Q It Up: Who Were Your Mentors? What person or people most influenced your skills? This doesn’t necessarily have to be someone you knew personally or worked with. Maybe it’s just someone whose work influenced you, simply by hearing and studying it. And what is one or more of the biggest things you learned from this person or persons that has helped shape your style and skillset?
Steve Mitchell: Stan Freberg. I heard his song parodies and later his commercials, which really got me interested in doing production more than being "on the air". Then the Chicago Radio Syndicate came along. After hearing Dick, Burt and Jane, needless to say, I was HOOKED. I didn't try to copy their style, but tailored their writing and cadence into mine.
Maurice Verschuuren, Fastlane Audio: Great question! When you track it back, you can often hear some of the production techniques and style influences people have, which is great.
For me, it was a mixture of early Z100 (‘80s, ‘90s) and definitely Radio Veronica (Netherlands) in the 1990s, especially Robert Jensen who was PD and doing imaging from ’94 tot ‘00. We worked together a lot when I came into this business and still do.
I also listened to a lot of ReelWorld, especially the demos that came out between 1996-2006 -- a very unique and fresh style.
AND last but not least, NRJ France, between 1996 and 2001 was absolutely amazing. They had a time when they had screaming vocals go over songs from the Chemical Brothers, added some of those typical old school quotes and drops, and turned that into 20-30 sec jingles, which most of the time, ended with a huge bang or 10 sec down filter. Unbelievable fireworks on the air! Everything beat matched and sounded bigger than anything I’ve ever heard since. I still think the French have a great ear for production.
Todd Broady: There are 2 people who influenced my skills. First, Dan Berggren, retired Communications Professor at SUNY Fredonia. He formed my knowledge of radio and deepened my love of it. He is a true audiophile that really made me look at what I was producing but knew enough to keep his hands off and let me do it even if it sucked. He was always there for advice, and to this day I consider him a mentor as well as a friend.
And 2nd, Jim Pastrick. I was a production intern under Jim at WNYS HOT 104 in Buffalo. Jim formed my view of commercial radio and how PROduction should be done. I would sit in the Production Studio with Jim and watch him work the Otari 4-track… slip queue a record and listen to his inflection on commercials. Then as soon as he left, I’d jump in the chair and try to duplicate what he did. Notice I said try!
It was a truly amazing time, and I know I would not be where I am today without these two mentors in my life. And I’m very thankful that I can call them friends as well.
Gary Michaels, WASK, WKOA, WKHY, WXXB, ESPN, Lafayette, IN: There's always too many people to mention and thank, but I most gratefully attribute my career to Prof. LeRoy Bannerman of Indiana University. In 1980, he offered an 'experimental' course in advanced multi-track production to 20 hand-picked students, and I made the cut. Intense 6 weeks of engineering followed by 6 weeks of mic dynamics, effects, voice technique and multi-track tricks, and then a final 6 weeks of grueling daily production projects, from simple 30 second commercials to hour-long documentaries. I learned more in that one class than all my other courses combined. Only 9 students finished the class, and I finished with the highest grade - a B+. My hands-on knowledge from that one class has made all the difference in where I am today thanks to a professor who had passion and loved audio production.
Chuck Taylor, KHYI 95.3 The Range, Dallas, TX: Probably one of the biggest influences on my production style is Gene Wooten, who was Production/Creative Services Director at WPLJ from 1985-2002. I never physically met Gene, but early in my career, I worked at KBYB in El Dorado, AR as Program Director and our GM Craig Dale knew Gene.
We had a great summer promotion that I had come up with, the biggest thing the little town of El Dorado had ever seen at that point. Craig said we needed Gene to produce the spots, so we got on the phone and Gene got what we were going for. The production he put together made the contest sound bigger than life, and he did that by creating images with sound. I always strive to make that a part of my production. We only have so long to get their attention or to create a feeling or a mood, and you can do that with sound effects and ambiance far more effectively than just slapping a music bed underneath a dry read.
Ben LuMaye, BenLuMayeCreative: I have had many mentors and influences throughout my career. If I had to pick one, it would be Nick Michaels. Nick is was of the most creative and passionate forces in the broadcast universe. He taught me the importance of writing, great writing, compelling writing... It's the writing that makes an emotional connection with the listener. He taught me that in an over communicated world, a whisper becomes a scream. He taught me how to respect the listener and value their time, and that they are way smarter than we give them credit for. Never talk down to them. Never tell them what to do. Always put them first. Thanks Nick!
CJ Goodearl, www.cjvoices.com: Jeff Laurence, for showing that you can actually get paid for VO, and for scouting out the best BBQ joints for lunch! Zak Miller, same, but change the second part to cold beer.
Love you guys! They continue to kick ass, and that kicks me in the ass.
For commercial copywriting, production, sense of fun, it all goes back to Stan Freberg. We should all bow down to Stan THE MAN.
Work hard, make time for fun, and keep your sense of humor. Super-serve your clients. Words to live by!
Thanks!
Dave Calvert: For me it was Terry O’Malley, who was the Chairman and Creative Director of Vickers & Benson Advertising. He’s a member of the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends, for good reason - his ads are legendary. (He was the first Canadian to write a commercial that made it into the Clio Advertising Hall of Fame.)
Most importantly, he showed me that it’s possible to be a nice guy and work in advertising. He tries to live by these words: “Always do a favour. Never bear a grudge.” I wish I could be as magnanimous AND as talented as Mr. O’Malley.
Dave Cockram, Indie88, Toronto, ON: In my early days I went to a lot of different radio stations to see how they did it. I sat in with other producers or sent them stuff of mine to review.
To name a few of those producers, it would have been Dan Kirkness, Ryan Stockert, John Masecar, Trevor Shand and Mike Sherlock. When you first start out you have no experience and not much confidence, so you mainly just copy people -- which isn’t wrong. But I think that mentality hinders creative growth. You have to know the rules in order to break them, that’s true. The downside of this approach is that radio in general just ends up sounding the exact same and there’s no real progress. “Make it bigger, copy that EQ, more LASERS!”
It wasn’t well into my time at JACK FM when I tried doing the opposite of what everyone else was doing.
After producing artist liner montages and hokey game show spots for 10 years, you start asking yourself, “is this really all there is to prod?” The advice people should be getting is, “Do whatever you want… if it is good… we will put it on the air”.
While most radio stations relied heavily on stagers and FX, I really tried only cutting sounds that were relevant to Howard Cogan’s scripts. Often times just background sound effects and ambience. If it was summer and he was talking about Speedos on the beach, I just cut beach SFX. That’s it. I tried to physically place the voice talent at the location he was talking about. I wouldn’t cut any sound the script didn’t call for unless it absolutely needed something. I was often told my work sounded boring, however, it did differentiate us from the competition. You weren’t bombarded with explosions between every song.
I guess my long winded point here is the best advice I ever got was from Ryan Stockert. “There’s no wrong way to do it, it’s just about preference and what you think sounds the best”.
Corey Coldwell, Arctic Radio, Thompson, MB: Who has influenced me most? That's a pretty tough question to answer. I would say there have been multiple influences, going all the way back to when I was just a kid. The first influence for me without a doubt is the guy who first made me interested in radio... George Noory from Coast to Coast AM. He is the ultimate storyteller! Another great storyteller that has influenced me tremendously is Frank Zappa. Whether he is singing about yellow snow or wet t-shirt contests, his choice of wording is always enough to capture my attention... Plus, he's weird. Weird is good.
Back to the radio side of things, Jim Rome is another person who has influenced me. His hardworking, never give up attitude seems to be exactly what it takes to be successful in this industry. Last but certainly not least, is my former production teacher at SAIT, Richard Stroobant. Richard's insane attention to every single detail in a commercial production has made me a better writer, producer and perfectionist. Because Richard would never accept less than 110%, he has made it so I also will never accept less than 110%. The thing is, if you ask me again in a year I will have many more influences. That's just how art works.
Gary McClenaghan, Bell Media, Edmonton, AB: Well, personally, I’ve had a few people I listened to and kind of spoke to me through their work. John Frost is first and foremost my favorite producer, mostly because I felt his sense of humor best matched my own. A truly disturbed mind in sound design. Technically speaking, no one person developed my sound. It would have been more of a mix of many -- i.e. Eric Chase, Dave Foxx. The same as everyone else, I’m sure. Ultimately, whom I am producing makes the ultimate difference. Not every voice talent can be utilized the same way, so working with as many different voice talents as possible has been a huge way to develop my range of production.
Gord Williams: This is a brain twister. Who are my mentors? When it comes to audio recording I am self- taught for the most part. I can credit many videos from people like Ben Loftis of Harrison and some of their commissioned videos as well, to help me figure it out. But in the main, I heard a mysteriously developed sound and tried to emulate it.
I would also have to credit numerous articles in print, on the Internet, and other places when it comes to theory.
Mic positioning for vocal I learned by experimentation and quite often by going against the rules during the days when I thought my voice wasn't big enough. So I in a word ate the mic at many stations with less than satisfactory results. Partly because I was hyper critical of myself and partly because the sonic qualities of the production room, in another word, were poor.
Some broadcast equipment was "rescued from the Titanic" as we put it. I remember some of the reel-to-reel machines did not work for a long time in the on air studio because they could not find replacement amplifier tubes for them. We invented ways to play Christmas shows, commercial islands, and other elements with one deck instead of two.
I think this leads up to the biggest mentor was necessity. My Mom and probably yours because we all have at least met if not lived with the mother of invention.
Al Peterson, Radio America Network, Arlington VA: My heroes weren't radio folks, but envelope-pushers in the electronic music arena: Wendy Carlos, Perrey-Kingsley, Herb Deutsch, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Bob Moog and others. But my all-time hero was guitarist/inventor Les Paul.
Right around the time I started messing around with tape recorders as a kid, my mom pulled out an old '78 of Les (recorded before he teamed up with Mary Ford) and turned me on to his technology and artistry. A few years later, as I got more skilled, I wrote to London Records asking for some hard technical details on how certain aspects of his recordings were accomplished. To my astonishment, he replied to me personally with some skimpy but useful explanations. We corresponded a few more times, and I got to see him in an impromptu performance on Long Island in the early 1970s. And I found out he built a bootleg radio station in his NYC apartment before he was 30 years old, so what can I say? Instant Hero!
In college, my head was wrapped up in music and recording, but my heart was in acting and radio performance, so I applied everything I learned to radio production. I gathered some tricks along the way from other production folks, but Les Paul was the one who inspired me above all others. And his first letter to me is framed and hanging in my basement office/studio in tribute.
Ben Thorgeirson, Ben Thorgeirson Voice Over: I've got a few! My production prof at SAIT, Richard Stroobant was a big one. Dave Cruickshank, formerly of Rogers Medicine Hat (who I never actually worked with). My current production manager, Justin Dove. I learned work ethic from all of these people and how to judge how badly you want something. I think drive is one of my most valuable skills and I gained it from each of these guys.
Juliette Nicholls, The Heart Network, London, United Kingdom: I've had a number of mentors in the past few years.
I started with an internship with Shaun Skinner - he spent literally months showing me the ropes with Pro Tools and the basics of writing and producing trails. He gave me a wealth of knowledge and a whole load of patience as I started from scratch.
Since then, various people have let me watch and learn from them. Steve Martin and Kat Kerr particularly stand out as they both gave up loads of their time to pass on their knowledge of editing, tips and tricks. They also went out of their way to give me opportunities to learn more on the job, and that was invaluable. I really appreciate how much effort they put in.
More recently, I've been accepted onto a formal six-month mentorship scheme for Sound Women. I'm really looking forward to learning more from a woman in radio who's been on the journey I'm on now before me.
Jay Helmus, Newcap Radio, Richmond, BC: Oh boy. I have several. All of whom I have a great deal of respect and admiration for.
For radio... Craig Jackman (RAP Writer, Production Director, Professor at Loyalist College) was my first mentor and taught me all the fundamentals. Chris Pottage (Production Director, Toronto) taught me how compression works, EQ, phase, signal flow... He was also instrumental in shaping my approach to workplace conduct, positivity, outlook, etc... He still critiques my stuff.
Geez, there are so many others. Dave Foxx (Z100, New York) Dave Cockram (Producer, Toronto), Michael Sherlock (Production Director, Vancouver), Shelley Zavitz (Creative Director), Chris Leitz (Creative Director), Ronnie Stanton (Operations Manager, Vancouver), John Masecar (Producer, Vancouver), Paul Kaye (Operations Manager, Vancouver)...
And then for music production... Grahame Cochrame and Joe Gilder (Dueling Mixes) have been the big ones for me. Dave Pensado's online YouTube show "Pensado's Place"... David Glenn (The Mix Academy) has been what I'm into right now and his online content is absolutely fantastic for mixing. Garth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, Rise Against) has been critiquing my mixes and developing my ear as well.
And then obviously my college professors, Don Crockford and Iain Barrie. And there's probably dozens of other people that I'm forgetting (sorry), but I already feel like this is turning into a laundry list. I guess the point might be that it's impossible to figure everything out on your own when it comes to audio production. Or at least, I certainly can't. I need mentors! :)
Steve Wein, KTRS, Reel BIG Productions, St. Louis, MO: I've been in the radio biz so long, that I'd probably have to credit Marconi himself as he and I were setting up the very first radio station!
Just kidding, but back when I began, Stan Freeberg and Dick Orkin were the two guys cranking out cleverly written, beautifully acted production that just exuded entertainment value, as well as getting the client's core message across to the listener. I attached one of my early spots from 1973 that I wrote, voiced, and produced for a client that gave me only a few grocery items as copy points, and I had sixty seconds to fill. I ended up doing all the voices in the spot, which was a challenge back in the day of AM top 40 radio, with a production room that consisted of one turntable, one cart machine, and one mono reel-to-reel.
I made the Radio Ranch style of writing a bedrock of everything I've done through today.
The next influence on my work came in 1976 when I was in Orlando radio. My father, who owned an AM/FM combo in Muscle Shoals, AL, talked me into spending six months there as PD to get the new FM on track. There wasn't much else going on in Muscle Shoals, except the recording industry. I hung around Muscle Shoals Sound while such groups as Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded, and was introduced to multi-tracking. It really changed the production process to me because of the flexibility of what the individual tracks would give us in the production process. But the first time I could use that knowledge didn't come until the mid ‘80s when I was able to use a 4-track.
Back in those days, I would aircheck every top station I could, then try to dissect their air sound and production process (Otherwise known as stealing ideas). There were probably hundreds of individuals whose work I heard on all those classic radio stations whose names I would never know. But, like all of us who do what we do, I would listen critically, and if I heard an approach or interesting effect, I'd try to duplicate it and include it in my repertoire.
When digital production first popped on the scene, I begged our GM to update because of the creative effect it would have on the production process. My first crack at it was the Orban DSE 7000. From that point on, we had the "undo" function, so we were not afraid to experiment any more. Sure beats having to dig through the trash looking for that piece of tape that we just edited out, and had to put back because the idea didn't work!
Nilo Gomes, 94FM, São Luis, Brazil, www.nilogomes.com: Well, currently I have in a person a great source of professional inspiration. Dave Foxx for me is a complete professional. His voice techniques and editing encouraged me to always seek new ways and follow my intuition so that I can find motivation and overcome new challenges. Another thing that strikes me in Dave Foxx is the ability to reinvent oneself and keep up with changes that often happen in your professional area.
Dave Foxx this is the guy!
Matthew Escobedo: The person who has had the biggest influence to my skills today is the Sales Manager for American General Media in San Luis Obispo, CA. He taught me to build relationships, be consistent and treat each person as if they are your only client. His name is Mark Tobin.
Mitch Todd, Sirius/XM, New York, NY: The radio “bug” bit me hard when I was around 11 or 12. I was totally influenced by the real-life Adrian Cronauer (Good Morning Vietnam). He and my father did some creative work together (radio, film, TV & theatre) in the ‘70s/’80s, and I was totally enamored with his many talents. I knew exactly what I wanted to do by 12 years old: Be on the air & producing imaging. I then started building “bedroom studios” from Heathkit kits & Radio Shack parts and pieces and had my 1st bedroom radio station at 13.
I’d go to Adrian’s AM & FM stations he worked for at the time, as well as a UHF TV station. I was awestruck at the various projects my family & I were involved with via Adrian (including audio for video post work). He was the guy who put up with all my questions and even let me use (and break once) the radio & TV station’s equipment. It was also my first experience with analog automation beasts with carousels & Revox reels!
As far as creative inspiration, by the time I began doing production full-time in the mid-‘80s, Dick Orkin was my hero. I only met him twice at west coast seminars, but I would often dissect how he’d meticulously craft compelling, funny copy, and then execute it with a comic’s perfect rhythm.
A lot of kind people helped me over the years, but these are the two people who truly inspired me along the way.
Mark Oliver, FM Talk 1065, WAVH-FM, Mobile, AL: There have been several individuals who have been huge influences in my career. The first person that comes to mind is the guy that sat me down in front of a mic that was actually attached to a transmitter. That person was Dan Mason at WEKU-FM, Eastern Kentucky University's 50 KW station. Yes, that Dan Mason, former President and CEO of Group W/ CBS Radio. Dan took the time to guide and instruct those of us that were allowed to have a few hours of air-time on the University's frequency. I admired him at the time and tried to emulate his on air sound and style as much as possible.
Another individual that comes to mind is J.B. Carmichel, my program director at WAXU-AM & FM in Lexington, KY, where I was able to learn the real basics of all aspects of commercial radio, from on air to music director to production. I still remember that J.B. during one critique session spelled the word J-U-S-T -- stopped me from saying JEST on the air. Maybe one of his pet peeves… it is certainly now one of mine.
Thanks to John Weeks, who helped me refine my production style and was the first person to teach me how to use one of the most difficult DAWs I have ever tried to use. Every other piece of software has been child's play by comparison.
Dave Cobb, who offered a tremendous opportunity and the guidance that helped my success in programming the first Sports Talk FM signal in the Pensacola, FL area.
I continue to learn from people like Roy Williams for copy writing and marketing and Dick Orkin of Chicken Man fame, who lead one of the most entertaining and informative conferences that I have attended.
There have been others, but these individuals have been the most influential in my career that has provided a good income and a lot of fun for over 40 years. Everyone should be so lucky!
I also studied the styles of Dick Orkin, who I’ve studied with, Phil Proctor & Joe Cipriano.
Howard Kazuska: In the early ‘70s, while going to high school, I worked part-time at CKRC 630 in Winnipeg. Remember, in those years, AM radio was king as FM radio was just starting up and was finding its niche. Trying to learn everything to do with radio, two of many broadcasters at CKRC took me under their wings so to speak. One radio wizard was named Harry Taylor who was the Production Manager and the other was the mid-day deejay named Reg Johns (on-air name was Gary Roberts).
Harry showed me how to record with the various announcers to get the best delivery in 30 or 60 seconds, no matter how many takes. Harry also let me sit in when he was doing sessions with advertising agencies to see how the creative process worked at producing attention-getting radio spots. Harry was later lured to the competing radio station CKY and CITI-FM, at which he headed up production until retiring early due to health problems.
Reg (or Gary) was one of those guys that was just full of energy, who lived and breathed radio. His enthusiasm for radio rubbed off on me. Even though he was an on-air personality, Reg was so far ahead of his time when it came to production, whether it was doing station IDs, promos or ads. Reg used to get air-checks from Top-40 radio station KCBQ in San Diego. Just saying K-C-B-Q still sends a chill down my back as it just sounds tough yet sexy. Anyways, Reg would invite me to listen to those air-checks and then he would try to duplicate the sound for a promo (remember, this was still in the day on mono tape recorders, cart machines and early versions of a 4-track).
From Reg I learned a lot of tricks of the trade that I used in my career to impress fellow radio people and studio producers. Reg’s tricks allowed me to open up my own recording studio 10 years later specializing in radio production only (unheard of at the time) that kept my clients from ad agencies coming back for many many years to produce their radio and TV commercials (many that won local, national and international awards). Reg went on to become Station Manager for CKRC, before moving to CKOM in Montreal and then joining with his brother George Johns to head up a successful radio consulting firm based out of San Diego.
I am forever indebted to Harry Taylor and Reg Johns.
Andy Berkowitz, Forever Media, Altoona, PA: I've been fortunate enough to have had several mentors in my career across the academic and professional spectrum. At SUNY Geneseo I learned production from Dr. Steve Konick, a former air personality with an amazing passion for radio. He taught me everything about every piece of equipment in a studio. He taught me how to edit with razor & tape because he knew that's what I'd find at my first gigs... but made sure I learned digital (it was very new then) because that's where the industry was going. Prof. Jerry Engel, taught me how to write copy that was effective, and not just a comedy sketch. The brilliant Kurt "Boomer" Schenk, took me on as a Production Intern at the now-defunct 106.7 WMAX-FM in Rochester, NY and completely blew my mind. He opened my eyes to technique and style... introducing me to the use of vocal effects, characters, and how to craft a campaign. He showed me how to make spots that you couldn't get out of your head. As Assistant Production Director to Tom Jenkins at EAGLE 97.7 WAFL-FM in Milford, DE, I learned how to work faster, and more efficiently. He showed me the miracle of creating templates for spots and imaging with updates, which came in handy, since he must've produced about ten-thousand sweepers a week (at least, it seemed like he did).
As the Production Director of a very busy small market cluster, I know that my style may be my own, but without the patience, generosity, and endless hours of instruction these great talents shared with me, I wouldn't be the producer I am today.
Michaël Gendron: Thanks to Dave Foxx, for all that he did. I learn a lot by trying to do a promo like him. I listen to a lot of conferences that he did about production, and I found that we think approximately in the same way about radio.
I'm from Quebec, Canada. Pierre-Yves "Le P" Blais was a good coach for me when I started doing production. I went to his studio and I learned a lot about the job AND the passion to be a producer.
Now it's funny, because it's my turn to help new producers at my work. I try to do my best.
Wayne Fox: Jeff Thomas of Killer hertz fame. I worked with Thommo at 3UZ in Melbourne and again at Triple M in Sydney. And Simon Slash Hicks who I worked with at Triple M Sydney. Both these guys are production Gods.
Howard Hoffman: A very early distant influence was Stan Freberg who repeatedly demonstrated the power of imagination through sound in every radio endeavor he did. In my second radio job in Middletown, NY, I did the evening show, and the production director was a great guy named Jim Brownold. Jim went on to Detroit and a long stint at WPLJ in New York, but I learned an awful lot about writing and producing from him. We both were admirers of Dick Orkin, and there were a lot of his sensibilities in spots where we collaborated. We’re still best friends.
You’ll notice most of my mentors were comedic. I still love injecting all forms of humor – from dry to slapstick - into my work. It entertains the listeners, and it entertains the hell out of me.
Technically, I learned a lot from Rick Allen when we worked together at HOT 97 in New York. Nobody does sound design better. And of course while I was in L.A. I loved what John Frost did at KROQ… he set the bar in that market and kept me on my game.
I never stop learning from others, so I always feel I’m still being constantly mentored. Curiosity and learning curves are almost always easier with all those people on my shoulder.
My father was a disc jockey. Although, he left when I was five, so I never really even heard him on the air. I know that he was on the air in Dover, DE and in the DC area as a country jock. I believe he worked at WPIK-AM in Virginia just outside of the district. I DO know that he did overnights for a number of years at KLAC-AM in Los Angeles. But, alas, he was no mentor.
I grew up in the Washington, DC area and my early “mentors” were heard on WPGC, a station I had always wanted to work at ever since I was about 9 and I discovered “Harv Moore, The Boy Next Door” who did mornings on ‘PGC. He and the “Redhead”, as he called her, was “can’t miss radio” each and every morning, and I would have to say was my earliest influence.
I have heard a couple of airchecks recently, which is what makes your question about what person or people most influenced your skills so timely. Hearing the airchecks of Harv this past week made me realize that he wasn’t a GREAT morning man like a Dr. Don Rose or a Charlie Tuna of the sixties and seventies. Hell, I never even heard those guys until I actually got ON the radio. But it was fun radio and probably the most fun in the morning I had heard as a nine year old kid.
Second would be Willard Scott and Ed Walker, the “Joy Boys of Radio” at WRC-AM in DC. They were flat out FUN & FUNNY. So that was a show that I probably wanted to kinda be like, although it was more of an “unconscious” thing. I never really tried to copy what they were doing.
Charlie Tuna! That was a guy that I listened to just after I got into radio and thought, “That is who I am going to be… Charlie Tuna!” So, I tried to imitate him to some extent. But Charlie said something in an interview that hit me HARD. He said, “I prepare an hour for each and every hour that I am on the air”. That became my motto. So, early influence was Charlie Tuna, for sure! (And he is still great to this day. I don’t think he has changed one iota!)
SO, 3 years after I got on the air I am working with the GREAT Dave Foxx (who just left Z100 in New York like last week to form his own business). The amazingly talented, Don Geronimo (who I worked WITH at WPGC and against when I was doing mornings at WRQX and he was doing mornings at WAVA in DC). And, of course, the genius of BOTH, Steve Kingston and Scott Shannon, who hired me at WPGC back in 1981. (I had the chance to work with Scott again when I was his voice guy for the satellite version of Pirate Radio in LA).
So, my early influences were all very solid. Then, in 1984, I was hired at KIIS in Los Angeles, and I was sandwiched between Rick Dees and Big Ron O’Brien. I was like a sponge listening and, of course, TALKING with them both on a daily basis for like two years. Rick taught me how to relate comically to the audience -- fine-tuning my showprep to pinpoint both the market and the target demographics. He taught me how to look at who you are relating to, finding the relatable subjects that connect you with the demo, writing the prep to specifically hit the target demo where they live, and delivering the final product in a fun, entertaining and relatable way, so they are entertained and deep down make a connection with you and the show in a way that they don’t even realize that they don’t want to miss a single minute of your broadcast. BAM! That was the most amazing comprehensive moment that I had ever had up until that point in my career. And that was how I approached each and every show from then on. From the late, GREAT, Big Ron O’Brien (RIP Ron), I learned a lot about comedic timing over the intros of songs -- quick, to the point, entertaining, and a forward motion flow that felt like, when you were doing it right, nonstop inertia on the radio. I’ll even toss in Howard Stern. I never met the man, but I do know that he also pinpoints his target audience to a gnat’s butt and then hits them right between the eyes with his show prep and his on-air delivery.
I was also pulled aside by Gannett Broadcasting’s “Entertainment Consultant”, Gary Owens. Yeah, the Laugh-In dude. Gary came into the studio the first week I was on the air at KIIS and told me to come to his office as soon as I hung up my headset. Gary and I talked comedy on the radio, and he worked with me on some creative ways to come from left field to hit the audience in a way that they didn’t even know they were being hit. Probably the greatest example I can give is, I heard Gary doing afternoons and he was doing a live spot for Metamucil. His tag line was, “I have never Met-A-Mucil that I didn’t like”. That was it! A live spot, the LINE, hit the rest of the commercials, jingle, song, bam. Pure entertainment!
So, those were my early influences, and what I got out of it was, from 1984 on, not only did I prep an hour for each hour I was on the air (Tuna), but I recorded each and every show; and after the show was over, I took the tape home and listened to the whole show, picking each and every break apart, looking at how I could make each break better than what I delivered on the air and had just heard in my living room. How I could make it flow better (Big Ron), how I could pin-point the listeners’ likes and dislikes so I can better target my prep dead center on the target demo (Dees) and to make it so the listener would go, “WTF?” at the creative way in which I hit them with my on-air content (Gary Owens).
What happened after that was two “Bobby Poe Medium Market Air Personality of the Year” Awards, multiple State “Air Personality of the Year” Awards in North Carolina and Colorado, and showing up in a competing CHR radio station’s market research for five straight years AFTER I LEFT THE MARKET in Charlotte, NC, as the “#1 Air Personality that you remember listening to” each week.
I am sure that there were some other GREAT Air Personalities I have heard over the years either live, or in aircheck form that I have learned something from just by listening. I have had some GREAT mentors in my career, but, learning how to be a better Air Personality, whether it be what you have learned from your mentors, or by applying what you have learned each and every day that you are on the air, is something that never stops. Always strive to be better tomorrow than what you were today.
Abel Sanchez: Being raised in the NYC listening area, I was fortunate to grow up listening to some of the best in the industry (on air talent & production/imaging). It’s what made me want to be in radio.
I’m sure like many others replying, when it comes to imaging, hands down the biggest influence was Dave Foxx, even before I knew enough about radio to know who Dave Foxx is. As a kid I’d listen to Z100, and yeah, music was what I’d turn on the radio for, but something about those things that go between the songs… Wow it makes this station sound larger than life! -- especially in the late ‘80s, ‘90s early 2000s. I’d go on vacation with my parents and listen to stations in other markets, and it just wasn’t the same -- not necessarily bad, just not the same. Once I got into radio, all my imaging was initially an attempt to emulate the imaging on Z100. I’d listen to sounds in his work and then sit in front of my machine for hours until I figured out how he created it.
Eventually I learned what my own style was, but always measure it up to Dave’s work -- is it close to level of Dave’s work. And I never lost the desire to make every piece of imaging sound big. Not just in sound but in demeanor, feel, description, influence… make every piece impossible to ignore, make it demand attention even if for just 3 seconds. If need be, throw in a second of nothing, make the silence grab the listeners attention.
[silence - “what happen to the radio”?] BOOM, drop the most important message, attention getter!
So that even if the promo was about paper clip it, would give the impression that this paper clip is the one and only, the best paper clip, the only one that matters. It’s the one paperclip that will in some inexplicable way make you special, so you have to have it. All the while keeping transition clean, maintaining tempo, and clarity.
One of the many big things I learned from studying his work was that sometimes, to achieve a big and impacting sound, all that’s needed is simplicity. Simplicity at the right time sometimes can be huge.
Kinda corny/cheesy/geeky, but then again what else would you expect from a radio nerd who collects air checks from on air personalities I admire/look up to and imagers along with their work, especially station launches. =)
Alex Kerr, Oxfordshire Radio, Banbury, United Kingdom: The person / people that most influenced me were a couple of presenters on Radio Clyde when I was about 10. There was a guy called Dave Marshall who presented the breakfast show. I listened to him every weekday. And a presenter called Mike Riddoch. These guys were great, their style of presentation was focused on the listener, which is sadly lacking in the industry today, a simple form of broadcasting where the listener is king. I learned a lot from them and this is the style I try to include in all my radio shows, the connection to the listener. The way they include them in their whole show while still presenting to the station format was second to none.
Another place was Hospital Radio in Glasgow where I was able to develop my skill, and used their form of presentation in my own style. I am now involved in training and I try and get the trainees to become a way of life for the listener. The guys from longtime ago shaped and inspired me into the kind of presenter, trainer that I am today, and if I could I would thank them for that. It would also be good if for some reason someone would feel the same way as I did and maybe help pave a way for some future proper Radio Presenters.
Joshua Mackey, www.MackeyVoiceTalent.com: There's simply not enough space in this publication to list all of the people that have influenced me in my career and/or skills over the years. But hey, if I can handle squeezing sixty seconds of information into thirty seconds of voiceover, I can give this a go.
My desire to be in radio began as a very young child listening to KBPI in Denver, Colorado. I can't tell you the names of the jocks, but they were awesome. And I wanted their jobs. As I got older, I met a lot of people involved in music, radio and television, and they all had a hand in inspiring me and helping me develop my skills in audio production, broadcasting, and voiceover. In 2005, I landed a job at a Clear Channel cluster in Nebraska and was heavily influenced by a man named John Brandt. He's been at that cluster for somewhere around 50 years. His love of radio and the passion he had when he talked about spinning records and slicing tape was very inspirational for me. When I embarked on my freelance career, I had a number of people that I looked to for influence and guidance. Andrew Frame of bafSoundworks.com provided a tremendous amount of guidance. As did a whole slew of radio folks, freelancers, and individual contractors. Nic Natarella, Arlene Tannis, and many others helped shape what I see as professional voiceover and audio production. I also turned to a professional named Bill DeWees. I have only talked to Bill once, when he was critiquing my voice demo, but I follow his YouTube channel and stay abreast of latest tips through his email newsletters.
It's been a long road of being inspired and guided by some really outstanding people. For those of you who have helped me along the way, here is a heartfelt "Thank you!". What a great way to end 2015 and begin 2016!
Michael Shishido, Michael T Creative: Number one on my list of mentors is a guy named Kamasami Kong. His real name is Bob Zix. He was the first Program Director who gave me a shot in real radio. Up to that point, I'd been pretending to be a DJ at our college station. Kong was PD at the time for KIKI-AM, a Top40 station, but he was also a production genius. I learned from watching him do his thing on Otari reel-to-reels, grease pencils, and splicing tape. He made the best concert spots. And he had incredible fun doing them. That was also my exposure to 2-track recording, slap-back echo, creating reverb when you had no apps or outboard gear.
As far as voice work goes, I listen to great national voices in promos and commercials. When I take the time to listen to masters like Joe Cipriano, Allison Janney, George Del Hoyo, Bill Ratner, etc., first of all, I realize that I've got a long way to go. But they're so good. Just listen and study what and how they're voicing their material. It's inspiring. Locally, I remember my best friend, best man, and dearly departed radio brother, Cliff (Scott) Richards. He had the best pipes in Honolulu.
I've been in radio for decades, but one thing's for sure for me or anyone: watch, listen, and study the best. There's always something new to learn.
Adam Venton, UKRD, Bristol, United Kingdom: Mentors… First and foremost, those I’ve worked with. Number one would have to be Ben Marks (now of ReelWorld Europe). He was senior producer at GWR (which became Heart Bristol) when I worked as a street team member, attending events etc., when I was fresh out of university. After sitting in with him and realizing that imaging was something I wanted to do, he coached and trained me in return for me getting him vox pops and audio from listeners in the street. Over a two year period (unpaid), I went from having no knowledge whatsoever, to getting a job at another company, UKRD – a job I still hold today at time of writing!
Even after I moved to UKRD, and Ben subsequently went to Pure Tonic Media (and ReelWorld), we stayed in touch. He helped me get a foothold on some CHR work, and I still freelance for him now. He just can’t shake me off!
Others include Colin McGinness, my current boss, who has given me room to grow – something that is so so important as a producer, and is actually hard to come by these days with such rigid formats. He is also the master of feature audio – particularly remembrance audio around conflict (he’s won a few RAP awards to boot). George Taylor, previously of ReelWorld now at IMGR, is the most technically gifted producer I’ve ever seen. His attention to details is second to none, and his musical approach to imaging is superb.
All of the above I’ve had the luxury of working with, or under, at some point – so the word ‘mentor’ really applies to them directly. Other producers I admire and have contacted for feedback etc., would be Chris Nicoll, Ben Neidle, Simon Palframan, Jeff Schmidt (killer sound design) and of course Mr. Dave Foxx. I always tell young producers to contact producers whose work they admire, and ask for feedback/critique. It’s the best way to improve as a producer, and I’ve over the years found that the imaging community are very giving and open to such contact. Everyone seems to help each other.
Dave Spiker: Great question! I think I've learned from nearly everyone I've worked with. I've even learned from people I've trained. In creative endeavors, everyone has an opinion and every opinion has a nugget of wisdom. Here's my top three (or more accurately three off the top of my head). Nancy Wolfson (braintracksaudio.com) offered the most challenging, most cerebral, most rewarding VO coaching. It was almost a year of blood, sweat and tears but taught me things my 30+ years of experience hadn't. Ray Wallick was an old boss with golden ears and a quest for sonic perfection. My production masterpieces were rarely "good enough" for him. I hated it then; I appreciate it now. And then, Dan O'Day. Everyone knows Dan (danoday.com). His creative summits were golden. I attended several but wish I had attended them all. Great insights on copywriting and creative thinking. I've also learned great things from Pat Fraley, Susan Blu and Elaine Craig. And have gained insights by the truckload at Faffcon events. In the future, I'm looking forward to learning more from Dave Foxx with his new endeavor.
As far as skills go, the main one was Jon Crowe at the start of my career. Just watching how he built and mixed things together in the days of tape. Late in my career Dave Foxx and Trevor Shand certainly were major influences.
Dennis Daniel: My influences are so many, I couldn’t possibly list them all here. I’ll just concentrate on some of the major ones. ERNIE KOVACS for his dedication to innovation and using the mediums of radio and TV in ways they had never been used before. On his gravestone it says, “Nothing In Moderation.” True.
THE MARX BROTHERS and MONTY PYTHON. They helped me view the world in a more twisted way. BOB DYLAN, for his genius with words. PETER SELLERS for the way he brought characters to life. HARLAN ELLISON for the way he expresses himself when writing reviews and books. All of these and countless more have worked their magic right into my DNA, and I feel their presence every day of my life.
Jordan Taz Lerman, Entercom, Seattle, WA: I was a fortunate dude, and from Chicago, so about 20 years ago when I started in Radio, my internship was at the defunct WRCX-Rock 1035. There, as afternoon drive Intern, then Producer, for Lou Brutus, I watched and learned from a talented perfectionist, kind of a mad genius. Down the hall in Production, I learned an immeasurable amount of skill from Production Director Jeff Laird. Awesome guy, but unfortunately died just years ago. Finally, Ned Spindle. When it comes to writing and execution of seriously entertaining radio prod and imaging, there isn’t anyone better than Ned.
I’ve been very lucky to have worked with legends in this business. Incredible morning men like Gerry Forbes and the late Norm Edwards. These two men showed me the commitment needed to be successful. I’ve worked with (not for) the best GMs in the world, like Marty Forbes & Pat Holiday. These guys showed me that GMs can be human and compassionate while still making hard decisions. They showed me that people matter. I’ve been very lucky to work with incredible PDs as well. Stewart Meyers and Bob Harris, who left me with enough rope to go and play and trusted me with the sound of their station. The late Greg Haraldson and Tom Tompkins, who were honest with me and took a chance hiring this young kid. Some of the best producers in this country have inspired me to be better, but the one who stands out is the late Gord Dolny. Gord taught me the technical side of production, and coaching talent. I’ve been lucky enough to not only have them as mentors, but also as friends. These people shaped my development, and I know for a fact if it wasn’t for ALL of these individuals, I would not have had the success I have enjoyed.
However, there is one person who has helped me in BOTH careers. Steve Olson. I got to know Steve before I even got into radio. To get into the SAIT radio program, I had to interview a person in industry, I picked Steve Olson. Little did I know I would become his first “student”. He taught me so much about the intricacies of the business and how to deal with people. He spent time in his basement teaching me how to improve on the air, and how to be a better person. I had the chance to work with him at two radio stations and I became a sponge. It really was no big surprise that he would later take a job teaching in the radio program at SAIT. And as much as he helped me in radio, he continues to help me even more in education. Little did I know that I would follow him and work alongside him for a 3rd time, teaching audio production at SAIT. The transition from industry to education is not a quick step, but it became a lot smoother for me having my best friend helping me navigate the route. Without Steve Olson’s tutelage, I might still be in Wainwright, Alberta doing bowling reports.