Matthew Mario Rivera, widely known as Matt Rivera, is an American multimedia producer, journalist, and adjunct professor at New York University (NYU). After graduating from NYU with a degree in journalism, he began his professional career as a video journalist before joining prominent media organizations, including The Wall Street Journal and NBC. He also worked as an adjunct professor at NYU, where he taught courses related to video production and journalism. Rivera has contributed to The Wall Street Journal as both a multimedia producer and reporter. At NBC, he has played an important role in the development of Meet the Press, recognized as the longest-running program in television history. Based in Washington, D.C., he served as the senior digital producer for Meet the Press with Chuck Todd and spearheaded several initiatives to strengthen the program’s digital presence. His responsibilities have included producing a daily election podcast, a weekly interview podcast, and a weekly in-depth video feature. Before joining The Wall Street Journal, Rivera co-founded a production company based in New York City that developed feature-length documentaries, reality television programs, and corporate videos. His work at NBC has received recognition, particularly for launching original video projects designed to make political processes easier for audiences to understand. His productions have also been featured on networks and channels such as A&E, the BBC, and the Travel Channel. Rivera is married to his NBC colleague, Kasie Hunt.
Childhood & Early Life
Matthew Mario Rivera was born in 1982 to Daniel O. Rivera, a retired lieutenant from the sheriff’s office, and Loraine V. Vetter, a registered nurse who worked at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center.
Following her divorce from Daniel, Matthew’s mother married Larry Vetter, an environmentalist who runs a consulting business in Lindenhurst, New York.
Rivera attended Sachem High School from 1996 to 2000. In the same year he graduated, he enrolled at New York University (NYU), where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Career of Matthew Mario Rivera
Matthew Rivera began his professional career in 2004 after completing his studies at NYU. Interested in creating original documentaries and developing innovative concepts for distribution across different media platforms, he established Moose Productions. The award-winning production studio specialized in producing documentaries and developing creative media projects.
Within three years of its establishment, Moose Productions had produced a feature-length film and several short films. Rivera subsequently expanded the company’s activities into television production, digital news content, and corporate marketing. He also grew the workforce and extended the company’s operations across three countries on two continents.
Between 2005 and 2007, Rivera worked as a video journalist for CareerTV, an international internet and social media company. During this period, he also briefly worked in a similar capacity for Fast Company, a monthly business magazine. In addition, he served as a video journalist for TitanTV, an online software and information provider serving the broadcasting industry.
In March 2008, Rivera joined The Wall Street Journal as a reporter and later advanced to the position of multimedia producer at the internationally recognized business newspaper based in New York. As a reporter, he extensively covered the collapse of the financial industry. He also contributed to the launch of WSJ Live, the newspaper’s online video platform, and its luxury lifestyle magazine. Furthermore, he helped develop and produce six original series for the publication’s local edition, Greater New York.
At The Wall Street Journal, Rivera played an important role in coordinating production teams and managing resources for the organization’s New York operations. His responsibilities also included training reporters in advanced electronic journalism techniques and preparing and monitoring story budgets in collaboration with the Page One/A-hed team.
Rivera later worked as a video reporter for the newspaper. Alongside his professional journalism work, he served as an adjunct professor at New York University, teaching guerrilla journalism. He also delivered guest lectures at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in Germany and worked as a visiting instructor for the BBC’s video journalism program in Newcastle, England.
In September 2010, Rivera joined NBCNews.com, where he spent approximately six years developing and overseeing various original video news series. During his tenure, he advanced to a senior producer role and collaborated on several other productions. He led a team responsible for creating digital video content for NBC News, experimenting with new storytelling techniques and formats to reach online audiences.
Rivera subsequently became the senior digital producer for Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, NBC’s public affairs program featuring interviews with prominent American and international figures. In this position, he helped expand the program’s presence across emerging digital platforms and worked to attract a broader online audience.
He contributed to the development of several initiatives associated with Meet the Press, including the Meet the Press Film Festival, organized in collaboration with the American Film Institute (AFI); 1947: The Meet the Press Podcast; and Meet the Press: The Lid, a daily audio briefing covering current affairs. He also oversaw social media and video distribution for Meet the Press on NBC and MTP Daily on MSNBC, both part of the NBCUniversal News Group.
Family & Personal Life
Matthew Rivera is married to Kasie Hunt, an American journalist who has worked as an NBC News correspondent covering Capitol Hill. The couple first met in 2012 while working for NBC News in Washington, D.C., and their professional association eventually developed into a romantic relationship.
Rivera proposed to Hunt on August 13, 2016. Their engagement was announced on the NBC morning program by hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
The couple married on May 6, 2017, at Shenandoah Woods, a lodge and retreat located in Stanley, Virginia. Their wedding ceremony was nondenominational and was officiated by Marian Sieke, a Baptist minister and longtime family friend of Hunt’s.