My Name Is Matt McCue, Editor-in-Chief of 99U and This Is How I Work
As Editor-in-Chief of 99U , Adobe’s publication for creative professionals, Matt McCue oversees articles on topics such as customer experience, storytelling and productivity, as well as bringing in creative people from the worlds of art, design, advertising, music, technology and media. information. Besides 99U, it has been written for retail outlets such as Fortune , Fast Company , GQ, and ESPN. We asked him about his own work.
Location: New York Current place of work: Chief Editor of 99U One word that best describes how you work: Hard Current mobile device: Apple iPhone 5 (I definitely need to update, but I’m waiting for iPhone 8) Current computer: MacBook Pro. supplied by my company
First of all, tell me a little about your past and how you became who you are today.
In August 2005, I flew a one-way ticket from Iowa City to New York with nothing but two suitcases. I didn’t have a job, home, or friend in the tri-state area. (There is very little in common between Iowa City and New York, by the way.)
I ended up where I am, like many newcomers to New York – I went out and introduced myself to complete strangers who had no reason to invest in me or even share their time, and I worked to convince them that yes . I can deliver what they are looking for. If you do this hundreds of times, you will succeed sooner or later.
Today I am the editor of 99U, an editorial publication that is part of Adobe that tells the stories of creative leaders who are mastering their crafts and shaping their industries. In other words, if you want to talk about how to design against stereotypes, we have a story about how complex branding is forcing people to rethink the cannabis industry . Or an interview with the world’s font god , a tough 71-year-old German who plans to pursue his craft until his death. Our articles are about how people create and build their careers.
What apps, software or tools can’t you live without?
Twitter app, HBO Go app, Delta Messenger app, and Microsoft Word (old school).
How is your workplace arranged?
I need everything I work on somewhere on my desk so that I can see it, otherwise it will be out of my mental orbit. (I’ve been at 99U for almost two years and never really used the filing cabinet on my desk.) I also moved my office phone under my desk. It took up a lot of space, and if people want to call me, they can always call my mobile. In this age of email and text messaging, I prefer talking to people on the phone because more is generally accomplished when two people are actually talking.
What’s your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?
At 99U, we have four people running a brand that has a total of one million social media followers, publishes a 100-page quarterly magazine, hosts an annual 1,000-person conference at Lincoln Center New York’s Alice Tully Hall, and creates stories for a vibrant website. Given this workload, we cannot afford to waste time, so we rarely hold meetings. Our team sits next to each other, so we talk throughout the day, solving problems in a few minutes, instead of having 60-minute meetings. If we need to work on something more challenging, we like going out to lunch, we do multiple tasks and fill this hour with both good food and conversation on whatever topic we discuss.
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
Pen and paper; cases are listed in descending order of importance. I go down the list and cross out what I do.
What are some of the things you do best in everyday life? What’s your secret?
I am very good at deciding what to eat, this is a brainstorming task that I can usually complete by seven in the morning. My secret is that I start thinking about what I will eat for lunch when I wake up.
What do you listen to while you work?
I spend the first hour of my day listening to Squawk Box . I’m not a banker, but I’m listening, trying to learn more about the world of business, stocks and the market. When I write and edit, I listen to John Mayer all the time. Just kidding. My taste in music is everywhere – live concerts by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on YouTube, The Highwaymen, Dave Matthews Band, Fleetwood Mac music performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
What are you reading now? Or what would you recommend?
Snowball , a book about Warren Buffett. This is a fascinating human story about an amazing investor. The lessons I learned from this were not about how to invest in any stocks, but about practical advice about life and business. Favorite book – “Confederation of Doodles” . Ignatius J. Reilly is my spirit animal.
How do you replenish? What do you do when you want to forget about work?
Two words: whiskey + beer.
What is your sleep pattern? Are you a night owl or get up early?
Early bird. As a new dad, I now believe that 7 am on weekends is the right place for sleep. It’s so sad – I eat breakfast on weekends when I eat breakfast, not around 1 pm on the old idle days.
Fill in the blank: I would like _________ to answer these same questions.
Donald J. Trump – I’m sure he has an awfully cool life hack.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Nothing but your best,” Coach Brown, my high school running coach in Iowa, is quoted as saying. He taught me that success is not measured by victories, but by the effort you put into getting to the finish line. This wisdom has carried me all the way to New York and is equally applicable to my career.