10 Questions with ... Juan Hustle

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

The "Hustle" began as a high school student. In between my athletic schedule and working schedule, I found time to work weekends for my hometown college station, WUEV Evansville, IN. Soon afterwards, my family relocated back to Nashville, where I was able to pick up a couple internships before enrolling in college at Indiana State Univ.. After college, I had stops in Lafayette, IN (WXXB), Indianapolis (WHHH), Toledo (WJZE), Gainesville, FL (WTMG), and now Louisville, KY (WGZB).

1) So, what's new?

A lot has changed for me. I've "leveled up" both personally and professionally. Personally, this year has brought out the biggest change a young man in our industry could experience. The married life and fatherhood found its way over to me. Happily, I am the father of two sons and have a wife that is always willing to go on an adventure with me. I expect to do a lot more traveling in the years to come. On a professional tip, I was recently promoted to afternoon drive on B96.5 here in Louisville. The numbers, both rating and digitally, have both shown tremendous growth since my launch here in Kentucky. I'm looking forward to figuring out ways to impact the industry on a scale that has yet to be seen.

2) You are a cancer survivor; what's that like for you and how do you share that others?

For me, it was the biggest blessing of my life being diagnosed with cancer. The fight for me came with the reward of giving me a new lease on life, as well as eliminating "cancers" from my personal life. Not everyone in your life is meant to be there past a season, but for some reason, I always tried to keep some around longer than needed. Before April 20th, 2011, I had no true understanding of how valuable life is. I was raised by a single parent, my late mother, who passed in 2009. To be diagnosed, treated, and cured so soon after losing the love of my life, it granted me a spiritual connection that, to this day, is hard to put into words. I did an interview for "Cancer Today" magazine last year and to read about those around the country who went through what I went through, it gave me a sense that I was not alone. Today, I spread the message through charitable organizations and initiatives aimed at raising awareness, especially within the African-American community.

3) How are you feeling about the radio industry these days?

Today's radio environment has changed so much since the day I first cracked the mic. I'm 15 years in now, and I'm anxious to see terrestrial radio grow digitally as it has with these apps on majority of today's smartphones. Technology is way more advanced in today's radio world than it was in 2002 when I first signed on. The marriage between tech and broadcast is still maturing; we've yet to see the power that it can soon become.

4) What's your approach on the air?

Surprisingly, I've never changed my approach to how I do a live broadcast since I first began. I'll try new ways to communicate the message, but the energy and engagement has never changed. The gimmicky radio thing isn't authentic to me. As I did from day one, I still feel this is an industry of authenticity and communication and if you can master both, your listening audience feels you, then you'll win.

5) Do you use your on-air status towards other business ventures? What sort of things have you done?

Yes! Listen, if my brand can help a business grow and we all making it make sense, why not divulge an honest truth? I'm proud of what I do for a living and worked hard to get to where I am.

6) Do a lot of concerts come to Louisville?

Our market sees its fair share of events throughout the year. We're the hometown market of Bryson Tiller and the Louisville Cardinals football and basketball teams. It gives artists and promoters a reason to bring their shows and events here because they'll know it'll be well received. Our largest venue just had back-to-back sell-out shows with Bryson one night and Bruno Mars a couple nights after. If you want brand/artist recognition, bring it to Louisville!

7) Is there one thing that you would like your fellow air personalities to do better?

Be brave and say what you really feel. Sometimes, I'll listen in and hear someone say something and I can just feel through speakers that it wasn't real. Better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

8) Do you have a list of people you admire in this business?

My top 5 (in no particular order) are:

• Phillip March, Dir./Urban Programming, Alpha Media/Louisville. Phillip has been a mentor to me since the day he first picked up the phone and reached out to me. Even through times where I wasn't the right guy for a job, he gave me life/career changing advice on how to change the outcome in the future and taught me "no" just means it's not a "yes" this time and to not burn bridges.
• Brian Wallace. Brian was my PD/OM during my time in Indianapolis. The advice he would give daily helped groom me for the years to come. He was also the first guy to fire me, thus giving me my "you're officially IN radio the day you get fired" stripes. Since then, he's continued to stay in contact with me and support each move I made.
• Sam Weaver. Sam was a name I would hear from industry titans early on in my career. One day, I sat at my desk and decided to research him. Found that his career was everything (plus some) that I wanted for myself. His ability to move around from market to market and still hold great numbers, that's what I see in myself doing and have done since early on in my career.
• Aundrae Russell, KJLH PD. During my time in Toledo, OH, I was on-air during my night show and a call comes to my cellphone with a 310 area code. Listen, when someone calls from L.A., you just gotta drop what you're doing and answer. Aundrae (somehow, someway) received my aircheck. Still to this day, I don't know how. But in the few minutes we talked, he told me I sounded great and that I was the future of our industry. For a guy trying to make a name in the Midwest to get a call from the West Coast at a time when I wasn't sure this was what I was supposed to be doing cause I was working for a terrible company (we all have, I'm sure), that speaks volumes. That was the last time I literally called all my family and close friends and told them, "I got a call from L.A.!" It was something he didn't have to do, but that little deed he did changed my outlook completely and fortified everything I set out to do. To this day, the minute I set foot in L.A. to simply visit the city again, lunch/dinner on me, sir.
• Charlamagne Tha God. Charlamagne just been a guy I've followed for years now. I once applied to stations he worked for in his native Charleston, SC. Didn't get the positions, but from the conversations I had with those he worked for previously, I felt connected to what Charlamagne was about. From where he's been to where he is now, what better role model to have if you young and fresh in this industry. The way he comes across in his speaking during interviews and the underlying messages that come with what he says, I don't think he's appreciated enough. The man is a living, breathing, and walking legend and his future is just as bright as his light is right now. Charlamagne gave me something to believe in again, because there was a time I wasn't believing anymore.

9) How important is it to know history?

History is key in everything you do. Today's generation, I believe, hasn't bought into this ideal. My mother-in-law tells me all the time, "There's nothing new under the sun." Knowing my history has been impactful to me both professionally and personally. It has played a big part in my interviewing skills with artists and how I work in the digital world of radio. You don't know where you're going until you recognize where you've been.

10) Why is music so important to you?

Music is influential in my day-to-day. I'm an even bigger fan of lyrical content, no matter the genre. My iTunes is eclectic, and even the tunes in my car will make you think, "Who am I riding with right now?!"

If you hadn't gone into radio, what would you have done?

Easily it would've been one of three things: trash man (listen, don't no one on the road get more respect than them), firefighter, or a Funeral Home Director. I always wanted to earn a doctorate for something, but don't care to see people suffer. It's a good business, plus, people are always dying to come see you.