{"id":1872,"date":"2026-06-21T11:40:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T11:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=1872"},"modified":"2026-06-21T11:40:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T11:40:41","slug":"nbcs-tom-llamas-climbed-from-15-year-old-intern-to-the-top-anchor-chair-and-still-isnt-satisfied-if-youre-not-growing-youre-dying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=1872","title":{"rendered":"NBC\u2019s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair\u2014and still isn\u2019t satisfied: \u2018If you\u2019re not growing, you\u2019re dying\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At 46, he\u2019s following in the footsteps of the greats like Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, and Lester Holt\u2014the latter whom he succeeded last year. The role looks very different today from how it did during their eras, as traditional television news competes for relevance in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. Yet for Llamas, the career high has felt less like a finish line\u2014and more like just another challenge to tackle.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think as soon as you get comfortable\u2014game over,\u201d Llamas told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019m also just not wired that way. If you could interview 50 people that know me, and they will tell you that I\u2019m never going to be satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That mindset has defined his first year leading one of television\u2019s most recognizable news brands. Llamas has taken the broadcast far beyond its New York headquarters, reporting from Beijing, Jerusalem, and his hometown of Miami. He has interviewed President Donald Trump and soccer star Lionel Messi\u2014all while competing in an ever-changing ratings battle. Nightly News<\/em> typically draws just over 6 million viewers, compared with ABC\u2019s roughly 7 million and CBS\u2019s around 3.8 million.<\/p>\n

Even after the cameras stop rolling, however, Llamas remains focused on what comes next. Rather than dwelling on a successful broadcast, he spends his time dissecting what could have been done better\u2014searching for ways to sharpen the journalism and better connect with audiences whose attention is increasingly divided across platforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a firm believer that if you\u2019re not growing, you\u2019re dying,\u201d Llamas said, adding that every single day, he\u2019s thinking about improvement: \u201cDid I watch the show yesterday? How could I get better? How could the show get better? How can I help the stories get better?\u201d<\/p>\n

The secret to career success isn\u2019t being the smartest person in the room, says NBC\u2019s Tom Llamas\u2014it\u2019s hustle<\/h2>\n

Llamas, the son of Cuban refugees, has spent decades building toward this moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Growing up in Miami, he was surrounded by newspapers and television news. His family regularly read The Miami Herald<\/em>, and at age 15 he landed an unpaid internship at a local Telemundo station. It didn\u2019t take long for him to realize the newsroom was where he belonged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked for free, but it was so great,\u201d Llamas said. \u201cMy summers working in newsrooms\u2014I learned that I loved it, that it was a great job, that every day was new.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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What hooked him was the unpredictability\u2014and the responsibility. Journalism often means meeting people on the worst days of their lives, whether it\u2019s covering shootings, natural disasters, or war. For Llamas, the challenge became balancing sensitivity with storytelling: helping viewers understand difficult moments without losing sight of the people at the center of them.<\/p>\n

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After graduating from Loyola University New Orleans in 2001 with a degree in broadcast journalism, drama, and speech, Llamas steadily climbed the ranks in local television news in Miami. By 2009, he was ready for the biggest leagues\u2014moving to New York to join NBC\u2019s local affiliate. Five years later, he made the switch to ABC News, where he became a correspondent, and a year later, weekend anchor of World News Tonight<\/em>. In 2021, he returned to NBC, and by 2025, he had ascended to the anchor chair of NBC Nightly News.<\/p>\n

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Looking back, Llamas credits his rise not to exceptional talent but to persistence, preparation, and a willingness to advocate for himself. It\u2019s a lesson he frequently shares with younger workers trying to navigate their careers. That means understanding how colleagues view you, building relationships with mentors, collaborating with coworkers, and speaking up for opportunities instead of waiting for them to arrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t ask, you don\u2019t get. If you want something, ask for it,\u201d Llamas said. \u201cThe worst thing that you\u2019re gonna be told is no.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gen Z intimidated by working alongside people who seem smarter or more experienced, Llamas believes success often comes down to something far simpler: effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be the smartest person in the room,\u201d Llamas said. \u201cBut if you work the hardest, you will succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Even with a nonstop news cycle, Tom Llamas focuses on intention between his work and life<\/h2>\n

Unlike previous generations of nightly news anchors, Llamas\u2019 workday doesn\u2019t end when the 30-minute broadcast signs off. Instead, he immediately pivots to another hour of coverage for NBC News Now<\/em>, the company\u2019s streaming channel\u2014a reflection of how journalism has expanded beyond traditional television and become a nearly around-the-clock enterprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love doing this, but I always tell people I\u2019m 100% busier than I was a year ago,\u201d Llamas said.<\/p>\n

The ramped-up pace has required adjustments\u2014not only for him, but for his family. Llamas and his wife are raising three young children, making the balance between work and home an increasingly conscious priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I\u2019ve learned is that when you\u2019re at work, you\u2019re at work\u2014when you\u2019re at home, you\u2019re at home,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t really try to do both.\u201d<\/p>\n

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For someone tasked with staying ahead of breaking events around the globe, the philosophy may seem surprising. But Llamas says family ultimately matters more than ratings wins or beating competitors to a story. His personal definition of success remains remarkably simple: \u201cWas I a good dad, and was I a good husband?\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Nobel Laureate Daron Acemoglu on the \u2018brainless\u2019 AI discourse, the myth of capitalism and the Gen Z revolution risk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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