From Broadcast Journalism to Real Estate Finance
Nate Zielinski, Senior Partnerships Coordinator at RCN Capital
By Carole VanSickle Ellis
When Nate Zielinski graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism in 2015, he did not foresee real estate investment financing in his future. Nevertheless, when he joined private lender RCN Capital in 2020, he knew his background in communications would be an asset in his new role.
“I went in as a blank slate as far as the real estate investment slate goes, but I think everyone has a ‘that friend’ who is investing in real estate and telling you that you should try it out, so people were flooding into the industry at that time,” Zielinski recalled.
“Fortunately for me, RCN’s guidelines for lending are very pro-investor, so they were able to keep going full steam ahead during the pandemic and now as we are coming into a new type of market as well. It made it easier for me to succeed and help investors who were bringing in their deals to succeed also.”
“The Coolest Thing to Do”
As a kid, when Zielinski dreamed of his future career, he dreamed of sports broadcasting.
“At first, I really wanted to be in the NBA, but it became pretty obvious I was not going to make it there,” he admitted. “I figured the next best thing would be for me to be one of the guys sitting courtside and talking about the game. As far as I was concerned, that was the coolest thing to do.”
Zielinski pursued his dreams, majoring in broadcast journalism and honing his writing and hosting skills throughout college and in his early professional years.
“It just affirmed my belief that creating content and talking to other people about things that I am passionate about was really, really fun to me,” he recalled. He also gained experience writing podcast scripts and even calling high school basketball games, which he says even today help him maintain the “muscle memory” needed to be able to come up with ideas and talk on the fly.
Today, however, what gets Zielinski excited is networking and building relationships in the real estate industry and bringing investors’ stories to new audiences via RCN’s podcast, “Uncontested Investing.” The goal of the podcast, he said, is for more people to understand just how much opportunity exists in the real estate investing space.
“It is these people and their stories that are truly the stars of the show,” Zielinski said. “When they share information about their lives and passions, we all benefit.”
Building Relationships & Spreading the RCN Message
Zielinski started out with RCN as a loan officer, but his skills in communication and relationship building soon were the impetus for a move into his current position as senior partnerships coordinator. In this role, he writes monthly, educational articles for multiple publications, networks in person at trade shows, teaches classes about private lending, and, of course, is excitedly working with the company to re-launch “Uncontested Investing.”
Zielinski is particularly excited about the podcast, which focuses on real estate professionals and both their personal and professional stories and successes.
“It is all about how people succeed in the real estate industry, letting people know this is a huge space you can be a part of in a multitude of ways,” he said. His first episode as the new host will launch in late March.
“It is going to be a little bit of industry knowledge, a little bit of entertainment, and a lot of behind-the-scenes information on what leaders in our industry are doing to support real estate and private lending,” Zielinski said. He also teased several other upcoming guests, including Erica Sarway of the Global Financial Training Program and Jon Hornik, co-chair of the Real Estate, Real Estate Finance & Leasing Practice group at law firm LaRocca Hornik Rosen & Greenberg. Hornik specializes in lending practices, real estate transactions, private placements, and commercial lending and leasing. He is also serving his second term as mayor of Marlboro Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
“That is going to be a really interesting and enlightening conversation because a lot of investors do not really know a lot about what Jon does from a legal standpoint, so that will be a really interesting angle,” Zielinski predicted. “And, of course, Erica is going to basically be giving us a crash course on how to make more money.”
Learn more about RCN Capital and see the latest news about the Uncontested Investing podcast at RCNCapital.com.
SIDEBAR
Navigating New Markets with Consistency and a Team Mindset
One of the things Nate Zielinski loves most about working with RCN is getting to see the teamwork that exists in the real estate industry firsthand. However, he noted, developing those early relationships and network connections is not always easy.
“There is an onus on the investor to network and develop those relationships over time,” he said, adding, “There are many facets to real estate investing, and it is crucial for investors to open up, identify, and accept the help and expertise available to them.”
For Zielinski, this means part of his job is making sure investors know what is available to them, particularly in the context of financing for investments. He is always on the hunt for new connections and companies that can help RCN Capital clients alleviate pain points in their investing trajectories and processes.
“Our loan officers have been able to continue closing loans at a significant clip throughout the pandemic and post-pandemic environments,” Zielinski observed. “Today’s market is constantly changing, and part of my job is to form relationships that will help us identify companies that can partner with us in any economy and help us reach investors through different education platforms.”
RCN Capital is a nationwide, private direct lender established in 2010 that provides short-term fix-and-flip financing as well as long-term rental financing for real estate investors. However, Zielinski said, many other real estate professionals do not realize RCN is prepared to serve them as well.
“We lend to real estate professionals, commercial contractors, developers, and small-business owners throughout the country,” he said. “It is exciting to be part of helping people realize that a company like ours that has extremely efficient closing processes, uses common-sense underwriting and in-house approvals, and that is deeply familiar with the things real estate professionals need is available to help them grow in the real estate space. I am just so happy I get to be a part of that.”
