Trevor Cadigan, journalist and former Business Insider intern, dies at 26

Jacqui Frank / Business InsiderTrevor Cadigan.

• Trevor Cadigan, 26, died Sunday evening in a New York City helicopter crash that killed five people.
• Cadigan interned at Business Insider and quickly impressed colleagues with his passion and enthusiasm.
• Friends and coworkers remember Cadigan's selflessness and his love of journalism.

Trevor Cadigan, a former Business Insider intern who produced video for "The Bottom Line", died Sunday evening in a New York City helicopter crash that killed five people. He was 26.

Cadigan worked at Business Insider from October 2017 through February 2018 where his talent and ambition quickly shone.

"He was very enthusiastic and was certainly an overachiever," Business Insider editor Sara Silverstein said.

Friends and colleagues said he was someone who gave his time and energy selflessly, even when there was no personal gain.

"He'd constantly ask to help me, and anyone around him, if he could help, just because. There were no strings attached," friend and Business Insider colleague Corey Protin said.

Cadigan, who dressed daily in a suit and tie for work, wasn't afraid to stand out. But his seriousness for his job didn't get in the way of his affability and ability to make friends everywhere he went.

"He had a presence," colleague Lauren Lyons Cole said. "He was not afraid to make new friends and be himself."

Business journalism had long been a dream for Cadigan, and his passion for the industry came early. He grew up in Dallas, Texas, where his father, Jerry Cadigan, is a production manager at ABC affiliate and Dallas-area television station WFAA. Cadigan grew up trailing his dad around the office, and then working for a short time there in summer 2015.

"He was passionate about journalism and found his calling," said Dave Muscari, a WFAA vice president.

Faculty at his college, Southern Methodist University, remember Cadigan as a student who cared deeply about his studies.

"He was very much a stand out," said Mark Vamos, William J. O'Neil Chair of Business Journalism at SMU. "He was a great kid and somebody who you remember as a teacher. He was really engaged. He was interested in the material."

He majored in journalism and minored in business and Mandarin Chinese, and led SMU's student-run broadcast The Daily Update as its news director.

Cadigan later worked in Beijing, where he produced videos for SupChina, a China-focused media startup.

At Business Insider, Cadigan's ambition pushed him to meet frequently with senior leaders in the organization, including Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget and Global Editor-in-Chief, Nicholas Carlson.

"He was a smart, talented, and ambitious young journalist and producer who was well-liked and made a big contribution to our team. Our hearts go out to Trevor's family and friends," Blodget said.

"Trevor would meet with me every week, asking what he could do better. He was ambitious, and he channeled it into hard work," Carlson said. "When Trevor left BI, he sent me a note to say thank you. (He was conscientious and smart that way.) I responded, 'You're going to do great.' I was sure that he would."

Cadigan produced and edited some of the biggest guest interviews for Business Insider's "The Bottom Line" show over the past few months, including interviews with investment heavyweights, CEOs, and cryptocurrency experts.

"Today has easily been the worst day in five years for me at BI," Executive pPoducer Justin Maiman wrote in an email to colleagues. "[Trevor] was a lovely young man who wore a tie more than me and Henry. He raised his hand for every job, big and small."

Cadigan is survived by his parents Jerry and Canton, and his sister Kathleen.