My Personal Rise to the Top of the Music Industry

When it comes to music, I find myself constantly amazed at the reason people like or dislike certain artists or type of music. Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking personal preference. Everyone has their own reasons for liking a particular artist, whether the music they listen to invokes feelings of nostalgia and wonderful memories, whether it just makes them want to dance, or usually in my case, if the music has a conscious message behind it or features a well told story.

I guess this is the part where I go into a little episode of personal history. Please be patient, as this is relevant and important to the discussion I will eventually present. I went to Benson Polytechnical high school in Portland, Ore., where we had the opportunity to experience both technical and health-based programs. I chose to focus on the technical side of the curriculum, almost certain I was going to become a graphic designer much like my step father and uncle. I had been exposed to the art since I was about 11 years old, so I had been doing it awhile and I rather enjoyed it.

One of the cool things about the technical division of Benson was the sheer diversity of the programs offered. On the most basic level there was construction, manufacturing, transportation, communications, electronics and more available, with our freshman and sophomore years spent going through the rotations in order to get a feel for each of the different areas of study in order to spend the remaining two years of high school majoring in a chosen field of study. Additionally, each division further branched out into all sorts of cool classes like microcomputers, plastics and molding, photography and video, and radio broadcasting.

Sometime before actually designating my major at Benson, I ended up meeting a few members of the street team and even one of the on-air personalities from the local hip-hop station in Portland - Jammin' 95.5 - at a promotional event at the mall. I told them about some of the programs we had at our school, including radio broadcasting and my small but growing interest in it. From there I ended up shadowing Bootz, the on-air DJ I met at the mall. I asked lots of questions and tried to understand the seemingly complex equipment employed at the commercial radio station. At that point, something seemed to click inside of me which would help reveal what I wanted to do with my life, but I wouldn't actually become aware of it for almost two years.

Well, after going through all the technical class rotations I ended up deciding I wanted to further investigate the field of radio broadcasting (big surprise). I even went so far as to take the entry level class twice, even after getting an A- the first time, just so I could improve my grade and ensure my entry into the major. The radio broadcasting major at Benson was one of the most competitive majors to get into, allowing a maximum of 25 applicants the privilege of actually majoring in it, and I did my best to make sure I got accepted.

Thanks to my large amount of dedication (for once in my life), I got into the radio broadcasting program. Over the next two years, I developed a passion for radio and spent all my time absorbing as much information as I possibly could and spending countless hours running the boards and developing my own on-air show. At that point in my life it was very possible in my mind that I could focus on developing a career in radio with possible graphic design freelance work thrown in for good measure.

In the end, my hard work and networking skills paid off when I turned 18, the minimum age required to intern at a radio station. I applied to Jammin', utilized my relationship with Bootz and quickly got an interview. I guess I did alright, because they ended up hiring me on at the radio station. At the time it was merely a position running boards for syndicated shows and music over the weekend at unsightly hours of the night, but I was hoping to eventually land either an on-air gig or get involved with the production side of the radio station in time and this was my foot in the door.

Even though the position I had was closer to an internship than anything, everything was going great, especially since the work I was doing entitled me to actually get paid. I participated in any extra activities available in order to show my motivation and learn as much as I could as quickly as possible about the radio business. Bootz only helped by encouraging me, giving me advice and always being patient with the endless onslaught of questions I directed at him regularly.

For the first time in my life, I was actually able to apply myself in a way I had failed to do so throughout high school. I struggled throughout my entire high school career with having enough motivation to get my homework done, studying for tests and applying myself to my fullest potential. The problem was obvious enough that it actually caused my parents to force me into taking a "Study Skills" class.

In my mind, the problem is still with me to this day, and I'm still fighting with it, but knowing that I could really do something if I focused on for the first time was the biggest affirmation for success for which I could have asked. At this point, my confidence soared and all signs were pointing towards a good future in radio if I kept up at the pace I was going.

To be continued...