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10 Questions with ... Jeffrey Jameson
July 3, 2012
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started my career as an actor in NYC. Auditions, hustle, rejection. Then, I wrote and performed a one-man show that premiered in NYC. That experience was my first "break." After that, I joined the Screen Actors Guild and started booking acting jobs in film and TV. I learned very quickly that sitting on a TV set for 16 hours a day just to shoot two scenes was not for me. I was too talkative for that. So I decided to shift my focus toward hosting. I conceptualized and began shooting an entertainment/red carpet-style show when the opportunity to audition for the morning radio show was presented to me. It was an ideal yet unexpected prospect. I wasn't even really aware that I could do the type of show that I dreamed of doing in radio. Radio has proven to be the right fit for me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I've learned so much and still have so much to learn and each day I'm genuinely grateful to be doing it.
1) For the uninitiated, describe your show.
It's an uber-amped up hybrid of celebrity train wreck watching, taboo topics and scandalous guests. We encourage everyone to let their freak flags fly on our show and they let them fly high! Dana and I are basically just the hosts of the party and everyone is invited to air their dirty laundry, confess their deepest secrets and laugh with us and at us. Our conversations are filter-less and fearless, which leaves a lot of people thinking, "Did they really just "go there?" It sort of sounds like happy hour ... like a really HAPPY happy hour.
2) You've been able to take the local angle against your nationally syndicated competition. Now, you're syndicated too! How will this change things?
I think it will only enhance the show. The content on our show has always had to either make people laugh or make them feel and those things aren't contingent upon location. It's the "we're all in this together" mentality. Now we have the opportunity to extend that to more people and in turn hear from a whole new market of listeners who may have different perspectives to offer.
3) Will you be spending some time in Richmond?
Absolutely. I've already been researching my hotel options based on their cocktail menus.
4) Who were some of the most memorable guests on your show, and what made them memorable?
It's a toss-up between Gaga and the madam that runs two legal brothels in Nevada. We had these epic hour-plus conversations with Gaga during major milestones of her career (on the release date of "Born This Way" and the day after The Grammys when she arrived in "the egg"). Gaga is one of those extraordinary artists who is so incredibly open, cerebral and funny all at the same time. One minute we're discussing "the joys of stripper boots," then the next we're discussing how she is simply "one voice of her generation." She's very real, which some people don't assume because she is so theatrical. Then there's the madam. She was talking about smuggling diamonds and being pistol-whipped within the first two minutes of the interview ... need I say more?
5) Who would be a "dream guest" to have on your show?
I LOVE those people with strange addictions, so either the lady who's addicted to eating laundry detergent, or the lady who absolutely has to sleep with her blow dryer in the bed.
6) Are you wearing more "hats" than you have in the past?
I am and I love it. I love the creative aspect of radio and thankfully our amazing team has trusted me enough to wear a few hats. I was able to be involved in conceptualizing and writing our imaging, designing our show logo, directing our pictures for our photo shoot and creating our press releases. I love the branches of creativity that are required above and beyond doing the actual show.
7) What is your favorite part of the job?
I love that each and every day I have to "deliver." I like that challenge, that expectation. It makes me want to get better and better each day. I also laugh more now than I ever have.
8) What is the most challenging part of the job?
My schedule is crazy. I wake up at 3:30a and drive an hour from Manhattan, do the show, do the "after show," then drive another hour-and-a-half back to Manhattan where the "battle for parking" begins. It ain't easy ... but it's worth it.
9) What's the coolest promotion you've EVER been involved with?
We did a promotion called "Dance Onstage with Britney & Jeffrey." Our PD, Jeremy Rice, made the 12-year-old girl dreams of a listener and myself come true by arranging for us to dance with Britney on stage in front of 30,000 people at her sold-out concert. It was the ultimate promotion.
10) What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?
I have a few different "gears." My on-air gear is definitely true to who I am, but I also have a very focused gear that comes out when it's time to get "down to business." They'd also be surprised to know that I'm making a gear metaphor and I don't even know how to drive a stick shift.
Bonus Questions
What's the best sweeper/liner you've ever heard?
Jennifer Lopez was my first big interview. She cut a liner for me as if it was my voicemail saying that she left her stilettos and her blow dryer at my apartment. I think I listened to it on loop for three weeks straight.
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