10 Questions with ... John Hudson

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

DEMO:

I began my career at the age of 18, being on-air on WUBE in my hometown of Cincinnati. After a few years there, I moved to Orlando where I became the night show host on WWKA. Being on staff at both WUBE and WWKA when they were nominated for CMA and ACM awards has been the highlight of my career thus far!

1) How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job?

I am a HUGE animal lover, so I am constantly spending time with my two dogs (sounds lame, I know). I've also been trying to knock things off my "Florida bucket list," which means I've been exploring new beaches, doing bioluminescence kayaking, and pretty much anything else outdoors. Staying current with what is going on in the music industry and pop culture is also a secret obsession of mine!

2) Some people get discouraged or enlightened with the business when they actually step out of it for a while. Tell us your observations from the outside.

While I am missing very badly being on-air, I think it is important for people to step outside of the business for a bit between jobs. As we all know, this business isn't always easy and when you're in it, you're living on your phone. Constantly checking e-mails, social media, and seeing what your favorite artist is up to becomes the norm. When you step out of the business for a few, you really get to recharge yourself and get your old spunk back!

3) Do you plan on sticking with radio?

I think it's safe to say that everyone in the industry plans on sticking with radio. I'm the first to admit that I am a radio junkie and just love everything about the business, so yeah, I plan on sticking with it! I've had many jobs outside of radio to make ends meet while working in radio. These jobs have ranged from serving to being a transporter in a hospital, but no other job has compared to working in radio.

4) What's the best way to get your foot in the door?

Job shadowing was what worked for me. The summer after my senior year of high school, I job shadowed every TV news station and radio station in the Cincinnati market. After every visit, I sent a handwritten thank you note. About a month later, I asked if I could come back for another visit. Eventually this landed me an internship and the rest is history!

5) What has been your biggest career accomplishment?

The day I woke up to a text from my PD at WWKA telling me that we were nominated for CMA's Large Market Station of the Year has to be the highlight of my career. When you get this kind of news after pouring your heart into your show, it makes all of the hard work pay off. Another highlight is being able to interact with listeners. They are the reason we have the jobs we have, and I am so humbled when they get excited to be on the radio and share what they love with us.

6) What do you miss most about music/radio? The least?

The listeners are what I miss most! Having the chance to be a part of their daily routines, playing their favorite song, getting to put a smile on their faces are what I miss. The sense of being a part of the community is very rewarding. As for what I miss the least, as cliché as it sounds, there really isn't anything I miss the least. I am one of those radio junkies who just loves every aspect of the industry!

7) What have you learned about yourself, others, or life in general in your downtime?

What I have reflected on most during my down time was working on-air during the Pulse Nightclub shooting here in Orlando in June of 2016. I don't think I ever realized amidst all the chaos just how much this shooting affected me. Having such a horrific terror attack happen in your backyard is something that I would never wish upon anyone. I remember being in autopilot mode for weeks following the shooting. I was on the radio on stations all over the world as well as doing my own PM-drive show every day. It was the hardest few weeks in my career and in my personal life. I knew at the time how hard it was career-wise on me, but never realized how hard it was on me in my personal life.

8) If you were offered a similar position to what you were doing for considerably less money, would you seriously consider taking the job just to stay in the biz?

Absolutely! I'm a firm believer that you have to be happy in your career to be happy in all other areas of your life. We spend a majority of our lives working, so why not do what we love most?

9) Having been through all you have dealt with in this biz, what advice would you give people trying to break in?

Never let someone tell you no. Any time you are told no, use that as motivation to succeed even more. Politics and the lack of pay can weigh on you at times, but always use it as motivation. Every air shift is not going to be your best shift, but learn from every show you do. Think about the long road the musicians whose music we play on the radio had to get their music on the radio. Getting your voice on-air is no different of a struggle, but you can achieve success if you never tell yourself no!

10) Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?

In ive years and in 10 years I see myself in the same place. This place is somewhere that I can call home and where I want to spend the rest of my career and personal life. Ideally, this means doing a morning show or PMD in a city that appeals to me and I can eventually call home.

Uh oh ... now you're on your own for getting new music. If applicable, name your three most recent purchases since leaving the biz.

I have recently become obsessed with collecting vinyl records! I bought my first record player and have been in and out of record stores constantly looking for awesome music! The Beatles, John Denver, Taylor Swift and Adele are my most recent purchases. Laugh if you want, but if you thought Adele's new album 25 was good, you should listen to it on vinyl. Amazing!