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10 Questions with ... B. Aull
July 11, 2023
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What do you remember most about the first time you walked into a radio station?
Seeing all of the gear in the studio and thinking about how confusing it must be to run all of it. Now that my life revolves around gear and sound equipment, between the radio station, my own home studio, and all of my DJ gear, that feels like a very distant memory. Also, I remember feeling like I was seeing something that I wasn't supposed to - growing up you hear all of these songs and people talking on the radio, but when do you ever get to actually see it? -
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
My love for and interest in music started way back when I was in elementary school - the first album I ever bought with my own money was 'The Red Light District' by Ludacris. From there, I started making my own music when I was in high school and coincidentally, just after I graduated in 2012, the radio station I currently work for, Hot Radio Maine, was born.
I would always send them my music to see if they would play it...and eventually, they did! I went to college for audio engineering at Husson University in Bangor, ME, where I continued to make music and wound up doing a ton of shows over the years, both on my own merit and opening up for bigger acts.
About 2 months into the summer after my graduation when I was trying to figure out my next steps, Ryan Deelon, the PD at Hot Radio, reached out to me and asked if I had any interest in being on air and working in radio. The rest is history. I moved to Brooklyn for a few years where I continued working for Hot remotely, and then came back in person during the Spring of 2022 to the title of Music Director and became the afternoon host. Looks like all those times I sent them my music fresh out of high school paid off.
1. What did you dream of becoming when you were a kid?
As a lifelong basketball player and fan of the game, I, like many kids, wanted to be in the NBA. By the time I was in 7th grade, I realized that that was absolutely not going to be in the cards for me. After that, I always thought I'd be doing something music related, and here we are!
2. What would you be doing now if you weren't in radio?
If I weren't in radio, I think I would be making music - I went to school for audio engineering. Working in the studio, whether it be as an artist, producer, or engineer, is something I think would have my focus. That, or leaning into my love of basketball and perhaps working in sports media.
3. What would you like to do better as an on-air personality and as a music director?
Continue to find ways to authentically be me and portray that, as well as my "How could you be mad today?" motto to the public. As a music director, I'd really like to incorporate more local music into my show - as somebody who used to send music to the radio station and started making music around here at a time when I feel there were very few outlets, it almost feels like my duty to help showcase the local talent.
4. What makes being on the radio special to you?
Well, I love entertaining people and making connections. It's amazing having a platform where I can spread a message of positivity, hear people's stories, share breaking news, laugh, and then actually go out into the community and meet these people face to face.
To have that kind of voice comes with the responsibility of keeping it real and I try my best to live up to it every day. Additionally, it's great to be able to use the platform to shed light on and show love to people in the community doing cool things, including sharing things that I personally have going on, too.
5. What do you remember most about the first time you walked into a radio station?
Seeing all of the gear in the studio and thinking about how confusing it must be to run all of it. Now that my life revolves around gear and sound equipment, between the radio station, my own home studio, and all of my DJ gear, that feels like a very distant memory. Also, I remember feeling like I was seeing something that I wasn't supposed to - growing up you hear all of these songs and people talking on the radio, but when do you ever get to actually see it?
6. Where is your first social media stop in the morning? Do you have a favorite place to post, personally?
Instagram for sure. I would say that's the go-to, although I enjoy posting on and browsing Twitter and TikTok as well. I make a lot of videos between the radio station's social media pages, my personal pages, and I also run a basketball page where I strictly talk hoops. If it's a platform for videos, I'm there.
7. What would probably surprise most people about living and working in Portland?
If you're someone who likes to indulge in good eats, good drinks, and good smoke, I'm not sure there are many better places to be in the country. The restaurant scene in Portland is PHENOMENAL. It certainly won't be easy on your wallet, though. It's a small city with a lot of character, and while it's far from perfect it's a place that I can't help but beam about.
8. If you have three consecutive days off of work, how are you spending your time?
Well, one of those days is going to be a DO NOT DISTURB day for sure. Nobody call, text, DM, or ask me to leave my apartment because I will be straight chilling that day - playing video games, working on some personal projects, cleaning up, and things of that nature. The other days I'd probably go out to eat, hang out with some friends, and spend time with my girlfriend.
9. Got any hobbies?
My biggest hobbies are definitely making music, playing video games, cooking, and making basketball-related videos (go Celtics!). I also have been really getting into personal finance and learning how to better manage my money, better late than never!
10. Who were/are some of your mentors, both in radio and outside of radio?
In radio for sure would be everyone I've worked with at Hot Radio over the years. I mean, they literally taught me the ins and outs as I came into this with zero experience and didn't even consider it as a career path until I got offered to give it a shot. Deelon, Haylstorm, Mijo who's now down at Power 96 in Miami as the PD, they've all helped me get to this point. Outside of radio, it's my mom and dad!
Bonus Questions
American Idol, The Voice or America's Got Talent?
I haven't watched any of them in a while now, but I'd probably have to say America's Got Talent. I always loved the variety and seeing all of the different talents grace the stage, you never know who might step out and blow the crowd away by doing something completely unexpected.
If you had to eat one type of meal every day for a month, what would it be?
This is TOUGH...I have so many favorites. I'm Italian on my mom's side of the family, while living in Brooklyn for a few years I was in a heavily Hispanic neighborhood, and I'm an absolute sucker for cuisines from a number of Asian countries. It's a toss-up between Thai and Mexican for me.
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