Did I just -WIN- the radio? … hmm… probably not… BUT! – I did just recently go from having nothing, with little to no skip in my step… to winning 7 radio contests in the last 2 months AND recording my first radio commercial with ‘Lightning’ from 106.7 KROQ for AIS Car Insurance!! Yes I said first! JK, probably first and last, but who knows where this contact could lead!?
Check it out! It starts airing today (January 31st) and will play roughly 50-75 times on 106.7 KROQ’s commercial breaks within this next week! So if you happen to listen to AIS and hear it play… THAT’s ME!
(
“HOW… did this happen, Jenna?”… I know you must be asking me. (I smile as I imagine my vast audience of reader’s eager mind’s being filled with curiosity)
::fingers crossed that there is an audience::
How many people do you know have ever made it through on the radio? It’s kind of exciting to hear YOUR voice blast through your car speakers and know that EVERYONE listening at that very moment, is listening to you loud and clear. I have actually spoken to Ryan Seacrest twice, on two separate occasions – on 102.7 KIIS FM’s – ‘Tell Me Something Good’ segment which is always done around 9am in the morning. How did I get through? I called! That’s it! I honestly thought I had had my 15 seconds of fame after the two times I had been on the radio, but it turned out something even more interesting was waiting for me around the corner.
PBR – Professional Bull Riders Invitational
AMA Supercross
VIP – Brian Setzer Orchestra
It’s very odd the direction that this one particular radio contest had gone for me. It was an amazing experience that just happened to fall into my lap without me asking for it/ or even really trying really hard.. It’s my excitement for something like this that makes me slowly realize my growing ‘interest’ is actually no different that an ‘obsession’… cause let’s get real, I’ve already hit that wall and kept on going. You tell me, how could I not be with the way it has all turned out!?
Am I lucky? Not really… I’m definitely not the type that wins, but I am the type the tries; and whether you associate with winning or losing or neither or both… I hope you can see how easy it is to be apart of really cool unique opportunities by simply believing that anything is possible with a little bit of effort and follow through.
“Two people are walking down the street. One is a pianist; the other didn’t have any money either.”
Competing with the Past
I LOVE winning, but strongly dislike competing. I was never one to be competitive in anything, for as long as I can remember. Unless of course you count being competitive with myself… cause I definitely am, and strive to put in a full 100% to MOST everything I attempt. (One thing I recall not giving 100% at: I gave up on gymnastics after 3 laps of running when I was 6 – OH the life I could have known)
My attempts to compete without competing:
I use to be apart of a swimming team but would always miss the Saturday meets (I think they made me go to ONE – during the few years I joined) I really just did it for the exercise and really had fun doing it.
I also use to be apart of the Track & Field team at my High School – where I focused on ‘Long Distance Running’. Again – I was able to get out of MOST of the meets, except for maybe 2-3. (I had piano lessons on the same day as the meets, oops! oh darn – can’t go)
My piano teacher wanted me to compete more in piano competitions to prepare me for the auditioning process for music conservatories (which I never did end up doing – but that is a long story for a later date!) I remember only actually competing once; I remember it well, SO WELL – it’s where I messed up pretty horribly and still took 3rd place playing a song called Tarantella by Albert Pieczonka which granted me a whopping $50…I’m so richy rich) But seriously! At the age of 16, I wasn’t making much money except for the occasional allowance– so I was pretty stoked! Here is a link to that piece which was recorded when I was 17 years old: https://soundcloud.com/jenna-kind/tarantella?in=jenna-kind/sets/my-piano-concert-april-2004
Performing a 17 piece classical piano concert for a audience of 30-40 people @ the age of 17
Winning radio contests, is like winning something you kind of forgot you even entered. I submit for a lot of things but don’t put high hopes on any one thing, as to not become disappointed. It’s like competing in a contest without having to compete against other people directly. PERFECT FOR ME. And because of this, I know now that I am slowly but surely becoming addicted to radio contests… Yes…I suppose admitting this is the first step to possibly recovering a portion of my social life. But let’s get real, I work as a CG effects artist which means I am a shy nerd with no social skills. But I digress. In the last blog; I talked about my experience with winning a trip for two to Fantasy Hills Springs Hotel & Casino, but since then it has become so much more than a fun accidental adventure.
Winning a two night stay to Fantasy Springs Hotel & Casino
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway / Mt. San Jacinto Wilderness Hiking
Taking two of my most favorite people in the world
Beautiful Poolside in Palm Springs!
THIS winning view!
AMA – Supercross Event
Jamming out to Stray Cat Strut
Up close with Brian Setzer!
NONE of these things would have ever happened if I hadn’t taken that chance. I had never won anything off of the radio before this; so naturally, after I DID – I didn’t even try again until a couple months ago (November 2014) because I was convinced that it was just a one time experience with very little chance of occurring again. Imagine my surprise when I was surfing the web looking for a good station to stream, when I came across a contest on Jack FM’s website for ‘Interstellar’ Movie Passes. I signed up, (not expecting to win) – AND I DID!
Not only did I win the ‘Interstellar’ passes; but I was also was entered into their Grand Prize Drawing to Soar the Skys with an ‘iFLY Simulated Skydiving Experience!’ – Which I also won.
(
Here is the part that gets me. I keep expecting nothing to come of these contests – yet everyday I am surprised with how easy it is to win and how many different adventures it leads me to! All you have to do is enter, and your odds of winning increase exponentially. “DUH!” – you might be thinking… but how many people do you know actually attempt their luck? It’s not just radio based contests. This can ring true for the lottery as well. Maybe you haven’t won that 80 million dollar jackpot yet, simply because you don’t even attempt to play.
Because I applied a little effort, I was able to win the following contests:
In November I won tickets to go see Nickleback’s performance at the iHeart radio theater BUT totally didn’t think I would win so I didn’t even check my email or the spam folder
On December 21st – I won 2 VIP Passes to go see Brian Setzer Orchestra perform at the Nokia Theater (from KLOS 95.5) via online contest.
1 week later – I won tickets to go see Fitz & the Tantrums on New Years in Long Beach (on AMP Radio – 97.1) remember in my last blog when I mentioned that I had just found this station and was going to test it out? This was the result!
this was ALSO done via online contest.
...and two days later – I won TWO MORE tickets to go see Fitz & the Tantrums (YES, I won them again from a different station) (from KROQ 106.7)
1 week after that – I had submitted for a contest that asked the entrant to call an insurance company called AIS to get a quote # (but calling didn’t guarantee that you had won the online contest). But yet again, I was contacted not too long after that and was told that I HAD won 4 passes to go see the AMA Monster Energy Super-cross Finals in Anaheim!
Approx $300 value with each ticket ranging over $75 each. Not only did I win the contest, I also found out that AIS could save me $50 a month even with my at-fault accident on my record! Sound like my recording? I’m serious! If you can time find a good company that will give you all the same coverages, but for less, why wouldn’t you take the ten minutes and save yourself $600 a year like I did. OK. Done with raving about how awesome AIS is.
AMA – Supercross Tickets!
But I’m not… cause…
Shortly after we attended the AMA’s; George from KROQ (the guy who contacted me about winning the radio contest) expressed interested in speaking with me about my particular experience with signing up with AIS. After speaking with him on the phone for a pre-interview; he informed me that a man named, Lightning, wanted to do a commercial/interview with me for AIS. I was ecstatic! Lighting does tons of commercials and has logged thousands of hours of airtime on 106.7 – Even sometimes guest appearing on the Kevin and Bean show. He was totally down to earth, and excited about how excited -I- was to save money AND win a radio contest. Let’s not forget to mention that it was my Golden Birthday on January 28th!
Define: Golden Birthday - (https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=golden%20birthday) :the birthday when you turn the same age as your birth-date.
I have won off of 93.7 / 95.5 / 97.1 / 98.7 / & 106.7 – And have won the 10 prizes quickly listed here: 1) 2 Day – Fantasy Springs Resort Casino 2)Nickleback Performance @ iHeart Radio Theater 3) Movie Passes for Interstellar 4) iFly Skydiving Experience 5) VIP Passes to Brian Setzer Ochestra 6 + 7) Fitz & the Tantrums for New Years 8) AMA – Supercross Tickets 9) Tickets to some band called ‘Fallrise’ in Sacramento area, (which I signed up for while I was visiting my mom to show her how easy it is to win off the radio) and 10) George from KROQ threw in 4 extra passes to the Professional Bull Riders Tour in Anaheim after I mentioned it was my birthday!
I have now even inspired my own mother to jump on all her local radio station’s sites to try her luck! SERIOUSLY if she can do it… so can you.
Everyday the radio stations add contests to their website; and everyday contests end. You can sign up free online for their web site, or call in at designated times throughout the day and try your luck to get through over the phone. I have won both ways and am proof that it is possible with a small amount of effort. And because of that, I am now totally addicted! How could I not be, winning + free things = awesome. So keep checking your favorite radio stations everyday for new opportunities. (even check your least favorite stations! – you can still win there as well – and you don’t even have to tune in to that station)
Locate your top local radio station here! (https://radio-locator.com/)
I hope this has in some way inspired you. Cause as you can see, anything is possible with a tiny bit of effort. Maybe it’s simply just not for you, or maybe you think that it may seem too complicated or in-achievable, which is why the best way to achieve anything starts in the mind.
“Carefully watch your thoughts, for they become your words.
Manage and watch your words, for they will become your actions.
Consider and judge your actions, for they have become your habits.
Acknowledge and watch your habits, for they shall become your values.
Understand and embrace your values, for they become your destiny.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
Thank you for reading! Good luck out there!!
(https://quirkycorkcreations.wordpress.com/2015/01/31/winning-the-radio-and-so-can-you)
Congratulations @quirkycorky! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.
For more information about SteemitBoard, click here
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCongratulations @quirkycorky! You received a personal award!
Click here to view your Board
Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
Congratulations @quirkycorky! You received a personal award!
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!