Matt Rivera is the journalist and digital media producer behind some of the most familiar political coverage on American television, even though most viewers have never seen his face on screen. His full name is Matthew Mario Rivera, and for more than a decade he helped shape how NBC News and Meet the Press reached audiences online, on podcasts, and on social media.
This article focuses on Matt Rivera himself, his education, his career, and his move into independent media. He is also widely known as the husband of CNN anchor Kasie Hunt, and that relationship is covered here, but it is not the whole story. Rivera built a long career in newsrooms before that relationship became public. For more reporting on media, technology, and public figures, visit the DigitalGeekSpot homepage.
The simplest way to describe Matt Rivera is as a behind the scenes journalist. He is not a television anchor, and he is not a regular on air correspondent. Instead, he has worked as a reporter, a multimedia producer, a senior digital producer, and an editorial leader, roles that decide what a news program publishes online and how it sounds as a podcast.
Rivera is often described as a quiet professional, and that fits the public record. He has given few interviews about himself, he keeps a low profile on social media, and most of what is known about him comes from his employers, his professional credits, and the public statements of his wife.
That background matters for anyone trying to understand the searches around his name. Most of the interest starts with Kasie Hunt, but the career behind the name is what this profile explains first.
Key Takeaways: Matt Rivera, whose full name is Matthew Mario Rivera, is an American journalist and digital media producer best known for his long career at NBC News and Meet the Press. He graduated from New York University with a degree in journalism in 2004, worked for The Wall Street Journal, co-founded Moose Productions, and joined NBC News in 2010. He later served as senior digital producer of Meet the Press. He married CNN anchor Kasie Hunt on May 6, 2017, and the couple have two children, born in 2019 and 2023. His studio, 35X Media, describes him as an Emmy-winning journalist and its founder.
Who is Matt Rivera?
Matt Rivera is an American journalist, digital producer, and media executive. His full name is Matthew Mario Rivera, and he is best known for his work at NBC News, where he spent more than a decade in digital and editorial roles connected to Meet the Press and NBC News Politics.
Unlike the anchors he worked alongside, Rivera built his reputation behind the camera. His work covered video journalism, podcast production, newsletters, and social media strategy, the parts of modern news that decide whether a Sunday morning program also reaches people on their phones.
What is Matt Rivera known for?
Rivera is known for his long run at NBC News, where he rose from a senior producer at NBCNews.com to senior digital producer of Meet the Press and later to editorial leadership across NBC News Politics. He is also known for early digital video work at The Wall Street Journal and at Moose Productions, the company he co-founded, and for his current role as founder of 35X Media. His 35X biography describes him as an Emmy-winning journalist with more than 20 years in major newsrooms.
Where did Matt Rivera go to school?
Matt Rivera studied journalism at New York University, known as NYU, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2004. Before university, he attended Sachem High School in New York, according to biographical profiles of his early life. He later returned to NYU as an adjunct professor, teaching video production and journalism between 2008 and 2011.
How did Matt Rivera build his career in journalism?
After graduating from NYU in 2004, Rivera worked as a reporter and multimedia producer for The Wall Street Journal, when newspapers were still learning to publish video online. He also co-founded Moose Productions, a New York company that created documentaries, reality television, and commercial video for clients including A&E, the BBC, and The Travel Channel. It operated from about 2004 to 2010.
In September 2010, Rivera joined NBC News as a senior producer at NBCNews.com, later becoming a senior video producer. In 2016, he moved to Meet the Press as senior digital producer, a role he held until March 2022. He then served as editorial director of content strategy for Meet the Press from 2022 to 2024, and later as director of editorial operations for NBC News Politics.
Matt Rivera career timeline
| Period | Role and organisation | What it involved |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Graduated from New York University | Bachelor’s degree in journalism |
| 2004 to 2010 | Co-founder, Moose Productions | Documentaries and commercial video |
| Early career | Reporter and multimedia producer, The Wall Street Journal | Video journalism and digital news |
| 2008 to 2011 | Adjunct professor, New York University | Teaching video production and journalism |
| September 2010 | Joined NBC News | Senior producer at NBCNews.com |
| 2016 to 2022 | Senior digital producer, Meet the Press | Digital strategy, podcasts, and social media |
| 2022 to 2024 | Editorial director of content strategy, Meet the Press | Content strategy across platforms |
| Later NBC role | Director of editorial operations, NBC News Politics | Editorial operations for political coverage |
| 2026 | Founder and executive producer, 35X Media | Independent production and strategy studio |
What did Matt Rivera do at Meet the Press?
At Meet the Press, Rivera was responsible for taking a long running Sunday morning program and making it work as a digital product, so it could reach audiences who no longer watch live television. His work included digital strategy, podcast production, newsletters, social media, web features, and original programming for Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.
What is 35X Media?
35X Media is the independent production and strategy studio Rivera founded, where he serves as founder and executive producer. Reports say he launched it in January 2026, after leaving NBC News. Because the studio is new, its full client list is not yet public, so claims about its projects should be treated with care.
How did Matt Rivera and Kasie Hunt meet?
Matt Rivera and Kasie Hunt met while both were working at NBC News in Washington, D.C., where Rivera worked as a producer and Hunt as a political correspondent covering Congress. The exact year is less clear: some profiles say 2012, while others give 2002 or 2013, and those accounts conflict with each other.
Their engagement was announced on August 13, 2016, on NBC’s Morning Joe. They married on May 6, 2017, in a private ceremony at Shenandoah Woods in Stanley, Virginia, surrounded by close family and friends.
Who is Kasie Hunt?
Kasie Hunt, whose full name is Kasie Sue Hunt, is a CNN anchor and chief national affairs analyst who hosts The Arena with Kasie Hunt. She previously worked at NBC News and MSNBC from 2013 to 2021, as Capitol Hill correspondent and host of Way Too Early with Kasie Hunt and Kasie DC, before joining CNN in July 2021. Her career is covered in a separate companion article.
Are Matt Rivera and Kasie Hunt still married?
Yes. As of late 2025, Matt Rivera and Kasie Hunt remain married, and no credible report suggests otherwise. They have been married since May 6, 2017, which means their marriage passed its eighth anniversary in 2025. The couple have two children, a son named Mars Hunt Rivera, born in September 2019, and a daughter named Grey Hunt Rivera, born on March 1, 2023.
Grey’s birth drew attention because it happened quickly at home. Hunt shared on Instagram that Grey was delivered by her father on the bathroom floor after 13 minutes of labor, a day before a scheduled caesarean section. In 2021, Hunt also publicly shared that she had surgery for a benign brain tumor.
How old is Matt Rivera?
Matt Rivera’s exact age is not officially confirmed. Most profiles list his birth year as 1982, which would make him 43 or 44 in 2026, while a smaller number list 1985, and some give a birth date that matches his wife’s birthday, which makes that date unreliable. No official biography publishes his date of birth, so the honest answer is that he was born in New York in the early 1980s, most likely in 1982, but the exact year remains unverified.
What is Matt Rivera’s net worth?
There is no reliable public figure for Matt Rivera’s net worth, and this article does not present one as fact. His NBC News salary was never publicly disclosed. Online estimates vary widely, from more than 1 million dollars to more than 2 million dollars, but those are guesses built from his job titles, not from published financial records.
Why is Matt Rivera less famous than Kasie Hunt?
Their jobs are different. Hunt appears on camera every day, while Rivera worked behind the scenes, producing the programs, podcasts, and digital products that other people presented, work that is mostly invisible to the audience. He has also chosen to keep a low profile and does not seek interviews about himself. That is a choice, not a sign of a small career.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Matt Rivera?
Matt Rivera, whose full name is Matthew Mario Rivera, is an American journalist and digital media producer, best known for his long career at NBC News and Meet the Press, and founder and executive producer of 35X Media.
Is Matt Rivera married to Kasie Hunt?
Yes. Matt Rivera married CNN anchor Kasie Hunt on May 6, 2017, at Shenandoah Woods in Stanley, Virginia, after meeting while both worked at NBC News in Washington, D.C.
What does Matt Rivera do for a living?
Rivera is a journalist, digital producer, and media executive. He was senior digital producer of Meet the Press and director of editorial operations for NBC News Politics, and he now runs 35X Media.
Where did Matt Rivera go to college?
Rivera graduated from New York University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and he later returned to NYU as an adjunct professor teaching video production and journalism.
How many children do Matt Rivera and Kasie Hunt have?
They have two children, a son named Mars Hunt Rivera, born in September 2019, and a daughter named Grey Hunt Rivera, born on March 1, 2023.
What is Matt Rivera’s net worth?
There is no reliable public figure for Matt Rivera’s net worth. Online estimates vary widely and are unverified, because his salary and finances have never been publicly disclosed.
Does Matt Rivera still work at NBC News?
No, not according to the most recent reports. He is founder and executive producer of 35X Media, a studio he launched in January 2026 after more than a decade at NBC News.
Conclusion
Matt Rivera is best understood as a journalist who chose the production side of the news business and stayed with it for more than 20 years. From The Wall Street Journal to Moose Productions, from NBCNews.com to Meet the Press, and now to 35X Media, his career follows the shift to digital, podcast, and streaming news. His marriage to Kasie Hunt is part of his public story, but he helped one of America’s oldest news programs reach a modern audience, and he is now building an independent studio on what he learned.
