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The task was clear for the scrappy team members of RBD Speaker Series - Group One:
Secure a guest speaker that could share knowledge with our Humber College Radio Broadcasting Career Prep class...and make it a damn good one!
Mission accomplished.
We were fortunate enough to have Jeff Sammut agree to step up to the plate.
Did he fit the bill?
Let's see...an over twenty-year veteran radio broadcaster, entirely based in Toronto.
Starting with humble beginnings volunteering at CIUT 89.5 doing whatever needed doing, then board-opping his way into The Fan 590 and CFRB Newstalk 1010, then making his name known as a competent content crafter and a fella that you could count on to be 'down for whatever', Jeff methodically made his way up to host-worthy status.
Now the host of weekly talk show 'Canada Now' on SiriusXM, Jeff still also gets behind the mic at Newstalk 1010 to this day.
Oh, and he is a Humber College Radio Broadcasting program graduate.
So, yeah...I guess you could say he fit the bill.
And Jeff knocked it out of the park!
No stranger to storytelling, Jeff ensured that our crew was engaged, entertained and educated.
His tales and his advice were frank, funny and fascinating. To a group of aspiring radio broadcasters just a few short weeks away from making our presence know to the broadcasting world, this was gold.
And the takeaways Jeff provided us with were clear, simple and backed up with testimony:
Just Be There - As the old saying goes, 80% of success is just showing up! Become known as someone who is around to be of help...even if you are NOT on the clock.
Do Everything - No matter what pathway you might have concentrated on, make a point of knowing how to do as many of the different things that make a station tick as you can. And no matter what the task that might come your way...SAY YES!
Find The Things That Feed You - Regardless of what job gets you in the door, be clear about your end-state goals and work towards them, while of course still crushing your current tasks. You want to host a podcast? Great - go make one! Want to explore your future options with people you would love to work with? Great - get a hold of them and get a meeting with them, and do not be afraid to say "Hey, I just want to meet you."
Be Ready For Whatever - This industry moves fast and furious. That job you really want? It is going to come up, guaranteed...but you need to be ready to pounce WAY before there is ever a posting for the position. Practice living that role on your own time. And let the right people know about it.
DO YOUR PREP! - 'Nuff said.
Indeed, the scrappy team members of RBD Speaker Series - Group One could not be more thrilled with Jeff's talk. It was a great way to kick off the Series, and set one heck of a benchmark!
Jeff Sammut was a pleasure to have as a guest, is a great industry contact to have, and simply put, is one hell of a nice guy...even if he is a Yankees fan!