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Charese Fruge’ (@MCMediaonline) Talks To Taylor Cassidy
December 13, 2022
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Unfamiliar to the traditional form of radio, Taylor Cassidy, a SiriusXM TikTok Radio Host, still provides valuable insight to the world of broadcasters on how to translate TikTok success to traditional radio signals. Let’s first talk about why.
Cassidy is best known as a viral TikTok personality dedicated to elevating Black culture, history, and voices. With a quickly-grown audience of over two million followers, Taylor uses her platform to spread love, positivity, and education. This past September Taylor launched her short-form series “Black Girl Magic” in which she discusses the latest celebrity and Internet news as it relates to Black culture. To date, her videos have earned 57.5 million likes, leading Taylor to rank #2 on TikTok’s 2020 Top 100 “Voices of Change: Most Impactful Creators” list. She was recently presented the Creator Honor of the night by Liza Koshy at the 2020 Streamy Awards.
Here's how it started for Cassidy. “I've been a social media content creator for about 3 years now,” she says. “I started creating fun, motivational videos for people to send to loved ones and friends on TikTok in 2019 and that morphed into creating an ongoing series I have called "Fast Black History," where I tell the stories of Black historical figures. I gained a following of 2 million, giving me opportunities to tell my story on ABC's “Soul of Nation” and media outlets like Teen Vogue’s 2021 21 under 21 list.”
“I currently take great responsibility in writing, filming, and creating videos for my social media platforms that educate and uplift people. For TikTok radio, I record forty breaks in between songs a week and occasionally get to interview music artists and TikTok creators. Aside from social media and being a radio host, I am a full-time film student at New York University.”
Cassidy just recently experienced what she calls one of her proudest career moments so far. “Something I will never forget is giving a TED talk earlier this year at Georgetown on the effects social media has played in defining success,” she explains. “It was something I'd placed on my vision board for 2022 but had no idea how it could happen. However, when they invited me, I already knew the topic I wanted to share. That experience gave me a chance to look back on the few years I've been online and makes me excited about where I'm headed.”
The last three years haven’t come without challenges for Taylor. “Rejection is something I've come across time and time again,” she says. “You hear all the time that rejection is part of the entertainment industry, but it's easier to say it than to live it. I've learned that rejection doesn't just come in the form of a pitch email being ignored, but also in the form of ideas that don't cater to an algorithm, avoiding transactional friendships, and balancing your own humility with fame.”
One of the biggest challenges for the Broadcast industry is the need to attract young millennials and Gen Z, but the majority of those in positions of power are older and don’t understand TikTok. I asked Taylor how she would explain the platform and its benefits to them.
“TikTok is pushing the music industry. Not only is it changing how songwriters create songs, but it's also an ever-moving vehicle for new creatives to get their art heard,” she says. “I remember having a conversation with an older co-worker who asked me this same question. We both settled on the comparison of MTV in the nineties and early 2000s. Just as it was a place for kids and teens alike to hear the newest music, see the latest fashion trends, and find things in common to talk about with other teens, TikTok is the modern version of that.”
BAM! Sounds pretty simple right? But here’s where Taylor doesn’t even understand how her experience is so valuable to traditional broadcasters who are willing to listen. My next question: How can we capture loyalty, engagement and growth among Millennials and Gen Z on our traditional signals? Everyone says the answer it TikTok, but how do we translate that to traditional radio?
“As I have only been a radio host for a year, I'm not familiar with the intricate workings of traditional radio,” says Cassidy. “However, I can say that tuning into the TikTok community that we know brings younger listeners/followers, and translating that into radio, hooks them. The niche trend or joke they see on their own phones can now be referenced as they ride to school or work. This makes the radio something more relatable and enjoyable to listen to for that demographic.”
The reason this is such a brilliant answer is because I have asked the question a million times about attracting a younger more diverse audience to traditional radio and everyone says, “Social Media.” But no one ever says how. No one can explain how to translate social media on traditional radio. Everyone can explain how to do the opposite, but no one has ever been able to explain how to utilize the TikTok community to the benefit of actual on-air content for traditional radio. And there you have it. A young woman with very little experience of how radio works, with a simple instruction on what to do. Tune in to the TikTok Community, learn to speak the language, and then do so on your traditional radio shows so the younger generation will engage in it.
What keeps Taylor up at night? “Ideas Ideas Ideas! She says. “Many nights I find myself with a racing mind filled with screenplay plots, comedy specials, outfit combinations, and the occasional recipe. It's gotten to the point where I have a notebook on the side of my bed that I jot things into if the idea is too good to let go while I'm trying to fall asleep.”
Taylor does have a good outlet to stay focused though. “I find balance through writing. Writing has been a common theme in my life since childhood. Now, I use daily journaling to check in on myself and release any feelings I didn't know I wasn't confronting.”
And focus is the priority for Taylor for 2023. “I'll be starting my fourth year of my “Fast Black History” series on TikTok for Black History MWe onth and continuing to be a host on TikTok Radio! People can find me on any social media platform under the username @taylorcassidyj.”
Photo Cred: Maro Hagopian for SiriusXMM/em>
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