A Typical Talent Today Is …

Jeff McHugh • September 9, 2019

If I ask you to imagine James Bond, you might visualize Daniel Craig. But when he was first cast, there was controversy. A “Blonde Bond?” Inconceivable! But once we saw the film, Craig quickly busted down that boundary.

You might picture Sean Connery as James Bond, but did you know that author  Ian Fleming was 100% against Connery  being 007? Fleming could not see it and pushed for Cary Grant, but wound up loving Sean Connery, like everyone else.

Now, rumors are that Daniel Craig will return as Bond in the 2020 film  No Time To Die , but “007”  will be played by a black woman. Unimaginable? Inconceivable? Just wait…

Keep James Bond in mind when you cast players for your radio show or podcast.  Stereotyping  is a barrier to your success.

If I ask you to imagine a top-forty radio show you might imagine a high-energy host. But Jubal Fresh of the  Brooke and Jubal  show told our recent panel at  Portland Pop Up  that his immense success began once he was allowed to  be his low-energy self.

If I ask you to imagine a stereotypical country radio show, would you imagine a host with a foreign accent? A person of color? A female in the lead role? Check out Nancy Mack of  KGNC Amarillo’s  Mack and Tex  or  Tracy and Guy  at KYGO Denver.

Not long ago, a gay host on a mainstream station was unimaginable. But in 2010  Elvis Duran  found that sharing his authentic self was key to building a bond with listeners.

Beyond breaking stereotypes, you  still  need killer content, execution and character.

People used to say female superhero movies would never work after the flops  Catwoman   and  Elektra,  but  Wonder Woman  and  Captain Marvel   proved conclusively that gender does not matter as much as being really  good.

Finding stand-out talent for radio or podcasts seems to be getting more difficult. Despite that, Randy and I are sometimes brought in to help search and often told what specific  kind of person  the show needs.

Our advice is, “Talent trumps everything. Just find someone really good.”

Flickr.com/ DaveMcLear

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