Abe Kanan

 

  Abe Kanan is a 2003 graduate of Columbia College Chicago. By the time he reached his junior year at Columbia he became one of the regulars on Mancow's Morning Madhouse. After completing college, Abe worked in Chicago before landing a gig at 101.1 in Richmond, Virginia. Abe has also been heard locally on WCKG-FM. Abe's insight and words of encouragement for our students was greatly appreciated.

1. A lot of successful talents point to a moment or moments in time when radio first struck them as a serious career option. When was your moment?

When I first started interning for Q101. I used to always do voices for fun, but when I started doing prank calls, and people actually started requesting them, I knew I had my in. I never thought I could get paid to have fun, but somehow it happened. What I recommend for aspiring radio students is to learn and do anything and everything you can in radio. I started out doing production and voices. Now I am a co-host on the show that I have always wanted to do, and now I am doing everything, not just voices!

2. You are a great example of a "silent assassin" of sorts. People who meet you would be very surprised at how down to earth and humble you are. In my opinion, one of your strongest attributes is ad-libbing on the spot. Where does your comedic sense of timing come from?

Thanks for the compliment. A lot of people in radio are funny in the hallways, but when they come in the studio they freeze up. A lot of people in radio also put on a fake persona. I treat everyone from the interns to the general manager at the station the same! I have worked with people who have taught me the way not to act in radio. I really make it a point to treat people the way I would like to have been treated when I was an intern. The bad, egotistical people in this business might be successful for a while, but that bad karma always catches up to them in the long run, and they basically get blackballed from the industry! I think my personal comedic sense comes from observing. Ever since I was a little kid, I have observed people and imitated them. Also, my life experiences: High school, College, my first job at Walmart, were all places where I created a bunch of my characters.

3. Loyalty is sometimes hard to find in this business. As a department we owe a lot to you, Rachael Whalen, Lindsey Parker, Ashley Davis, Johnny Gaskill, Joe John, and Mike Hansen. Each of you succeeded and made an impression at Q101, helping to open the door wider for our students to work with on-air personalities at Q101. For that we thank you. When you think of loyalty and mentors, who immediately comes to mind? Sludge?

Definitely Sludge! Also from Q101, Brian Rhodes and Ned Spindle. From Columbia it would be Tom Joyce! He hooked me up with my first internship and I haven't looked back! Sludge has taught me how to act in this business. Although he had the #1 afternoon show in Chicago, he always had time for me as an intern. I worked with a lot of people with huge egos, and it was refreshing to work with someone who was a genuinely great guy. Ned Spindle and Brian Rhodes were the production guys at Q101, both of whom I learned tons from. Ned Spindle showed me that you could add characters and comedy to imaging. Brian Rhodes taught me so many technical things about producing bits and production elements. Besides their great skills and mentoring, they are all great guys!

 4. How would you describe your time with Mancow's Morning Madhouse?

It was my big break into radio! It was unreal to me. I listened to the show since it started in Chicago. It was weird to work for the show that I had listened to since eighth grade. I interned for a year without getting paid, then finally one day Mancow asked me what it would take to get me in there everyday. I said I would have to quit my job at Walmart and start getting paid. I will always be grateful to Mancow who paid me out of his own pocket for the first two years that I worked for him. It was a high-pressure situation where I learned a lot of skills that I still use today. Of course I also learned how not to act in radio. It was a very dysfunctional environment, which was probably one of the reasons it was great!
 
5. After the demise of Mancow's show, you certainly had options.  From a student's perspective, how did you go about signing with an agent?

I actually had my agent for a couple of years before the show ended at Q101. My agent is Steve Mandell, who is one of the nicest and hardest working people I have ever met. I was actually introduced to Steve by Sludge. Sludge told me how great an agent he was and how much he helped him, so Steve and I met. He thought that I was talented enough for him to help me. At the time I was unhappy working for Mancow because I wanted to work for Q101, not Mancow. A week later, I had a job offer at the Zone, 94.7 True Oldies before the format flip. That's when I was finally hired by Q101. They countered the Zones offer.  Agents are great to have because they look out for your best interests, and in my case, my agent had guided my career. I have heard a lot of horror stories, but Steve Mandell is awesome!  After the Mancow show ended I got a job offer in Miami, and Steve got me a great deal. Now here in Richmond, once again Steve got me everything I wanted. I definitely recommend an agent when the time is right in your career.
 
6. Your time at Columbia seemed to fly by rather quickly. Despite being so busy, you always were able to post excellent grades while also being involved with WCRX 88.1 FM. What were some courses or instructors that influenced you and how beneficial was WCRX to your progress as a broadcaster?

Tom Joyce was the most important person I met at Columbia, because he got me my first internship at Q101. I think internships are the most important things for Columbia students to get involved with. At the time I interned, I also had 17 credit hours at Columbia and worked at Walmart 35 hours a week. I was really stretched, but the hard work paid off. I interned for over a year before I got paid. A bit of advice when taking an internship is do everything and anything they ask of you. Also, when you are given a chance to shine, take advantage of it. During the summer, stations have as many as 40 interns. You have to separate yourself from everyone else. Also, when you work at WCRX, experiment with your show. This is your chance to make mistakes. If you think something is going to be radio gold, and others don't, take the chance! At least you are failing doing something you believe in! The WCRX influence on your career all comes down to how seriously you take it. Create a show that we haven't heard before. The stuff I do is totally different from everyone else on the radio. That's what keeps me employed. Be a leader!

7. Together with ex-Q101 personality, Sludge, you host a morning show in Richmond, Virginia. How did your pairing come about?

The whole time I have known Sludge we have wanted to do a show together. We have great chemistry on the air together! When I went to Miami, Sludge went to Richmond. A few months ago, the stars finally aligned and we are now co-hosts doing the show that we have always wanted to do. This is the first job that I have had in radio where I am doing everything that I wanted to do. I am the co-host, I do all of my phone pranks and characters, and I am finally on a show where we have great chemistry together. The show sounds great and each day I wake up more excited than the previous day.
 
8. Let's talk a bit about your parodies, phone scams, and various other bits. Where does this stuff come from?

It all comes from observing people and staying up to date on everything going on. Show prep is essential for a great show. I think the parodies, phone scams, and bits are an extra layer that makes the show different from the rest. My advice for coming up with characters is this: Think about someone in your life that makes you and your friends laugh when you talk about them, then figure out a way to make that character relate on the radio.


9. Finally, if you were to give a few words of advice to students what would they be?

1. Always be true to yourself. Never do something that you're not comfortable with.
2. Work Hard! Separate yourself.
3. Take advantage of your big break. At some point you will be given a chance to shine. Make them remember you, and leave them wanting more.
4. Get involved with WCRX. Create your own unique show. Think of this as your audition for commercial radio.
5. Get as many internships as you can. When something opens up at a station, you might be the person that the station has in mind.
6. Think outside the box. Reading liners and traffic will get you nowhere. Entertaining people and making them laugh is what will take you to the next level.
7. Never forget where you came from. Don't be the person who gets a little bit of power and makes life hell for people below you. If you have a show at WCRX, try to help everyone around you. When you get a paying job in radio, treat the interns the way you would like to have been treated when you were an intern. Your fellow students and co-workers are not your enemies. The guy who is your intern now could be your Program Director five years from now. There are a lot of snakes in the radio business. Find the good people and surround yourself with positivity!
8. Most importantly have fun! This is the best job in the world! If you're not enjoying yourself, then you are in the wrong business. It's hard to entertain others and make them happy when you hate going to work everyday. Also, if you need my help e-mail me:

Myspace.com/abekanan