10 Questions with ... Dro Hinojosa (El Jefe) & Justin Johnson (J-Dubs)

NAME:Dro Hinojosa (El Jefe) & Justin Johnson (J-Dubs) LAST WITH:WTKS Real Radio 104.1 Orlando PHONE:(703) 868.2217 (Dubs) EMAIL:eljefe.jdubs@gmail.com

Please begin by giving us a brief career history ...

2000-2002: Worked together as Jocks at Q106 (Active Rock) and 92.1 The Edge (Alternative Rock) in Lansing, MI

2003-2005: Hosted "The Hideout" at 106.7 WJFK (FM Talk) in Washington, DC. Also helped produce "The Ron & Fez Show."

2005-2006: Hosted "The Hideout" on WTKS (FM Talk) Real Radio 104.1 Orlando, FL.

Since being on the beach: Guest-hosted on 92.3 Free FM (FM Talk) New York, XM 202 The Virus, Project 9-6-1 Atlanta (Active Rock) and NewsTalk 1040 Tampa

1) What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and stay motivated?

Dubs: We're doing a weekly podcast of the show we developed for New York called "NEXT!" It's a fast-paced comedic take on the top-10 stories of the week. We've had tens of thousands of downloads and even have a sponsor!

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

Jefe: I've accomplished a long-time goal of mine to become a certified personal trainer and continue to work on my sports nutrition certification. Dubs: I've re-watched seasons 1 and 2 of "Lost" at least two times....

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.

Dubs: Enlightened! While on the beach, we've gotten to work with great programming minds like John Mainelli and Chris Williams, and have learned new tricks we can't wait to implement somewhere other than the podcasts.

In addition, our current "civilian" perspective has reinforced our beliefs that now more than ever, radio must understand how to embrace time-shifted listening habits and provide quality content between the music.

4) What has been your best resource for finding out about job openings?

Dubs: Radio buddies. Most gigs are likely filled before they are even posted, so it usually takes knowing someone on the inside passing along information to get a head start. Plus, we've signed with radio super-agent Bob Eatman. That definitely helps!

5) What is the next job you'd like to obtain?

Dubs: Our background is FM Talk and Rock, so we are more likely to land in either one of those. However, we are confident in our ability to execute both the Top 40 or Sports formats.

6) What's the most unbelievable question you've ever been asked in an interview?

Dubs: "Jefe, you're Mexican, right? Should I hold on to my wallet during this?" He was joking...we think...

7) What has been your biggest career accomplishment?

Dubs: We gotten to do a lot of stuff most personalities would kill to do, so we've been extremely lucky. But being able to broadcast in New York City on 92.3 Free FM in that legendary building on 57th Street was certainly a life-long dream come true ... even if it was only for a couple of weeks.

8) Is there anything specific that you regret doing while you were still working?

Dubs: OVERANALYZING! We've heard some of our favorite shows go through what we did of over-thinking everything. Our new mantra: Keep It Simple, Stupid!

9) 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?

Dubs: Ask yourself this: If you could go back and play high school baseball again knowing what you know now, would you? Yes, even if you had to deal with the prom again, because you're more likely to get that Division One scholarship!

So no doubt we would, because we'd have infinitely more knowledge this go around that we could use later on to increase our value tenfold to employers. This is the wrong business to let ego get in the way of your long-term goals.

10) How will this experience change you when you get back to work?

Dubs: Other than what we've already mentioned, we're going to save more money to live on later! Talent fees and bonuses go right into the savings accounts to be untouched! Can you tell we've been listening to a lot of Dave Ramsey?

My favorite new diversion is...

Jefe: Free online poker schools.

Dubs: Madden on XBox 360.