Inspiring Woman Interview: Meet Marie of The Radio Fam

     I'm thrilled to kick off a brand new blog post series on SBIT today! Welcome to my first ever Inspiring Woman interview. I've always enjoyed reading interviews on other blogs- I've found many people to follow that way. It dawned on me near the end of last year that I've been so lucky in recent years to connect with so many women who inspire me: both those in radio and in the blogging and influencer space- my two passions!

 

      In 2021, I'm hoping to bring you an interview every other month with a woman who inspires me. If these are a success, I'm hoping to do this every month in 2022! I'll be alternating between women in radio and in blogging, and maybe down the road I'll feature women in other industries as well (I'd love to highlight some small business owners!).

     My first Inspiring Woman interview guest is Marie of The Radio Fam. She's the creator and owner of one of the most successful radio industry community accounts on Instagram, @theradiofam. She balances a day job and multiple side hustles, and is a personal branding whiz. Whether you're in radio or not, Marie and her Instagram accounts are definitely worth a follow, and many of the things she's done with Radio Fam could be applied to other industries as well. Meet Marie!

1. Introduce yourself! (What you do, where you live, any side hustles in addition to your day job):

Hey! My name is Marie, I live in Denver, CO. I'm an Executive Assistant full-time at a media software company, I have a part-time radio promotions job (but haven't worked an event since quarantine), I have a social media/branding consultancy, aaand I'm the owner of The Radio Fam! 

 2. How did you get started working in the radio industry? 

     I actually started in radio promotions in Seattle kind of randomly - I've always had a knack for "promoting things" particularly the band Hanson. MMMBOP! In school I used to draw their logo really big on my desk and write lyrics, that way people in the other class periods would see it too. Can you believe I wasn't popular in school?! Hahaha. 

     I started fan-girling this new country station, 100.7 The Wolf, that had just gone up against the heritage country station in Seattle. Their vibe was so fresh and fun! They were doing this big promotion called Quest for a Million Listeners, where they were encouraging people to call in and pledge listening to this new station and converting their friends until they reached 1 million. I wanted to be a part of it, so I made a banner for my truck promoting the station which said "HONK if you pledge to listen to 100.7 The Wolf!". I drove around the Puget Sound blaring the station and people would actually honk! I would call into the station like "Hey, so here's what I'm doing and I got 12 honks today" The Wolf was doing a remote near my house one day, so I stopped by to try and win Supercross tickets. The promotions crew saw my sign and told me to apply for a promo job. I got the job...aaand won those tickets too! So ending up in promotions sorta just.. happened!

 3. What do you wish people that didn't work in radio knew about radio? 

That a lot of the people in the industry are some of the most passionate and creative people you will ever meet. 

 4. What made you choose to leave radio full-time, and what do you do now for your day job?

 Wellll, since I worked in promotions it's hard to make good money, and also one of the firsts to go when cuts happen. Between that and too much red-tape, I decided I needed something that gave me a little more stability! I left radio full-time in 2013 to go try out other jobs. I'm so glad I did because I have learned so much valuable information hopping around various industries! It was really cool, because my stations allowed me to stay on part-time this entire time. These days, I work at a media software start-up in Denver. I love start-ups! I actually thrive on the uncertainty and effort to grow something. I basically keep other people organized. Truly a Jill of All Trades :) 

 5. How did you get the inspiration to start Radio Fam? 

Ya know that whole red-tape thing? Radio was moving way too slow when it came to social media. I really took notice when Instagram really started to take off. To see brands and influencers start to connect with their audiences through social media is something I found really fascinating. Can you believe I actually started a version of the radio fam back in 2013? It still exists because I forgot the password! @instaradiogram - But finally in 2017 I decided I needed to show radio people the power of social media and owning their personal brands.

 6. What's been a few highlights of growing Radio Fam to where it is today? 

Reaching 5K was huge because I never thought I'd get it! Bobby Bones following the account made my year last year! lol Now, the fact this has turned into such a positive supportive community and I get messages every week from people thanking me for the account motivates me to keep it going! 

 7. What personal and/or business branding advice have you learned from Radio Fam that you'd pass onto others not in radio? 

It's a lot of work! Be consistent, always be learning and improving. Take risks! 

 8. Do you have any time management tips for balancing a side hustle with your day job? 

I'm horrible at this, haha. Right now I work all day, and then well into the night with my side-hustles. I figure if I put in a lot of work now, I can eventually make my side hustle a full-time thing! :) I use my Google calendar a lot, the Later app, and Trello! 

 9. What Instagram accounts or content creators inspire you? 

 There are honestly too many to list and I would hate to leave someone out! SO many people inspire every little piece of what I do. Can I mention how YOU inspired me? I reached out to you so long ago because I was impressed by your influencer stuff. I didn't know anyone else who was navigating a blog side hustle while also working in radio. Your content is so bright and fun! 

 10. Anything that has brought you joy since the pandemic started? 

Honestly, being able to put more time into The Radio Fam and getting to MEET so many radio people on Zoom and other digital platforms. I don't think I would have made all of these connections otherwise. Loving these new radio friends! I'm a creative introvert, so I'm never bored! The slowdown has allowed me to catch-up on a lot of things. 

 11. Leave your contact info and social accounts here so people can connect with you!

@TheRadioFam on all social media. @RadioRelics on IG and TikTok if you like vintage radio things :) Find me on LinkedIn here.

     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese