Before starting this episode, I want you to imagine the program director of a radio station. You're probably picturing someone around my age, or maybe a bit older, depending on the station. A mature man or woman, with over a decade of experience in broadcasting, who can use that experience to run things smoothly and professionally. What you're probably not picturing is a 26-year-old Pro Tools aficionado and part-time radio host who's handling a station for the first time. But that's exactly the position Brady Kingsbury found himself in, and he nailed it.
If nothing else, Brady's history in broadcasting is a testament to the value of playing to your strengths, while also doing everything you can to lengthen the list of things you can call "strengths." As he says in this episode, he's never been afraid to get tossed into the deep end. It just gives him a chance to show you how well he can swim.
In this episode, I talk to Brady about how he went from working at a mall to programming Jack FM in London, Ontario in only 7 years. We dive into his love of audio editing, the process of learning Pro Tools, and the great friends he made along the way who helped jumpstart his career- including Jeff Lumby and Scott Tucker.
If you want to stay caught up with Brady, drop him a follow on Twitter:
You can listen to Brady on 96.7 CHYM in Kitchener, weekday mornings starting at 5am. Listen to some clips from the show here.
Transcript:
Tara Sands (VO) 00:00:01
The Sound Off Podcast. The podcast about broadcast with Matt Cundill... Starts now.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:00:11
Today on the show marks a milestone, and I know what you're thinking. 299 episodes without a cease and desist order. Truth be told, I've received one from Bell and one from Corus. Both were ironed out with a phone call, but today marks the first time both a first and second generation broadcaster have appeared on the show. To hear dad, you're going to have to scroll all the way back to episode 128 and check out the great conversation I had with Danny Kingsbury. However, today you get to listen to Brady. Brady Kingsbury joins me from Kitchener, Ontario. You're all set up. You've got Apple Watch on the go, and you've got your Blue Jays hat. You're ready for baseball this year?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:00:55
Yeah. Who's not? I mean, we need something to look forward to. And the Jays are looking really good this year, too. If every game is like the past four, they've already played? Hoo.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:01:05
I can't count the number of times I've done a podcast with a second generation radio personality, because the interviews- I think it needs to be different. The first question of this podcast is generally what led you to radio, but it's more obvious when you have radio in the house. And I had to ask this to Jesse Tieman and TJ Connors, and eventually we'll get around asking it to Carly Myers and others. So what's it like growing up with radio in the house?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:01:33
Well, I don't know anything different. It was regular life for us, where it just seemed that the music was always on in our house. The radio was always on from morning, noon, to night, just music was part of our lives. The genres changed and the music changed a little bit throughout the years. As you know, he went from station to station and worked at a rock and roll station or a country station or whatever it may be, hot AC. The music changed a little, but that's the one thing it was always on.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:02:05
So when dad says we're moving to Ottawa or Toronto, what goes through your mind?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:02:11
Well, luckily for myself, there was only one move that really affected me. I was probably 12 or 13. That was the one move that I was like, I don't want to move. I'm just in the 6th grade. I got all my friends here in Burlington. And then, that's when we moved to Ottawa. And now that I'm an adult and I have kids and I can imagine how hard of a decision that would have been to pick up and move your family and go somewhere. But I get it now. Back then, I didn't like it at all, but it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to our family. So it was tough for a little while. But yeah, you get used to it.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:02:45
I had the same experience, actually. My dad was a broker, and we moved to Ottawa and it was the 6th grade. And I don't want to say the experience was traumatic, but you have all these friendships and you're 12. This is the time when you're getting your best friends, or you've made some best friends, and you're going to become a teenager. Was it hard to make friends when you moved?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:03:04
No, it wasn't at all. Kids are kids and at that age you get into the class, you end up making friends. And Ironically enough, I'm still best friends with my friends from Burlington when I moved. Like that core group of guys that I met in Burlington, those are still my best friends. I still talk to them more than I even talked to friends that I met in Ottawa.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:03:23
At what age do you say, yeah, I want to do what dad does a little bit, or I want to be part of the business that he's a part of?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:03:30
I always kind of had that as a back. I had no idea what I wanted to do in high school. When people were planning on going to this University or I'm going to this College, that wasn't even on my mind. It's just- I wanted high school to be done and then kind of try being adult for a little while. So I ended up just working. I had a job at a mall. I was pretty happy. I was managing a retail store. I was 19. Living at home, was living the dream. And then I realized the next year, I'm like, I should probably think of something to do. And I was always into video production and I loved DJing and I was in bands, so music was definitely- I wanted to do something, but I didn't know how. Before I even was thinking about taking a school course, like a radio broadcasting program or something like that. One of my dad's friends had a morning show in Cambridge, Ontario and called me and said, hey, I'm looking for a morning show producer. I know you are into the whole production and senior stuff. I like it. You're into it. I want someone who's going to want to learn. And his name was Jeff Lumby, and I ended up being the morning show producer for Jeff Lumby. And it was that opportunity where it's like, all right, I'll take this chance. I'm working a mall job right now. I got nothing to lose. I'm young. Let's give it a shot. I moved out of the house when I was 20 and never went back.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:04:44
Jeff Lumby is somebody that I had the chance to grow up listening to for a few years because he was working at FM96 in Montreal and then shortly after he transitioned back to Ontario. What was it like working with Jeff?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:04:57
It was awesome. I learned a lot in the short amount of time that I worked with him. He was such a content driven guy with that show. What a first show to start off on. He wanted a heavy production show. Every sound bite you could think of on a hockey page. He did all the characters, all of the accents. The impressions was unbelievable. So we were producing things every single day, and that's what I got to learn first and foremost. And I learned throughout the years. It's like not every morning show is like that. They don't have that talent at your fingertips. And I learned a lot from him in a very short amount of time. So I'll always be grateful for, A, that he got me into the business and B, that I did learn so much from him.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:05:39
And where did you go after Cambridge?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:05:41
So I stayed in Kitchener/Waterloo for Chorus, because Jeffrey ended up leaving that station. So I think I worked for maybe eight months on that show with him. And then they said, hey, okay, we're changing up the show. We still want to keep you around. Unfortunately, your full time position isn't around, but we can get you on as a part time. You can be a promo assistant and go do remotes and those kinds of things. And I was really into production, and I just kept showing up every day. I wasn't getting paid, but I wanted to learn Pro Tools, and I wanted to learn the ins and outs of production. And their names were Jay Tufford and Johnny Q were producers there, and they taught me everything about Pro Tools, and I just absorbed it. I wanted to be the biggest sponge that I could be. I never touched Pro Tools the year before, but I'm like, I love this thing. How does it work? So then I ended up being kind of like a part time producer after that and made all the commercials. When they were on vacation, I stepped in and I did all the imaging for them, and I did that for a couple of years, and it was great. And then a full time commercial production job ended up opening in London, and I moved to London, and I was a fulltime commercial producer for a couple of years.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:06:45
It's amazing to hear that, because it's really become a more valuable position in the companies over the years. So you picked up Pro Tools? Good for you for doing that. I'm always worried that if I had to learn that stuff, I'd have to go and sign up for a course to really understand it. When I started this podcast in 2014, I don't think I'd ever edited anything digitally. And so everything I had to learn again, that was on my own. But when it comes to mixing, I'm not mixing this podcast. I have no idea how to put two sounds together. I did it one time, and somebody wrote back and it said, It sounds like a train collision.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:07:20
It can easily happen. There's a lot going on, and I probably know 10% of that program right? There's so much you could learn about that. But I wanted to literally learn every skill there was in this business, and I wanted to get as good as I could at it.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:07:36
I really think that that position where you're making the audio, you're really at the center of everything. So that includes the morning show. That includes every piece of audio that goes out over 60 minutes. I mean, there's one thing that's guaranteed on a radio station every day, and that's 60 minutes every hour. And generally, most of the audio has been created somewhere in the line, in the chain of command of the company. So you got pro tools down. What's another skill or two that you picked up along the way?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:08:05
So then when I was working at Corus London, I met my now good, still good friend Scott Tucker, who was doing mornings at FM96 in London. And I was his production guy. I was doing commercials, but he would come in and say, hey, I want a bit for the show. I want to do this parody song or whatever it may be. And then me and him got really close, and he started a new morning show across the street in London, and he said, I'm looking for a morning show producer personality. Would you want to come and do that show with me? I said, yeah, I've been making commercials for a long time. I'm ready for a little bit of a change. This is new. It's exciting. A format flip, a new station and a new city. It was all very exciting. So I went with him, and that was probably the next skill I learned was the on air part of the job, which was kind of being a personality and then an announcer. Once again, another position that I didn't think I was ever going to do. But when I started to have bits on the show and fill in when they were on vacation, same kind of thing, I didn't know what I was doing, but you just keep doing it more and more and more and you realize, hey, this is pretty fun. And with the right coaching and the right people, you can get good at this.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:09:09
I would have called Scott Tucker to ask for a little background check had I known that part. But I think if memory serves me right, he had just gotten a radio divorce from Taz. And is this when he crosses the street and you get to work with him? So you're working with a divorcee, and here you are launching this show, and I'm imagining this scenario where it's like he wants to put his stamp and his vision into this particular show. And so what are the first 100 days of working on that show?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:09:40
Like, they were incredible. I still look back at those times as some of my favorite times in this business where I didn't really have anything to lose. I knew I was good at what I was good at, which was Pro Tools. I was in a closet for years making stuff, but now it was on demand. So he's such a creative guy. He can think of something on the spot. If here's a new story at 05:00 A.m., he's like, hey, I want a parody bit intro that will go into this new story for six. I'll be like, yeah, no problem. And I could do that stuff with my eyes closed very quickly. And that's not something he had at his other position either. So we just had so much fun. He's got so many great ideas with games and angles. And I still- if he's listening, I know he'll laugh, but I just saw him last week, and every time we are together, it's just laugh after laugh after laugh after laugh. No one can make me laugh as much as that guy. So it was just so much fun. That was the first opportunity to where we were doing broadcast at Sandals Resorts and stuff like that. So here I am, this 20 something year old kid who was making commercials in a closet. So now I'm in Jamaica taking videos and doing all that stuff. So it was a lot at once, and I just tried to absorb it all in. And the first 100 days were great because I don't think anyone really knew what was going to happen with that station. And then book after book, it just started climbing and climbing and climbing. And it was a lot of fun. Only great memories there.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:11:06
I guess it really speaks to the relationship between a creative or a creator. And if you can give that idea to somebody who's got Pro Tools and who can turn it around quickly and get it to air quickly or that day you guys become brothers. I know that relationship. I've seen that happen before.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:11:24
It was sometimes instantaneously, right where it's, hey, I need this cool done. And then it became a point where if I knew he was going to be talking about something, I had all of the clips or whatever ready that he needed to play. So it became an unspoken thing where I knew what he needed in those moments. And yeah, it was a really great partnership.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:11:45
So what came first? Was it his departure to Toronto or was it your departure from the station?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:11:52
I went after a totally different job. And here's the huge climb, right? So I went from morning show producer, commercial producer, back to kind of morning show personality to program director was my next job after that because there was a Rogers station in London who was Jack FM, and they were looking for a program director. And I applied for it and had the conversations and had the meetings and sold my goods. And I got that job.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:12:21
So you're crossing the street?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:12:22
I did. I left. I mean, it's a better job. I had a young family. I just had a baby. I was married. You always think of what's the next job, and sometimes, you know, it happens and something pops up or a job gets open and one thing after another happens. And look at that. You've made a change, so you never know when it's going to happen, but when it does, you got to take advantage of it.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:12:46
Why did you get hired?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:12:48
It's a great question. I mean, I like to think that I brought a lot to the table. I was young. There's no question about that. I think I got that job when I was 26 years old, and I had every skill that radio could offer other than kind of programming. And I loved it. I had so much passion for it. And I think they were looking for someone new and young, and fresh ideas, and not- this is the way we always do things. And yeah, I got good references. I didn't just get given the job either. I had to work for that, too. And I don't know, maybe I was what they were looking for at the time.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:13:23
One of the things that people who work in production and Pro Tools and morning show production, anything involving that, I was actually looking for the word organized, being organized and being able to manage files, bits, shows, people, everything you've sort of done up to that point really does lead to leading a team. I marvel at the amount of organization required to manage radio imaging and production and the production studio. And I think that's a real feather in your cap to be able to have gotten that down.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:13:57
Well, you have to, too. Right? And I'm still kind of that way with a lot of things where I could pull a bit from September 2019 at 820 and show you exactly what it is. I do have that organization. I'm still a disaster in other parts of my life. But when it comes to, where can I find- what did we talk about November 20? I have all of that stuff together still. So, yes, I care about the little stuff and I just love it. So when I had the opportunity to go to Jack and just be a radio manager for the first time and be the music director and I also did my own afternoon show at that station as well. I've always been considered pretty okay at a lot of things, and that's what that station needed at the time, was someone who could do a little bit of everything. And I wasn't the best at each part of it when I got there. But I thought it was the perfect station and the perfect market and the perfect team to kind of even build those skills up more and more and more. And once again, there are some amazing people in that building. And I had some great times at Jack in London.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:14:55
So one of the risks you have going in to do this job, the way you describe it- and pardon the pun, it's intended- but you could become the Jack of all trades but the master of none. So when you're doing it, what was your 1st 100 days or first few months of that?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:15:11
Like, I'm a big workplace guy. You hear this term culture, culture, culture, culture, culture, culture, culture. And I do believe that, where I wanted people to enjoy coming into this building and have fun while doing this job, because sometimes we forget how fun of a job this is compared to other things we could be doing. So the first couple of days, we're definitely trying to get the team together. And I mean, they probably had their doubts. How could they not? This 26 year old kid coming in here who's a morning show producer, you're going to take this station to where it needs to be. And I said, give me a shot. Yes, I might not know everything, but together, you're good at that. You're good at that. You're good at that. I can see that you're good at that. So let's do this together. And then, yeah, you're right. Things kind of fall by the wayside because you can't do everything. I mean, if you've got music, you've got an afternoon show, if you got to manage a morning team, you got to help out with promotions. All of that stuff makes for a busy day. So you've got to be good at organizing, as you said, and kind of scheduling of what is important when. But I got thrown into the deep end in that one. And that's how I like it. Throw me in. I'll show you what I can do, and then we'll go from there.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:16:24
In just a second, more with Brady, including work-life balance. And that includes family. Also the Olympics. You know, it's a family affair. I asked dad about it. Now I'm going to ask son about it. And what happens when you become program director at 26? Simple. Everyone in the hallway questions you. There's more. There's always more at soundoffpodcast.com.
Mary Anne Ivison (VO) 00:16:52
Transcription for The Sound Off Podcast is powered by Poddin. Your podcast is an SEO gold mine. We help you to dig out. Start your free trial now at Poddin.io.
Tara Sands (VO) 00:17:03
The Sound Off Podcast.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:17:03
It's not unheard of to be a program director at 26. Maybe back in the 80s, it was a lot more common when there's a lot more ownership, more diversity in the ownership out there. Mike Bendixon was 26 years old when he came into CJAD in Montreal, and there was a comment in the hallway. Somebody remarked that I've got wine older than the program director.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:17:25
I've heard it all, I get- Yeah.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:17:26
And you proved them wrong, right?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:17:28
Yeah, I think so. And I'm still in touch with all those people that work there. And once again, I've been so lucky to work in buildings where we've gotten along with the people you work for, and that is so important. Yes, it's a job, and this is a profession, and you have to be professional. But truly, truly liking each other is something I've been really gifted with over the past few years.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:17:54
And I want to jump ahead right to March 2020 because you touched on workplace culture. So now there's no more workplace culture that sort of happens in one building. Tell me about the effects of that in and around you for your show, for the workplace, for the station.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:18:13
Yeah. It was weird. Where I am now, there are three radio stations and three morning shows. So at first, anyone that does mornings in a station that has other morning shows, you know, you're kind of like the morning crew. You're all in it at the same time. You're all tired, you're all groggy. You're all talking about coffee. What's the hottest news story? What are you talking about? What's on the show today? That crew has always been pretty tight between the three stations here. And then, you know, the culture started after the show, which that's always the weird dynamic between morning teams and people who work during the day where it's you're seeing us kind of at the end of the show and we're seeing you at the beginning of your day, but we miss that. We miss seeing people in the building. I go back to I love going into our office and just chatting with the promo team or the sales manager or whoever it may be. And for that to just disappear was weird, but it's scary how quickly you can get used to things, too. And before you know it, we were just this, like, coveted morning team where we came in, we were doing our thing, and we were in it together, and we had no idea what was happening, but we all went through it at the same time.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:19:20
How did you get to Chime?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:19:22
So once again, it just kind of happened. Wendy Duff called me and said, hey, we're looking for a program director at Chime. And I've been at Jack for a few years now and kind of knew whatever my next step would be, I don't know. And then she said, we're looking for a program director at Chime. Are you interested? I'm like, interesting. And she's like, and it's going to be a morning show host job. So I said, okay, mornings and PD, okay, that's a big job, is what was my concern at the beginning. That's a lot to do. But I knew before I even worked in Rogers that Chime was a big station. It's a big station in Kitchener/Waterloo. And I knew how important of an opportunity that was to give it a try. And I never thought I was going to be hosting a morning show. That was not on my plan or trajectory of what to do. But that was the job that's what was open. It was program director with morning show. And I said, yeah, let's do it. And that's how I got it.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:20:23
Do you remember when we first met?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:20:24
I do. It was Canadian Music Week. As you meet pretty much everyone across the company, I'm going to say Sheraton lobby bar. I believe I was with Scott Tucker at the time.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:20:35
Oh, that's right. Yeah. That's the trouble we were going to get into. And I said, in that time, I'm going to have both of you on my podcast. And since that time in 2018, I've had neither of you on the podcast until today.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:20:48
Until now. Well, I'm honored that you sent me the invite. I follow you on Instagram, and I always see the shows that you post and the people you interview. And I'm a fan of the podcast, so it's cool to be on it.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:20:59
Tell everybody about Chime because they might not know the importance of the radio station in the Kitchener Waterloo area. A lot of people go to Toronto, but Kitchener is, I think, like ten in terms of size of market in Canada, punches above its weight class, high income, lots of tech in the area. And the radio station is super important.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:21:21
Yeah, it's been a top tier radio station for decades. And it's been a number one radio station for so long. And it's so important to this community where we have been just ingrained in it from forever. And I knew it was big before I came here. But you don't really know how big it is until you are in the monster that is Chime. It's just one of those stations where I've never been anywhere, where just everyone knows it. Everyone knows Chime. And I can't even begin to talk about just the size of it and the importance of it. As you said, it's about the 10th largest market in Canada. And there's about, I think, close to 700,000 people in the three cities that are around here. So it's a big radio market and it's competitive as well where there's a ton of great radio stations in the city with some great personalities. But Chime, we're so lucky that we are able to do great contests and we have great partnerships with people in our community that we do great events. And it's kind of taken a little bit of a backseat over the past couple of years where we haven't been able to do our huge events that we normally do. But I think we're getting close to being able to do those again.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:22:37
Just thinking back to the pandemic as we talk, more and more things are coming back to my mind, and I sort of ripped apart the numbers post pandemic. Remember, we went a long time without any radio data because of people not being able to get ballots and stuff like that. And finally, when all the numbers were crunched, I looked at a market like Winnipeg and atrocious numbers, many stations down by 20, 30%. If you'd put a little effort into it, it was down by 15 to percent 18. But then I looked at a similar market, which was Kitchener, and you didn't lose that much. You went in with a strategy to reconnect with an audience that had been sent home. You only lost I think it was like 10% of the audience. But those who decided to stay listened a lot longer. Your TSL time spent listening shot up. So what was your strategy to handle the pandemic on the morning show and the station in general.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:23:30
Not change a thing where continue to do exactly what we've been doing is I could use all of the cliche radio terms that you've heard, but they're important. And specifically with AC radio to where we are your companion, we are your friend. And at a time where everything was so unknown that they could go to a place where they knew exactly what they were getting when they turned on the radio specifically for our morning show.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:23:56
Too, were we scared?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:23:58
For sure. We weren't going to let anyone know that, though. We were going to do the show that people wanted to hear when they turned on Chime. We wanted to have be a little bit of an escape from all the crazy news that they've been hearing. And then we just kept doing it every single day. That's what's important is to create a good brand and to create a good show and to create something that people know what they're going to get. It's consistency. And that was our plan for Mornings. And we didn't change a thing.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:24:23
We just kept doing what we were doing be that warm blanket every day for everyone.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:24:29
That's what we were trying to do. As I said, it's kind of cheesy and cliche as that sounds. And the amount of feedback you got from listeners of like, I don't know what's going on right now, but you're the best part of my day, and it's the thing that I know that is going to be there when I'm in the car or I'm at home and I turn on the radio. Brady and Terry are going to be there. And it's little things like that that really make a difference and make us kind of energized to be like, okay, well, for all the 03:00 a.m. Wake ups and scraping your car and as you know how much of a grind morning it's are, getting little notes and messages like that makes it easy to keep going and keep doing what you're doing.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:25:03
We started this conversation talking about family and your dad, but you're a dad now, so what's your formula for some awesome work life balance between a hectic radio show and being a dad?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:25:17
I don't have an answer for that. I mean, I'm a very kind of go with the flow guy. The Mornings on its own are a rough schedule. For anyone. You're up at 300 in the morning and in the summertime you're in bed when the sun is still up and then you add on two kids on top of that. And now my kids are six and eight, so they're at that age where starting to become a little self sufficient. You don't have to worry about them too much. But at the beginning, when it was a two and a four year old, I was working mornings and doing music and being the program director, that was a lot. It really was a lot because you have this morning show and then I'm at work for probably the afternoon. Twelve, 01:00, I get home, they're ready to see dad. They want to play with dad, and I'm exhausted, so I don't really know what I did. The only thing that kept me going is that I knew I had to do it. And you're there, you're present when you can be. I have a very supportive partner where my wife would let me sleep when I could. And you need to have a good team. I have a great team at home where I got some amazing kids and a great wife. And that made it a lot easier. Okay.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:26:24
Because what I did, I had three under the age of two when I was offered to do mornings in Edmonton where the sun sets just a little bit later in the summer and doesn't even arrive till 09:00 in the winter. And I said, that's nice. I'm going to be a program director.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:26:40
Yeah, it's not for everyone. It's not for everyone. I mean, the schedule I chose for myself, though, and now that I'm in the routine, I love routine. Some people don't like it, but I've definitely become a fan of it. Where I got a great routine now. And yeah, the hours are still I mean, you'll ask Tara, who's my co host, and I love her to death. She's been doing this for 26 years now and she's like, yeah, it never gets easier. It's still a. 03:00 a.m. Alarm.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:27:06
Yeah, it's early. Holy smokes. You've got Olympics in the family. You've traveled to see the Olympics. Tell me about your Olympic experience and what you saw when you traveled.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:27:17
So my brother, who was always the academic in the family, he was the one that went to University. And when he was in his 10th year of school, I'm like ten years of school. That is not for me. But now I've always looked up to him and I really admire what he's been doing now. So he got into psychology and then he's a huge avid golfer, always has been. And then he got into kind of a little bit of sports psychology, dealing with some golfers, to which then as he got a little bit more into the position in the role, realizing the similarities of golf to curling, and ended up getting really into curling and dealing with curlers and being on curling teams. And he ended up being a sports psychologist coach for the number one women's team in the world at the time, which was Rachel homeland, and he became their coach. They went to the Scotty's Tournament of Hearts. My first curling team I ever went to was the Scotty's Tournament of Hearts. I've never been to a curling match ever in my life. So that would have been 2017, February 2017. And I fell in love with the sport. To the fans, the culture of it, it was just awesome. And the game. And then they ended up they just kept winning everything they went to. They went to the worlds in China. They ended up winning that. They went to the Olympic trials. They won that. So then they were going to the Olympics, and they were taking my brother as the coach of the women's curling team. So I texted my dad. When they won that, I said, Are we going to South Korea? I've always loved the Olympics as a kid. I love the Olympics so much. And for the opportunity to go see one in person, it was like a no brainer. So we ended up getting plane tickets. We went to South Korea, had no idea what we were in for. I've never traveled to anywhere further than, as I was telling you, the tropical island or something like that. So I've never been to across the world. 16 hours, plane ride later, nonstop. We landed in South Korea, and we were at the Olympics, which was probably everything you think it was. Everyone in their country's gear and jackets. And we were decked out in Team Canada gear, and we went to as many events as you could and hung out at Canada House. And you saw Olympians. You saw Scott Moore there. There's Tesla Virtue, just sitting Besides you at Canada House. The arcades were there, which I thought was very cool. And yeah, and then you get to watch amazing sports.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:29:41
How do the arcades get to go everywhere? Whether it's the great Cop or the Olympics, how does that happen?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:29:47
People like them. They make good music, they're good on social media, and the rest just kind of happens.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:29:52
Are you good on social media?
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:29:54
No, I don't think I am. Well, comparatively, I'm not as good as other people are at social media. I mean, I have one. I have an Instagram. I got listeners on there that can get in touch with me and send me messages and I post pictures of my kids or I'm at a concert or something funny in the studio. So I'm not amazing at it, but it's there.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:30:15
What do you see for the rest of 2022 in terms of the show? Something you want to do with the show to evolve it forward. Anything you thought about what if you think about it in the context of a post pandemic show.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:30:26
A post pandemic show, I want to start seeing more people. We have the station in this giant shopping Plaza is where we are so surrounded in us as a bus terminal and Walmart and Lowe's and a movie theater and a Gym. We're just in the middle of a shopping Plaza, which is gold for, oh, let's go ask people something where we would just go to the bus stop and do fun videos or go record some audio. And I think people are now starting to slowly but surely be comfortable with Strangers approaching them Again, which they didn't really like it before the pandemic approaching strangers and saying like, hey, can I ask you a question? Or, hey, can I tell you a joke? Or, hey, can you be on camera here? It's always weird asking strangers to help you out with Things. It never gets more comfortable to go ask strangers to do things.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:31:13
But I don't know.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:31:14
I'd like to do that more. I love hosting things. I love hosting golf tournaments and doing remotes and all of that stuff that you kind of took for granted prepandemic with radio and you go, oh, yeah, that was great because we do this and we're able to do this because of the people that listen. And that's what it comes down to is we got to serve those people continually and surprisingly, they want to see you and they want to talk to you, and that's the benefit of social media where they can reach out to me and they can see what we do in the studio and they have a question for me. I'll respond to it on DM almost immediately. So to be able to do that in person Again would be nice.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:31:50
But I'd like to see you again in person, Too. It's been four years.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:31:53
Yeah, look at that. There's been no Canadian music week and no one's been able to gather and do the fun things together that me personally took for granted where it's just like, oh, yeah, we'll see you next year. Oh, yeah, we'll do this and then snap of a finger. I mean, that's the same case for everyone, but it really puts things into Perspective.
Matt Cundill (Host) 00:32:09
Brady, thanks for doing this, man.
Brady Kingsbury (Guest) 00:32:11
Hey, my pleasure. Thanks for asking me, Matt. This is a lot of fun, and maybe you'll call Scott Tucker next time and he'll do a much better job than me.
Tara Sands (VO) 00:32:18
The Sound Off Podcast is written And Hosted by Matt Cundill. Produced by Evan Surminski. Social media by Courtney Krebsbach. Another great creation from the Soundoff Media Company. There's always more at soundoffpodcast.com.