it's a lot of work from a lot of people.

Angela Tuell:

That's definitely something that not everyone knows or expects if they're not in that kind of job. Before we go, we must talk about your podcast, america the Brutiful, so please tell us more. How did it get started? What is your focus?

Dan Holway:

Sure, so it's a beer podcast. We'll start there. I think you could probably surmise that from the name, and it started around COVID time. Not on purpose, but there's a friend of mine who I went to high school with. I was a senior in high school when he was a freshman, so we didn't know each other too well. So we didn't know each other too well. We were taking the same class in gym. As adults, we went to the same gym and we're taking a CrossFit class and then a few weeks later I'm at a beer release. A beer release. For those who don't know that how things used to be kind of before, covid is a brewery would have a release, and in this case it was. The brewery was other half, which is in Brooklyn, and they would have a release at like 10 in the morning and people would show up at 6 in the morning and get online to get beer.

Angela Tuell:

So early drinking, there.

Dan Holway:

Yes, yes, so I saw this friend of mine. I I'm like what are you doing here? Says what are you doing here? And then obviously we were there for the same reason and we started talking about beer and he said, hey, you know, we should do, we should do a podcast. And I said, oh, yeah, sure, that sounds like an interesting idea. And then a few weeks later he says, hey, I bought all the podcast equipment. And I said, oh, oh, okay, I guess we're doing it then and it took off from there. So we've been doing it since 2020. And we've had a ton of interviews with different breweries and people in the beer industry and, honestly, some of the biggest names in the beer industry. So it's been a lot of fun.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, that's amazing. What have been some of your favorite episodes?

Dan Holway:

That might be hard to say, but Sure, I mean, our last episode of 2024 was one that I really liked. It was a, you know, you talk to brewers and sometimes you think they are these tough guys. You know, oh yeah, a lot of brewers have beards and, you know, kind of look like they might have a rough exterior. But everybody is a person and it was kind of a sentimental episode, just everybody kind of being happy with where they are in life. So that one was really good. But we've done episodes on all sorts of things. We've done different charities. There's a lot of charitable things in beer. Breweries will make beers to raise money for different causes. So we've done a lot of that kind of stuff. We interviewed a brewery in ukraine near the beginning of the war there and that one was kind of interesting and different, yeah. So yeah, I mean we it's trying to keep up and keep it fresh and do different things, yeah.

Angela Tuell:

We will make sure to link to it in our show notes for everyone. Can you find it? Anywhere you get your podcasts.

Dan Holway:

You can yeah Good.

Angela Tuell:

And how can listeners connect with you online?

Dan Holway:

Honestly, if they're on, instagram is kind of the place that we use the most. So, yeah, message on Instagram. I read them all.

Angela Tuell:

Perfect. Thank you so much Dan.

Dan Holway:

Thank you.

Angela Tuell:

That's all for this episode of Media in Minutes, a podcast by Communications Redefined. Please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to our show. We'd love to hear what you think you can find more at communicationsredefined. com/ podcast. I'm Angela Tuell. Talk to you next time.