I was 18 yo when I became co-creator and producer of an FM radio show. Here’s my story.
The Introducing Series promotional poster
I was 17 years old when I joined Martz Communications Group’s 94.7 Hits FM and I was 18 years old when I became co-creator, writer and producer of my very own FM radio show.
I did not know how to use a microphone, I did not know how to use a camera and I did not know how to work in professional environments.
The beginning: walking on thin ice
In 2017, my friend, Marc, and I were working as street marketing interns, at the 94.7 Hits FM office in Montreal.
Our jobs mainly consisted of installing foldable tables and giving out Hits FM merchandise at sponsored events, while playing music on loud speakers and stirring up small talk with the locals.
Marc and I were 2 of about 20 interns doing work like with the hopes of getting noticed by the 94.7 Hits FM staff for the chance to get an opportunity to work with the on-air personalities.
There was only one issue. Months would slowly go by and nothing would change. We were the same group of interns doing the same work.
Having realized this, Marc and I started brainstorming ways to get noticed. We decided to email label reps and publicists to tell them all about how we were looking to interview some of their artists that were touring in Montreal, in exchange for exposure on the Hits FM channels.
The first artist we emailed was Dua Lipa when she stopped by our city for her performance at the MTelus theatre for her self-titled North American tour. Although she ended up rejecting our request, Warner Music recommended that we interview her up-and-coming opening act called Marteen. We knew absolutely nothing about Marteen, but we said yes anyways.
That’s how “The Introducing Series” was born.
Our first The Introducing Series episode: Interviewing Marteen
For some context: Since we couldn’t get any big name artists on the show because Hits FM was not the biggest name in the industry, we decided to make our show all about up-and-coming artists like Marteen with the goal of “Introducing” them to the Montreal community through our interviews and live sessions. That’s how our show’s name came to be—We just worked with what we had.
Since we were given access to the Hits FM social media accounts prior to any of this, we posted our interview on the social media channels.
With time, we contacted more and more artists, and we got more and more interviews, and we posted more and more on the Hits FM social media accounts. This ultimately lead to interviews with artists like Bazzi, LP, Grandson, 88Rising, Charlotte Cardin, Anne-Marie and Billie Eilish.
Marc and I’s initiative impressed our Hits FM general manager so much so that he subsequently offered us our very own weekly on-air radio show!
Our show went from being a social media series to an on-air FM radio show over the course of a few months.
Lesson learned: Be a self-starter, gain the experience and let your work speak for itself.
Behind the scenes with Anne-Marie, Charlotte Cardin, Billie Eilish and a photo of us in the Hits FM studio recording out final episode of The Introducing Series in 2019.
The experience: mistakes and successes
Everything was so versatile, that it led to so many unaccounted for problems and external factors.
For example, sometimes the audio would be bad because we were in very noisy environments, sometimes the footage looked off because we were filming in the wrong camera settings and sometimes we would forget our AA batteries at home forcing us to concoct new ways of getting proper audio with 1 minute to spare before the artist made their way to our set for our 15min interview…
But, we learned. We got the hang of it. Every interview we did was a little bit better than the last one—Every single bump in the road taught us a little bit more about ourselves.
We learned so much about the music industry as well. Being in regular contact with label reps, managers, musicians and the likes allowed us to understand more about music culture, entertainment and business.
I can only describe my time at Hits FM as the best film school and business school I could have ever asked for. Why? Because I had so much independence to make mistakes, learn from them and gain all the experience I needed to become a better communicator through our marketing, and our video and audio productions.
Looking back now, I can’t believe how much I was able to accomplish. I am beyond proud of our work and I am happy to say that our show was a success as we boosted 94.7 Hits FM’s presence on social media through our video interviews, audio interviews and live sessions!
I had the opportunity to cover festivals such as ÎleSoniq and photograph artists at venues such as Corona Theatre and MTelus in Montreal, Quebec.
I worked with various professionals in the music industry ranging from publicists at some of the biggest record labels in the industry to managers of local independent musicians.
I produced a weekly radio and video series, which garnered hundreds of thousands of views and listens, by highlighting up and coming artists. Among the list of musicians we interviewed included: Billie Eilish, Bazzi, LP, Charlotte Cardin, Grandson and Anne-Marie.
This could not have been possible without, Michael Boldt, our general manager. Thank you for giving me the chance to produce a show like this.
The Introducing Series ran from 2017 to 2019.
For those who are starting something new, I hope this story helps you find your path as you embark on your own journey. All the best and good luck.
My concert photography
Before I go, I figured I’d share some of the photos I took while covering all these festivals and concerts. (Scroll to view all images.)
For creative, commercial and other use requests, or if you wish to buy a print, please email me for more information.
