10 Questions with ... Justin Brown

1. What stops along the radio career journey took you to your current gig at WDJC?

I started in college radio at WLJS at Jacksonville State University back in 1990. From there, I got my first "real" radio job at K98 in Oxford, AL doing weekends and being the color commentator for Oxford High football. After one year doing weekends, I moved into full-time afternoon drive. One year later, I landed a job at the station I grew up listening to, Q104 in Gadsden, AL. Three years later, I moved on to the "big city" of Birmingham, AL to Magic 96. From there, I moved to Amarillo, TX to Z93 and my first "K" station. From there, I moved to Rome, GA to work Country at South 107 and Top 40 at Q102.

Then I found myself fired, homeless and having to move back into the house I grew up in. It was vacant, so I was spared having to move back in with my parents. After eight months of being unemployed, a friend of mine told me about a job opening running John Boy & Billy at the classic rock station in Birmingham. I jumped on it to get my foot back in the door. Six months later, back in 2003, I found out about the job opening at WDJC and the rest is history!

2. When did radio materialize as a passion for you? Do you remember where you were when it set in?

I remember listening to the radio as a kid in the kitchen doing homework while my mom was cooking dinner, and yelling out the song title and artist before they started singing. I was walking intros before I knew that was a thing!

3. What stations did you grow up on and who were you listening to on them?

I grew up listening to Top 40 radio in the 80's out of Gadsden, AL. The station was Q104 and the afternoon drive/PD/MD was Leo Davis. I thought he was the coolest guy and a real life Venus Flytrap. I wanted to work at that station and do that shift. I was able to reach that goal when I was 23 back in 1993. In high school, the main cassette tapes in my '70 Nova were ZZ Top and Bon Jovi.

4. Was there ever a time you wanted to quit radio altogether and try out another vocation? What kept you going? And what might it have been if you did switch things up?

Yes. I graduated from college with two Art Degrees. While I was working at Q104, I took a week's vacation and went to Atlanta to try out being a technical artist for ADC (Action Digital Color). It was pretty boring. I think we were working on a catalog for JC Penny and we were working on countless pictures of white appliances. All I did was click on whites, blacks and grays and save them in the computer. I found out that there was no room for advancement, and it paid less than I was making in radio. That made the decision for me.

5. When it comes to your career, who have been your biggest influences, mentors and cheerleaders from start to present?

My first boss was Joe Langston. He was a legend in Birmingham and was the evening news anchor for 25 years. He retired from TV and commuted to JSU. He was the GM of the college radio station and taught me announcing and how to say "W."

6. What are some of the most exhilarating on-air moments of your career so far?

It's hard to compare being picked up by a military Hum-Vee and taken to work during the Blizzard of '93. We were the only station on the air (TV included) and the National Guard was monitoring us to see who needed help. There were also guys in pickup trucks that listened to calls for help and delivered food, firewood, gas for generators, milk to women with babies, and even a ride to the hospital for my cousin who went into labor! I was on the air for 11 hours straight, taking live calls with no delay!

7. Conversely, what are some of the more humbling on-air moments...so far?

There was one guest that comes to mind first. His name is Tim Alexander. I helped him get out of his specially-made vehicle. He is a paraplegic gentleman who was once a great, local athlete who was probably headed for the NFL. He was in a car accident that left him paralyzed. He is now a motivational speaker with a powerful testimony. Those are the times that I wonder if I were in their shoes, would I have the courage to use my story to motivate others quite to that level?

8. You've started digging into more voiceover work these past few years. It's never easy to break off from the typical routine to go deeper into a new endeavor. How has that process been for you?

It has been a really slow process. I first got paid to do commercials in Amarillo, TX after I got off the air from the morning show. That was 1999. From there, I had the dream of having my own home studio but I thought that would never happen. Then after I got married ten years ago, my wife encouraged me to build a studio. With help from our engineers, I found out it was not as expensive as I thought. I found a few jobs on Craigslist and did that for about eight years.

I got serious about two years ago when I ran into a co-worker who was a full-time VO artist. With picking his brain, I found out what steps I needed to do and what order that they needed to be done in. I also found out it is a completely different world than radio. Just because I had been doing commercials for 25 years, I wasn't trained on how to do them well. With his help, he gave me a recommendation for a VO coach out of Los Angeles. She agreed to take me on, I flew out to LA Studios to record my commercial demo and then I started going to VO conferences. Now I have had two coaches, two produced demos, two agents and an upgraded home studio.

9. And the process has paid off, as you won a One Voice Award for Best Male International Voiceover Performance earlier this year. How affirming and confirming was that for you?

It is a roller-coaster of highs and lows, but ultimately, that acknowledgement by the industry helps keep you going when you think it's time to give it up. Now I am nominated for a SOVAS award and will by flying out to Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, CA this month and rubbing elbows with the biggest voices in the industry. But you probably wouldn't recognize their names!

10. You've put thousands of songs on the air over the years. Particularly, in the CCM realm, what would you say are five of the most important of your career?

I will tell you that "Chain Breaker" is one that I am happy to be on from the beginning. I heard that the feedback from some was "I don't play Country." I like helping underdogs. I have always been one, and feel a special kinship to be able to help out new artists on this sometimes rough journey. Other first singles from new artists would include Danny Gokey, Tauren Wells, Rhett Walker, and I plan to be one of the firsts to add the new Cody Carnes song.