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10 Questions with ... Loren Raye
June 10, 2020
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
2007: Intern, Elvis Duran & the Morning Show, Z100/New York
2008 - 2013: Phone Op > Assistant Producer > On-Air Contributor, Elvis Duran & the Morning Show, Z100/New York
2013 - 2020: Co-host, The TJ Show, 103.3 AMP Radio/Boston
I’ve also done voice over work for WBZ News Radio 1030, MTV, NBC Universal, Club Kane and various international and domestic radio stations.
1. What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and to stay motivated?
It takes work! First and foremost, I see a therapist every week and we practice Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I’ve been going to therapy for decades, so it’s nothing new, but it certainly helps me as I go from Working Mom to Stay At Home Mom (spoiler: being a SAHM is F’ing HARD) while also wrapping my head around a global pandemic
After I got let go, I gave myself time to just relax and revel in the fact that I didn’t have to answer to anyone or worry about creating content. It was a much needed break after thirteen years of mornings, and eventually I began to see how much I crave creativity and connection in order feel fulfilled. So I moved my Badass Chick segment from radio to Instagram, where I highlight women who are following their passion, giving back to the community and/or breaking stereotypes. I’m grateful to be getting good response, and that’s the stuff that keeps me going. Not to mention the fact that I need to keep it going for my daughter’s sake; I want her to grow up feeling free to follow her passion, so I need to set that example for myself first.
2. How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job
It’s a lot of Follow The Leader, except the leader is 16-months-old, only knows about 30 words and cries when you give her the wrong spoon. (For real though - what a blessing to have this time to be home with her as she grows so rapidly!) In my free time I’m developing Badass Chick, learning Premiere Pro and spending lots of time in the kitchen even though it’s kind of the last place I like being. Go figure.
3. 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.
This entire situation - losing my job during the middle of a global health crisis - has been so enlightening. It helped me to examine how I was prioritizing my time as an employee, a wife and a mom. Most importantly, it helped me see that I blamed a lot of things on “not having enough time as a working mom,” when in reality I wasn’t setting boundaries, making changes or creating new goals in order to prioritize the right things I need in order to thrive. I look forward to going into whatever my next role is with a much better sense of myself as a person and an employee.
4. Do you plan on sticking with radio?
Yep! I will say though, the day I lost my job, I called my old boss (hi, Elvis!) and he gave me some great advice: to be on the lookout for things that don’t look like opportunities at first. I’m open to whatever comes to me, and I’d love to stay in radio and pick up more VO work.
5. What's the longest stretch you've had on the beach
I’ve been wildly fortunate; this is my first time. So far, about 2 months.
6. What's the best way to get your foot in the door?
Be reliable, have a great attitude and work your ass off. I worked 12 hour days as an intern because I wanted to learn anything and everything I could about radio. As someone who has managed interns for years, I can assure you: we can sniff you out if you’re not willing to be positive and work hard, or if you’re in it for the wrong reasons
7. What has been your best resource for finding out about job openings
Gotta be honest, this is my first time doing this! To the best of my knowledge, I haven’t burned any bridges (haha), so I hope keeping in contact with former employers and colleagues will help me in this search!
8. What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get a job
Boring answer: I’ve never done anything wacky. I know wonderfully talented people who have. I just was fortunate enough to start out in a great place and network from there
9. What is the next job you'd like to obtain?
I adore being on air and would love to continue hosting in some form.
10. Are you finding salaries/benefits lower than you ever thought, about the same, or have you seen some pleasant surprises?
I honestly don’t have any experience with this — haven’t seen any openings that would be comparable to my last position.
Bonus Questions
Care to contribute a recipe for our "On The Beach" cookbook
Whoever created this recipe is killing the chocolate chip banana bread game. tasty.co/recipe/one-bowl-chocolate-chip-banana-bread
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