I felt pretty gross and uncomfortable in my car as I pulled out of Hannibal Missourie in the morning. But I already had a late jump on the day. No time for anything, I had 4 more hours of driving before my early appoinment in Kansas City.
Once again, I pulled in to a town thinking it was going to be much smaller than it was. Kansas City is HUGE. I really didn't know. But I quickly fought through traffic and met my contact at the local fox news station. His name is Thermal and is an accountant for Fox. Jeffrey from Columbus sent me to him. Thermal could not have been friendlier and more helpful. He seemed almost as excited to meet me as I was him. He took me to his buddy Larry's office where we just discussed radio and tv. They listened and respected my ideas. It felt great. They already knew way more about me than any of my other contacts did. They have been checking on the blog for a little while and they watched my interview of Fox. They were impressed. I can tell they wish they had something for me, but Thermal informed me that the station they are working at, 3 years ago employed 200 people. Now they are down to 50. But, he introduced me to the News Director anyway.
The News Director was a man named George. Just by looking at him, you can tell he is ALL business, and his time is valuable. I was right. He was nice enough, but I knew that he was going to be a real broadcasting Simon Cowell, not afraid to speak the harsh truth and will say it as instantly as he thinks it.
"Well, your first mistake is trying to get a job in Kansas City. We wouldn't hire you if we were hiring. Maybe not even entry level stuff. You gotta pay your dues in a small market. Kansas City is going to be your 3rd or 4th market jump. You need to take that first job in one of those places you mention like Kalamazoo, or Clarksburg or Gruene. Or try Yuma Arizona.
Now lets look at your resume......First thing, Get rid of ROCKNROLLRANDY@HOTMAIL Thats unprofessional. You want to be taken seriously you need to have an e-mail that says rcpeterson at hotmail or something. Other than that, your resume looks good. You have a good amount of experience and it should land you a job somewhere.
Next lets look at your demo reel."
(George is the first person to look at my demo reel while I was there to watch. When you open my demo reel the first thing that pops up is the menu put to some quiet rockabilly guitar).
"You already lost the job. Why is there rockabilly music there? It doesn't make sense. You only have 30 seconds to get my attention and you don't want to confuse me in that time. But, since this is only a practice, I will watch one of your clips anyways.....(he watched a news story I did) You can't call something a NEW TRADITION, that is an oxymoron....... Other than that, I am impressed. You write really well, you speak well and you have a good presence on camera. You have all the tools that you need. You have what it takes. You just need to improve some of the presentation on your resume and demo reel. And also make sure your answering machine on your phone is professional, you do NOT want something stupid. Is yours professional?"
"Of course!" (as I remember mine says: Hit Paydirt with KDRT, this is Randy, leave me a message, if you're important enough, I will call you back.)
Hearing what George had to say was tough, but I know he was being honest, and when he said something good, you know he meant it.He worked in broadcasting for forty years, he knows his stuff. So I feel I did pretty well all in all. He gave me a contact to explore at KSL in Salt Lake City. He also asked to keep my demo-reel. I just hope its not to laugh at me later. But I think he honestly saw some real potential in me. But, he is going to wait for me to pay my dues first.
He was awfully nice to give me so much of his time. I can tell he doesn't have much especially since he couldn't hire me anyway. And the funny thing is about this trip, I have really seen that those who have the least, often are the ones who give the most.
When that meeting was over, Thermal and Larry left me a HUGE stack of my resume on the counter in nice paper so I never run out. Thermal also left me an envelope with a generous contribution to my funds. My heart sank. I didn't know how to thank him. But he wasn't there. All I can do is keep on keeping on and not let anybody down. I really would hope to land a Job where Thermal works.
Afterwards I hit the ground running at the local radio stations. Kansas City, is radio consolodation at its WORST. They have about 20 radio stations, in about 3 buildings. The older woman at Entercom was less than helpful. I doubt the my air checks will get listened to. If I ever walk into a restaurant before she does, I will let her get her own dang door......that'll show her.
The dude who worked reception at Cumulus radio was cool. He looked like Luke Skywalker and seemed to want to help me. He promised he would personally deliver my resume and gave me a number to call next week to see what his boss thought. Now he is another guy I hope to work with, its that kind of kindness that people want to return.
With that few building and that many radio stations, it doesn't take much to be finished. So I was done in time to spend that money Thermal gave me. First thing, I needed a new shirt. The one I was wearing to all the radio and tv stations is getting worn out and ratty looking. So I got a good deal at target for a sexy stripped shirt. yeeeah. With the rest of the money, I bought a ticket for the Jazz Musuem and the Negro Baseball League Museum. Both AWESOME MUSEUMS. If you are ever in Kansas City and you don't go to those museums, consider your time wasted. You will never regret. The Jazz Museum was plain cool. Especially for me, because for the past year and a half, I have been trying to study and understand jazz. Its hard, even for a blues musician. But I have listened to a ton of legendary Jazz on the road and its finally coming together better. Now when I hear the sounds, I can tune everything out and I can hear what the musicians are trying to tell us. Somewhat. Jazz is an experience that inspires passion, and endurance. I used to say Jazz was just messed up blues.... I was wrong. My Jazz History professor whom I had argued with many times on the subject of jazz, had become so much more intelligent and wisdomatic in my head. I think he was right on more accounts than I gave him credit for.
Just when I thought I should quit while I was ahead, I saw the Negro Baseball museum across the hall. THAT TOO WAS AWESOME! It was inspiring, I didn't know the league started in Kansas City. The museum was powerful and well done, as a lot of museums I have witnessed along the country. But these ones moved me. I didn't know how much MoJo was in Kansas City. When you think about it, Some of the United States greatest contribution to world culture is Jazz/Blues and Baseball, which Kansas City really plays a great role in.
Afterwards I checked into the KOA and got me a shower. I desperately needed it. Then I went to see the Kansas City royals. All the cheap tickets were gone, which upset me because, the game looked awesome. The stands looked to be almost to capacity, and the stadium looked AWESOME. The fans were wild and intense. Every time a Royal would hit a homerun, the stadium would launch fireworks. I decided you can tell a lot about a town by how they get into their baseball teams. I watched and hung out, outside by a scalper named Thomas who thought I looked like Justin Timberlake. He was funny, but he kept pestering people about giving him bus fare. He was just lying to make money. He makes more money lying than I do panhandling by far. I decided not to hang much with Thomas, it made me sick. After all the things people have done for me, to watch someone take advantage of others made me sick.
So I went to the legendary drag of 18th and Vine. I went to the Blue Room. This is the classiest joint I have been to all trip. They had a REAL jazz band there. It wasn't some bunch of White dudes with leather vests and white ponytails playing Jazz. For these guys, jazz was not a hobby, but their commitment to life. They were having fun and communicating to the crowd in more ways than one. This club was rad. I suspect the next time I get serious with a woman, this is where I will take her to impress her. I will take her to a Royals night game and cap it off with a dinner at the Blue Room with some dancing.
Aftwards, I left completely satisfied. Except now I got greedy. I went to one more club across the street. There was the most AMAZING funk band playing for really cheap. The front man was by far one of the most entertaining Individuals I had ever seen, and I have seen a lot. It was like watching Bootsy Collins, Jaco Pestoria and Maceo Parker all in one, with a twist of Flava Flav.
The club was also very classy with a strict dress code. But this one was definately younger. And I was without question. THE ONLY WHITE DUDE THERE!. It was a total juke joint and it was packed with about 200 people. I got some funny looks at first, but when a pretty girl named Tia asked me if I can dance, and I responded with a grin, "DO I !?!?" I got on the floor and danced, and then I WAS IN !!! Suddenly I was popular. Not because I am a good dancer, but I wasn't under stiff competition. A few of the ladies wanted to dance with me. Afterwards a gentlmen asked me,
"Boy, whered you learn to dance like that?"
I responded in my liliest white boy voice, "BYU-Idaho sir."
"Heheh HAaag, boy, Idaho?! You a loong way from home."
"thats wierd, because I was just starting to think I opposite."
scripture: Revelations 2:19
Once again, I pulled in to a town thinking it was going to be much smaller than it was. Kansas City is HUGE. I really didn't know. But I quickly fought through traffic and met my contact at the local fox news station. His name is Thermal and is an accountant for Fox. Jeffrey from Columbus sent me to him. Thermal could not have been friendlier and more helpful. He seemed almost as excited to meet me as I was him. He took me to his buddy Larry's office where we just discussed radio and tv. They listened and respected my ideas. It felt great. They already knew way more about me than any of my other contacts did. They have been checking on the blog for a little while and they watched my interview of Fox. They were impressed. I can tell they wish they had something for me, but Thermal informed me that the station they are working at, 3 years ago employed 200 people. Now they are down to 50. But, he introduced me to the News Director anyway.
The News Director was a man named George. Just by looking at him, you can tell he is ALL business, and his time is valuable. I was right. He was nice enough, but I knew that he was going to be a real broadcasting Simon Cowell, not afraid to speak the harsh truth and will say it as instantly as he thinks it.
"Well, your first mistake is trying to get a job in Kansas City. We wouldn't hire you if we were hiring. Maybe not even entry level stuff. You gotta pay your dues in a small market. Kansas City is going to be your 3rd or 4th market jump. You need to take that first job in one of those places you mention like Kalamazoo, or Clarksburg or Gruene. Or try Yuma Arizona.
Now lets look at your resume......First thing, Get rid of ROCKNROLLRANDY@HOTMAIL Thats unprofessional. You want to be taken seriously you need to have an e-mail that says rcpeterson at hotmail or something. Other than that, your resume looks good. You have a good amount of experience and it should land you a job somewhere.
Next lets look at your demo reel."
(George is the first person to look at my demo reel while I was there to watch. When you open my demo reel the first thing that pops up is the menu put to some quiet rockabilly guitar).
"You already lost the job. Why is there rockabilly music there? It doesn't make sense. You only have 30 seconds to get my attention and you don't want to confuse me in that time. But, since this is only a practice, I will watch one of your clips anyways.....(he watched a news story I did) You can't call something a NEW TRADITION, that is an oxymoron....... Other than that, I am impressed. You write really well, you speak well and you have a good presence on camera. You have all the tools that you need. You have what it takes. You just need to improve some of the presentation on your resume and demo reel. And also make sure your answering machine on your phone is professional, you do NOT want something stupid. Is yours professional?"
"Of course!" (as I remember mine says: Hit Paydirt with KDRT, this is Randy, leave me a message, if you're important enough, I will call you back.)
Hearing what George had to say was tough, but I know he was being honest, and when he said something good, you know he meant it.He worked in broadcasting for forty years, he knows his stuff. So I feel I did pretty well all in all. He gave me a contact to explore at KSL in Salt Lake City. He also asked to keep my demo-reel. I just hope its not to laugh at me later. But I think he honestly saw some real potential in me. But, he is going to wait for me to pay my dues first.
He was awfully nice to give me so much of his time. I can tell he doesn't have much especially since he couldn't hire me anyway. And the funny thing is about this trip, I have really seen that those who have the least, often are the ones who give the most.
When that meeting was over, Thermal and Larry left me a HUGE stack of my resume on the counter in nice paper so I never run out. Thermal also left me an envelope with a generous contribution to my funds. My heart sank. I didn't know how to thank him. But he wasn't there. All I can do is keep on keeping on and not let anybody down. I really would hope to land a Job where Thermal works.
Afterwards I hit the ground running at the local radio stations. Kansas City, is radio consolodation at its WORST. They have about 20 radio stations, in about 3 buildings. The older woman at Entercom was less than helpful. I doubt the my air checks will get listened to. If I ever walk into a restaurant before she does, I will let her get her own dang door......that'll show her.
The dude who worked reception at Cumulus radio was cool. He looked like Luke Skywalker and seemed to want to help me. He promised he would personally deliver my resume and gave me a number to call next week to see what his boss thought. Now he is another guy I hope to work with, its that kind of kindness that people want to return.
With that few building and that many radio stations, it doesn't take much to be finished. So I was done in time to spend that money Thermal gave me. First thing, I needed a new shirt. The one I was wearing to all the radio and tv stations is getting worn out and ratty looking. So I got a good deal at target for a sexy stripped shirt. yeeeah. With the rest of the money, I bought a ticket for the Jazz Musuem and the Negro Baseball League Museum. Both AWESOME MUSEUMS. If you are ever in Kansas City and you don't go to those museums, consider your time wasted. You will never regret. The Jazz Museum was plain cool. Especially for me, because for the past year and a half, I have been trying to study and understand jazz. Its hard, even for a blues musician. But I have listened to a ton of legendary Jazz on the road and its finally coming together better. Now when I hear the sounds, I can tune everything out and I can hear what the musicians are trying to tell us. Somewhat. Jazz is an experience that inspires passion, and endurance. I used to say Jazz was just messed up blues.... I was wrong. My Jazz History professor whom I had argued with many times on the subject of jazz, had become so much more intelligent and wisdomatic in my head. I think he was right on more accounts than I gave him credit for.
Just when I thought I should quit while I was ahead, I saw the Negro Baseball museum across the hall. THAT TOO WAS AWESOME! It was inspiring, I didn't know the league started in Kansas City. The museum was powerful and well done, as a lot of museums I have witnessed along the country. But these ones moved me. I didn't know how much MoJo was in Kansas City. When you think about it, Some of the United States greatest contribution to world culture is Jazz/Blues and Baseball, which Kansas City really plays a great role in.
Afterwards I checked into the KOA and got me a shower. I desperately needed it. Then I went to see the Kansas City royals. All the cheap tickets were gone, which upset me because, the game looked awesome. The stands looked to be almost to capacity, and the stadium looked AWESOME. The fans were wild and intense. Every time a Royal would hit a homerun, the stadium would launch fireworks. I decided you can tell a lot about a town by how they get into their baseball teams. I watched and hung out, outside by a scalper named Thomas who thought I looked like Justin Timberlake. He was funny, but he kept pestering people about giving him bus fare. He was just lying to make money. He makes more money lying than I do panhandling by far. I decided not to hang much with Thomas, it made me sick. After all the things people have done for me, to watch someone take advantage of others made me sick.
So I went to the legendary drag of 18th and Vine. I went to the Blue Room. This is the classiest joint I have been to all trip. They had a REAL jazz band there. It wasn't some bunch of White dudes with leather vests and white ponytails playing Jazz. For these guys, jazz was not a hobby, but their commitment to life. They were having fun and communicating to the crowd in more ways than one. This club was rad. I suspect the next time I get serious with a woman, this is where I will take her to impress her. I will take her to a Royals night game and cap it off with a dinner at the Blue Room with some dancing.
Aftwards, I left completely satisfied. Except now I got greedy. I went to one more club across the street. There was the most AMAZING funk band playing for really cheap. The front man was by far one of the most entertaining Individuals I had ever seen, and I have seen a lot. It was like watching Bootsy Collins, Jaco Pestoria and Maceo Parker all in one, with a twist of Flava Flav.
The club was also very classy with a strict dress code. But this one was definately younger. And I was without question. THE ONLY WHITE DUDE THERE!. It was a total juke joint and it was packed with about 200 people. I got some funny looks at first, but when a pretty girl named Tia asked me if I can dance, and I responded with a grin, "DO I !?!?" I got on the floor and danced, and then I WAS IN !!! Suddenly I was popular. Not because I am a good dancer, but I wasn't under stiff competition. A few of the ladies wanted to dance with me. Afterwards a gentlmen asked me,
"Boy, whered you learn to dance like that?"
I responded in my liliest white boy voice, "BYU-Idaho sir."
"Heheh HAaag, boy, Idaho?! You a loong way from home."
"thats wierd, because I was just starting to think I opposite."
scripture: Revelations 2:19
"That's wierd, because I was just starting to think the opposite" Haha, excellent way to end. Looks like I missed out on some fun when I spent my summer on the opposite side of the state! Glad the day went so well and you have so many excellent memories to go with it!
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