waddup everyone! hope you all had as amazing a week as I did! this week we are talking to a most multitalented sista! one of my sistas who has been the host for 2 of my “She’s So Fresh” Showcases, is a beloved personality on WBAI’s 99.5 FM’s Rise Up Radio every Friday night from 9p-10p here in NY, as well as a voiceover talent, blogger and all around observer of life and music.
allow me to introduce you to:
TASTYKEISH
As the oldest of three kids in a Haitian household, this Brooklyn native became a role model to her two younger brothers as she focused on her education and dreams of becoming a media superstar. DJ TastyKeish began her broadcasting career at Brooklyn College where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Television and Radio. As a radio producer and host during her four years at the college radio station, she honed her skills through hosting weekly music and poetry shows, organizing on-air poetry slams, and producing news segments. Tasty also began her voiceover career while in college; and now has broadened into commercials, public service announcements, audiobooks, podcasts and video games in both English and Haitian Creole.
Before joining Rise Up Radio, Tasty got her first job out of college teaching children the power of radio, helping them produce their own shows and segments, along with instructing them in live deejaying. Soon after, she became a dedicated member of Rise Up Radio, WBAI’s youth produced social justice radio collective. As a producer and co-host, with friend and cohort, Digo; she ushered in a new era at RUR, reviving the conscious focus by booking engaging guests, producing thought-provoking segments and news, controlling the boards. TastyKeish blossomed into a radio renaissance woman, able to handle any task to keep the show entertaining and informative. Her diligence paid off as she has become an integral part of the show, popular with her listeners for her hilarity and her insight.
Firmly staking her claim on New York’s airwaves, TastyKeish has been shifting to on-camera work, conducting on-camera interviews for the Royalty Media Group, a new company dedicated to improving the self-concept of women and people of color through entertainment, community focus, and networking. Her debut episode of “Taste of The Town”, a music, lifestyles, and entertainment web-show is currently on TotalBlackTV.com. You can also join TastyKeish at SocietyHAE.com,a globally interactive fashion and lifestyles website as their featured music blogger.
and as if all that was not enough..TastyKeish hosts parties and live events, like…”She’s So Fresh” and “A Monthly Bondfire” currently going down every month at Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan!
this is a sista that is about her business, on her business and if you follow her on twitter you know she is using technology and social networking to grow her business. an ideal candidate for “Just A Girl…”, so we asked her to share some of the knowledge she’s gained in her travels:
me: how much time do you spend online?
TastyKeish: Too Much. If you count my BlackBerry, I would say at LEAST 10 hours a day
me: what is your fave site that you feel is helping you to build your business?
TastyKeish: Me and Twitter seem to be a great fit. LOL. Sometime, I check that before I check my email. I’m a host on the air and at shows, I’m naturally interactive so for me to be on it all day is normal because that’s how I build and maintain relationships. I notice patterns in user activities, so if i’m up at night i’ll say wassup to my overseas web portals, in the morning when my people are going to work I try grab some of their A.M. positivity because I hate to be on my way out in the morning too. I think twitter, helps me to be myself in a larger world. For the record, I must say I do hate to refer to people as “followers”….twitter should pick something else.
me: on a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it for an artist to have an online presence? please explain.
TastyKeish: I’m going to answer like this: it is important for a GOOD artist to have an online presence at a about a level 8 on a scale from 1-10. 8 because you should be working on other stuff too. If you’re a wack artist, don’t even think about touching a computer. Anyway, you don’t need to have twitter or facebook, some people aren’t into the maintenance or perceived invasion of privacy, BUT I can’t stand when most established (or legendary) artists still only have myspace pages, if you’re some kind of rich and famous and respected you should have a real dot com page. Oh and keep ALL your pages updated, if you can’t delete the old ones and concentrate on the ones you can.
me: working with artists in so many different capacities, from radio to live performance, what would you suggest an artist do to increase their online presence?
TastyKeish: Get on Twitter/Facebook everyday for a minimum amount of time (varies from person to person). Fan interaction is important too, give them a reason to revisit your page, don’t just post show dates and call it a day. Fans notice when their favorite artists have a pattern. Mickey Facts talks to fans on twitter before almost every show for maybe 15-20 mins. Interact, give things away, let a download be more than a download. I think Travis Barker is a genius at that type of fan interaction. I personally have done twitter giveaways and conducted twitter interviews as well as have been interviewed by a publication while on twitter. I also vent and let other people vent. Alot of times I get great suggestions and sometime I can offer some assistance and that makes me happy.
me: as a personality (i.e. radio, voiceover, live performance hosting) do you feel technology has provided a better outlet for networking? or do you believe artists/personalities should still be out there networking the old fashioned way?
TastyKeish: BOTH!!! If you sit on your behind at home, no one is gonna believe you’re real. Plus, you have to show people your worth. If I’m doing a show and they like my vibe they’re gonna want that vibe to translate into something they can get a taste of everyday online. But I have to be out there showing my worth first. On another note, online networking is great for practical reasons. I had a billing issue with a voice over client, turns out the database (voice123.com) they hired me from was following me on twitter. I mentioned to them on twitter that I was having a problem and two emails later….there was money in my paypal from the client.
me: where do you social networking, online tools for artists and other online resources going in next 5 years?
TastyKeish: I couldn’t even say. I just know i’m ready to be a hologram in your living room…and as fast as the internet moves, we should be getting our Jetsons cars any day now!!
and there you have it from a sista with a strong work ethic, understanding the power of the interweb and at the same time still building relationships using good old face time and in the flesh networking. You can check out Tasty’s Voice Overs at: Keisha Dutes and for past Rise Up Radio shows, check out: www.riseupradio.org
so til next fam! stay up stay strong stay positive and I’ll be back next week with another profile of an incredible woman or artist or entrepreneur that is making technology work for them!
laters,
rox
© 2010 J.A.G. Music and Media, LLC
