10 Questions with ... "EZ Street" David Hamilton

NAME:"EZ Street" David Hamilton LAST WITH:KOOL 93.1/Las Vegas (Clear Channel) PHONE:Fon: 818-209-4036 / Fax: 818-209-4036 EMAIL:Mebgoodboy@aol.com WEBSITE:www.ezstreetrecords.com/airchecks/talent.htm

Please begin by giving us a brief career history:

Power 96 Miami, 95.3 Party Orlando, Power 92 Phoenix, V-100 Milwaukee, along with brief visits to Virginia Beach and Las Vegas.

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

Honestly, I have been writing a lot. Throughout my first 8 years in radio I kept a journal of all the interviews I had done (thanks Tony Fields) knowing that someday I could use the information and sound bytes. I just finished writing my 5th book which is a compilation of interviews and radio experiences that I have been a part of. By the way, I suggest to anyone in this business to write about your adventures; this business is too much fun when you look back at all the crazy stuff we do. I have also been writing and producing with a few bands that I hope will emerge from the ground up, and I have been helping other talent find jobs by creating free online profiles for them to use to help stay connected with people in the biz. I read All Access every day to stay on top of the changes, and I network with my friends who are out there in the game.

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.

Hmmm, well, I am not perfect by any means, but I did learn a life long lesson from a 6 year old girl. Life is a shadow of how we affect one another on our journey. I learned something that was priceless while listening back to some airchecks from Miami that really gave me a chance to reflect on life. One afternoon during the Christmas holidays, a woman randomly called in explaining how worried she was about her children not getting a thing for Christmas, but worse than that, all three lived in a one bedroom apartment with absolutely nothing in the apartment but a leaky faucet. After airing the caller, Kid ( PD ) overheard the callers who called in to offer this woman everything imaginable, and he agreed to have our promotions assistant help get this woman hooked up. Having (PD) on the air gave credibility to the call. As it turned out, one of our reps (Mobile Mike) donated 200 toys, listeners gave her furniture, and we even found her a job from an employer listening to the radio. To me at the time, it was just a fun air shift filled with warm fuzzy emotion and the ideology behind how Christmas should sound. Two months later I received a card in the mail from a 6 year old girl who scribbled a small thank you Mr. DJ for the toys and the bed, along with a cute little synopsis of Christmas.

Now that I have taken a break from radio...

My observation and relation to this question is that we as broadcasters hold so much power when we talk, entertain, preach, laugh, and communicate life. It doesn't need it to be Christmas to help our community or do something good for our listeners just because of the season we're in. Making small differences is something we can do daily. I look back at it now and realized that I made a difference. Affecting someone and helping make a difference to the people who listen to you, whether it is making them laugh, or react, come out to a party, or help with a community event, we as broadcasters really do make a difference if we try to. It is so true that no matter what part you play in this business, you are that special person someone met from their favorite radio station, and that local... hear and now, live and local magic you can create, can NEVER be duplicated by safelight, cable, iPods...

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

Network and write every day. I have been writing new and innovative promotional content that I share with the PD's who I have worked with. It is nuts to see my ideas being used or taken and reinvented by some really awesome PD's. The most rewarding activities for me have been using my basic web site designs to help talent find jobs. Nothing feels better than to help somebody who is up and coming to experience what I had experienced when I got my first job.

Too warm and fuzzy for you? Here is my second answer for you then... sleeping 5 hours a night, keeping the same girlfriend for a little over 3 weeks, remembering her name, and not avoiding 100 other calls while she is, well, near me.

4) Do you plan on sticking with the music/radio industry?

Most definitely. This time I plan to completely take advantage of my show, and create an even better one...mornings!.

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

Afternoons with my new team, and ultimately I want to do mornings. APD/MD as well. I love seeking new talent and becoming a part of someone else's goals (fun times). Since this is an on the beacher... I have a team that I have been affiliated with for over 5 years and our chemistry is 100% solid, so if you are seriously looking for an up and coming morning show that you want to marinate in Afternoons or Nights, get at me : )

6) How are you finding the "courtesy level" at places you've applied? (Callbacks, emails, rejection letters, etc.)

Honestly, I think it is really a huge letdown to see that very few PD's out there take the time to write back and extend a " good luck " or a " sorry, but don't give up." I understand that there are a growing number of unemployed radio people and a shrinking amount of jobs. Therefore, PD's have even less time to contact you, and without the budgets that used to exist, the assistant positions are long gone. That alone makes me respect the PD's who do write 100x more.

7) Are you finding salaries/benefits lower than you ever thought, about the same, or have you seen some pleasant surprises?

I am finding many situations in radio to pay somewhat decent compared to other job fields. Let's face it, studio time is $20-50 dollars an hour if you want to go in and hone your skills outside of radio. If you can get a part time job for $10.00 an hour doing something at a radio station while your looking for work, you can make up for the $ by utilizing the production room and putting together quality production, airchecks, and station production. You might even get a better position and more money when someone notices your production hunger.

8) With consolidation there are definitely fewer jobs. How do you separate yourself from the pack?

I have spent a lot of time learning other aspects of the business that will correlate with being back on the radio. I will have a lot more to offer in the future than I offered in the past. I also have a new team that is 100% comedy and ready to play the radio game against other teams.

9) In your opinion, what has been your biggest career accomplishment in the industry?

Seeking out, finding, and training talent who are on the air and doing well. By the way, I am 100% proud of talent like Lil Shawn in Orlando. It's amazing to see that someone who started as an intern is on the verge of being a top rated morning show host in a major market. Nothing beats the feeling of knowing you helped someone reach their goals.

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

Ehhhhhhh, yeah. I made mistakes, burned some bridges down to the last little cinder, and realized that I didn't take advantage of every single break. I will say this though, we all make mistakes, and we always grow from them. So if you are out there with a few burnt bridges on you, or a whole stretch of Golden Gate bridges, take a deep breath, straighten up, and fly right. Dave Michaels of V-100 said it best, I just never caught on to the meaning up until just recently.

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

a. Keep all of your on air antics on the air. Try real hard not to burn bridges with someone like Michael Martin...Ehhhhh wrong move...not a slick idea. Never try to act like you are Steve Smith to get Michael Martin on the phone. It will only get you in deep sh(@ trouble. By the way Michael, you are still the best in the world dude. If it wasn't for you and Tony Fields, and what you (2) taught me, I never would have had the amount of success I had.

b. Be careful who's ass you try and kick on the way up, because it will be that same pretty little ass you might have to kiss coming down. I don't think I wrote this the way it was supposed to be written...

c. Learn as much about production as you possibly can... producing spots, making music beds, producing elements, etc. Learn every aspect of the production room and take advantage of studio time. Regardless of where radio goes, it will never go away, and there will always be a need for creativity.

d. Learn web design... even if it is just basic web design, learn it. Same for computer based production software. Being computer savvy is the most important element outside of being an air talent that exists in radio today. Learn Cool Edit Pro, Saw Plus and Selector skills. Combine the two forces of technology and always seek to learn the new software that comes out.

e. If a program director ever tries to teach you that personality does not belong on the radio, write that program director's name down and slowly you will realize how wrong they were when you only recognize their name based on the toilet paper you used to write the name down on.

f. Putting radio station belongings and stuff on e-bay as a part of your own little CHR style bit does not work in HOT AC Radio, so if you think your trying something that seems outlandish and fun for entertainment purposes, think twice, the consequences can really suck...

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

I am a changed person in every way shape and form. Actually, once you work for, uhhh, let's say a car dealership or an IT company.... and you have to deal with whiney gripes about someone's mouse pad for $10 an hour..... You can begin to really miss the fun radio presents, even when the drama carries worse situations. Actually, I spent 25 minutes mixing cement, and the four letter words just started flowing!