EastCoast HR Group has approached prominent and everyday Sunny Coasters about their careers. Follow our Friday Feature to find out what inspires those around us to go to work every day!
Today, we interview Todd and Sami, your 92.7 MIX FM radio hosts.
What was your first job?
Todd: Delivering pesky pamphlets to people’s letterboxes in the 90’s…yep I was one of those trailblazing kids taking the advertising right to the people’s front door…educating the sheople (sheep people) about the stuff they didn’t previously know they needed in their lives…and junk mail is still going strong to this day…yep we were pioneers back in the day…I always think the brochures are ace as a Loo-Read…stuff to read on the dunny. I don’t seem to be able to go if I’m not reading, and I can’t read if I’m not, well, you know…I’ve been thrown out of a QBD store more than once I can tell you.
Sami: My first job was when I was 15. I was a checkout chick (can you call them that anymore) in Brisbane and worked a few afternoons after school and Saturdays. I could not wait to get a job to earn my own money and have the freedom to buy whatever I wanted which even all those decades ago was food and clothing! ha!
Who are the people that have made the biggest difference in your career and why?
Todd: There’s been plenty of influencers throughout my career and I mean peeps who have had an influence on me personally and professionally. Not these online social media type influencers, you know the ones you meet at a BBQ and you ask “Hey what do you do?” and they say “Oh I’m a model” and you go “That’s great what agency are you with?” and they go “Oh no, I’m an Instagram model” and you say “That’s cool, you know I’m a crack shot assassin” and they’re all “NO way, who do you work for, Russia, North Korea, the US?” and you say “Call of Duty Black ops 4”. You still with me? Top 3 for me as far as having a major influence on me…Dan Bradley, Content Director(fired me) John Williams CEO, (hired me) and Vic Davies (Aussie radio legend, up there with the likes of Doug Mulray and Andrew Denton. (Easily one of the most passionately talented and beautiful blokes I have ever known.)
Sami: I have a few. Jennifer Nichols was my first boss when I was a journalist at Seven Local News. Jen is still a mentor and a friend and taught me perfectionism in journalism and an amazing work ethic. Jen is still the best journalist I know and I was lucky to learn under her. Jen also taught me how to party! Todd Widdicombe my on air radio partner has also been a huge influence on my career. Todd has taught me people want to laugh in the afternoons for the drive home and not hear about politics or murders. This was a hard transition for me to start but now I love the fact we only do happy breaks. Todd has also taught me to treat every person as if they are the most important person in the room. I am not as good as him at this but what a beautiful concept. John Williams my boss at Mix FM has also had a big impact on my career when it comes to equal rights and pay for men and women. JW is incredibly progressive when it comes to being flexible with my work hours and my kids and his outlook on looking after staff.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Todd: You should always strive to be yourself…unless you can be Batman…in which case…ALWAYS be Batman. Also, your job is a balance of 60/40… 60% is “On-air” and you should aim to nail that 100% of the time, but just as important is 40% “Off-air”, meaning who you are around the office and with clients and the people you meet. It costs nothing to be a good bloke and to have good manners and make people feel special. The fact is, people will forget what you said or the things you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. Good or bad. The other bit of advice is “life isn’t a fairy-tale, if you lose a shoe at midnight, go home, you’re drunk”
Sami: How you treat people in the hallway is just as important as how good you are on air in radio! Do the work. It is that simple.
Think back to five years ago. Did you envision your career as it is today?
Todd: I always cringe when people ask “So where do you wanna be in 5 years champ?” FIVE years?! Man I’m just trying to make it through to Friday lunch, let alone the next FIVE years!! BUT, looking back, wowee, 5 years ago I was still in my 30’s, has less grey hair (I call it “ash-blonde”) and my son, Noah’s brother Fynn, the oldest of my 4 little people, wasn’t driving and hadn’t graduated from Mountain Creek. It feels like it was a lifetime ago. I think I thought I’d be retired by now having opened a chain of Elton John themed Indian take away restaurants called “Rocket-naan” but alas I’m still working on the wireless and playing Smash Mouth songs on a daily basis. Working on a new business idea, a Kylie themed mobile kebab van called “I should be Souvlaki…laki, laki, laki”.
Sami: To be honest I probably thought five years ago I would have a billion kids (I have 3) and maybe life would have been a stay home mum. That was not meant to be and with my youngest starting school next year I am actually looking forward to working longer hours to keep myself occupied. I could clean my house I suppose! Ha! I am really happy working with Todd on Mix FM and the drive shift is great because I get my mornings with my kids. I would like to focus more on writing in the next few years.
How do you approach work – life balance?
Todd: I approach “life balance” with all the grace of a drunken rhino, making a mad dash for the late-night courtesy bus, with a hankering for a badly packed kebab with the lot and his pants around his ankles because he’s misplaced his belt and his left tan shoe. Not sure if I’ve mastered the balance thing yet…a beer in each hand? Perfect balance?
Sami: I do not have a balance! Life is crazy! But I love the chaos and the crazy. I probably need to do something for myself in 2020 like yoga or join a book club but for now, life is a beautiful mess with work and kids. That is rubbish advice to anyone, isn’t it! Ha!
What is your proudest moment in your career?
Todd: During our time together, Sami and I have been nominated for more awards than Prince Andrew’s had car-crash interviews…so two. Yep, two awards. I’m sure there have been a dozen noms, in fact for a while there we were the Aussie John Wood of the Logies, always nominated, never took home the chocolates. The only reason we’re not the John Wood anymore is because he actually won one, remember? (Can’t believe he never got a nod for Rafferty’s Rules all those years ago…) Anyhoo…” we have always felt it’s an honour and a privilege just to be nominated” Really? and do you know who always says that kind of thing? People who have never won. The proudest actual moment I can recall personally, interviewing the legendary Python, Eric Idle, in person, on stage in front of 500 Sunny Coast Monty Python fans. I was sweating away like Prince Andrew in a…oh wait…he doesn’t sweat…I was sweating away like a young bloke who’s just discovered late-night SBS, seriously terrified of the gig, and yet Eric was a ripping bloke, a brilliant yarn and true gentleman. Eric Idle IS my Idol.
Sami: I have two. The first was when I won a national award for journalism about older people. The OPSO awards existed to promote positive images of elder people. I won the top award for a TV story the day my grandmother died. I was so emotional and I only left her bed to go to the awards for an hour or two but I think it was her plan for me to be there and win it! Secondly, covering the royal wedding for MIX FM with Toddy when Harry and Meghan were married is something I am super proud of doing. It was such a big call for MIX FM to budget to send a regional team of boot heads to cover the biggest story in the world. It blew me away we were given the chance. Todd and I worked really hard believe it or not (we also had quite a few beers in those enchanting little London pubs) because we wanted to do MIX FM and The Coast proud. Every other media outlet had entire teams of people working as a unit and it was just the two of us to find stories to produce them and to edit and broadcast the actual ten shows. It was a massive work effort and I had to pinch myself we were at Windsor castle broadcasting. It was a memory I will always remember. I still cannot believe we were given the chance to go and we pulled it off.
