Coffee and Cabernet

The Art Of "WE Outside!" A Playbook For Networking That Actually Works

• Danny Doe • Season 1 • Episode 8

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It's official! we recorded our first live audience episode! And we invited someone who doesn’t just plan events, she builds the moments everyone in South Florida ends up talking about. Nikki Montana joins us to share how branding, marketing, and media relationships really work when you’re building a career that has to survive platform shifts, tight budgets, and nonstop competition.

We start with Nikki’s path through radio promotions and why that “entry-level” lane can become the fastest way to learn the whole business. From there, Nikki explains how she introduces herself at networking events, and how follow-ups create real momentum without sounding cringe. If you’ve ever walked into a room full of decision-makers and didn't know where to place yourself, this gives you a playbook.

Then, Nikki breaks down promotion strategy beyond giveaways, including community initiatives that build trust and even lift ratings. 

All of this while enjoying some interesting coffee choices, and games like two truths & a lie through out.

And let's not forget about the audience! Danny Doe & Nikki include them by hosting a Q and A, and raffle after the pod. 

Follow @CoffeeandCabernetPodcast on social and share this with a friend who’s building their platform.

Cold Open And Big Guest Intro

SPEAKER_03

She's that girl, Nikki Montana.

SPEAKER_06

The thing is, sometimes a DJ be the brains of the operation. I'm not gonna lie. One that I feel like I just fell out. I know. But you need work-life balance because if you don't take care of yourself, you will crash out.

SPEAKER_03

It's gonna be a tough one of the 954 or the 305.

SPEAKER_06

I'm gonna go get some Cuban food after this. I consider myself a leader. And I love to lead people, and I like to get people where they need to be at.

SPEAKER_03

Can you make some have a lot of fun?

SPEAKER_02

Drink one start and it's time for coffee and cabernet. The best way to start and end your day.

SPEAKER_03

Let's go! Welcome to Coffee and Cabernet, the best way to start and end your day. I'm your host, Danny Doe, and this is the show where we talk about all things related to wine etiquette and coffee culture. Now, if you've been keeping up with the pod, I have a tendency to pick up every episode a certain way. By the way, if you guys haven't done so already, make sure you're liking, subscribing, following, streaming the pod on all applicable platforms at Coffee and Cabernet Podcast. As I was saying, I usually say each episode is going to be a special one. To that, I say I could only try to top myself, and I think I've done that this time. Not only does it have to do with today's guest, but this is our very first recording with an audience. If you don't believe me, check this out. Audience, can you make some noise?

unknown

Woo!

SPEAKER_03

I said, can you make some noise? Alright, we're gonna have a lot of fun with them. I'm gonna break down who they are in a second and what they got themselves into. But first, my guest for today. I'm not just going to say some nice things about you because we've worked together, or because if I ever want to get into someplace VIP, all I gotta do is pick up the phone. Nikki, can I get in? And I'm probably gonna get access. No, this person is probably behind a lot of your favorite events in Miami. And if nothing else, she's hanging out with the cool kids at the function. She came here today to talk to us everything branding, marketing, promotions, and pretty much everything under the sun and under the umbrella of media. She's that girl, Nikki Montana. Nikki, thank you for coming on to the show. Yes, and thank you for having me. And also thank you for being ready to say yes to everything, right? I do, I do. I always support my people. As a matter of fact, what started off as her saying, Danny, I want to give back some of my time, I want to come talk to the students and things like that. I said, Well, while we're at it, why don't we just shoot a podcast? And she's like, All right, Beck, here we are. Now, that said, the audience members are actually students of Miami Media School, and what a treat do they have to be able to have a front row seat to shooting a podcast, seeing the ins and outs, and hanging out with a real media professional. Now, this episode could have gone one of two ways. We could have done it about wine, which I gotta say, some people behind the scenes are sadly disappointed that it's not about wine, or we could have done it about coffee. Here we are, we're gonna do it about coffee. Cheers to everybody who already got some. Now, one of the things that comes to mind before I continue is that I gotta give a big shout out and thank you to everybody involved because this is very much so a collaborative effort between Coffee and Cabernet Podcast, Nikki Montana herself, and Miami Media School. So a big thank you to everybody, the students behind the scenes, the alums that came to hang out, our prestigious instructors and instructor assistants. This could have not been possible without you guys. So before I continue, a big round of applause for everybody that had a hand to play in this production. Miami Media School.

Audience Setup And Raffle Rules

SPEAKER_03

Now, we're gonna kick off this episode in an interesting fashion, but I gotta tell you guys a few things that are gonna be happening that makes this episode special. At the end, we're gonna be doing a QA. So we were supposed to pass out some coffee. You guys already helped yourselves to that. If we could get some coffee, that would be great too. The cafecito, actually. And you guys are also going to be getting a QA paper to fill out. Oh, okay, okay, good to know. There might be some more, or probably not. Anyways, you guys are gonna be getting a QA paper, but this isn't just any paper for you to take down notes and asking your questions at the end. No, it's also going to give you guys access to a raffle that we're having today. I'm gonna explain the rules one time, so make sure you're paying attention. And if not, we have somebody to translate it in Espanol por Sacaso. This paper is going to have two QR codes. Very simply, I want you guys to do the following scan the QR codes, make sure you follow Nikki Montana, and make sure you subscribe to the podcast on YouTube, and that'll give you instant access to entering in the raffle. This paper also has a number. Consider that your raffle ticket. This is what you guys win. You guys win Nikki Montana. We're giving away Nikki Montana. Nah, I'm joking, I'm joking, I'm joking. But she has agreed to a special one-on-one with the raffle winner. This is an opportunity for you guys to ask her anything and everything, pick her brain, have her do a social media audit on your brand. Anything. In addition to that, courtesy of Coffee and Cabernet, we're giving you guys a free gift card to some coffee. So there's that. And courtesy of Miami Media School, we are going to be giving you some social media equipment so you guys could, you know, get with your content creation and record some stuff. You know what I'm saying? So we're hooking you guys up. Make sure you enter the raffle. We're going to be having that passed out right now as we speak, the papers. Okay. Nikki, you ready? I'm ready. Alright. So, like I was saying, we're gonna kick things off in an interesting fashion.

Two Truths And A Lie

SPEAKER_03

We're gonna play a little game of two truths and a lie. Very simply, Nikki has provided us with two things about her and her career that are true. One of them is not gonna be true. And I'm going to be calling on the audience members to let me know what they think, and she's ultimately gonna tell us what's right. Make sense? Alright, cool. So let's kick things off. Two truths and a lie. The Nikki Montana edition. Number one. I was fired from my first job. Pay attention. Number two, my first job out of college was working at a radio station. Number three, I started off as a radio personality before promotions. I'm gonna say that one more time. Make sure it sticks. Number one, I was fired from my first job. Is that true or is that false? Number two, my first job out of college was working at a radio station, true or false. Number three, I started off as a radio personality before promotion. What do we think? Is it true? Is it true or is it or is it false? Okay, that one's true? Okay, okay, okay. Which one do you think was false? Okay. Okay, I like that. Any other guesses? Number two was false. Okay. All right. Nikki, will you do the honors?

SPEAKER_06

So I have been fired. My first job I ever had, I was fired. Um, I worked at a clothing store for two hours, could not fold clothes, and realized that was not what was meant for me. And I started working at an ice cream parlor when I was 16 years old. The second one is my first job out of college was at a radio station. I graduated at Florida Gulf Coast University with marketing, minor, and advertising. And I wanted to work at events, concerts. I went on Indeed, and the first job that popped up was a radio station, and I worked at Renda Broadcastings in Fort Myers, home of Gator Country, the number one country station on the West Coast. But last, no, I've never been a radio personality. I've always worked in promotions. I've always had a passion when it came to working in promotions. And as you guys know, with working in promotions, you learn all the different aspects when it comes to radio. You work with programming, you work with digital, you work with engineering, you work with sales. So for that, that was something I was very passionate and what I loved, why I enjoyed working in the radio industry.

SPEAKER_03

And you know, for those of you that that aren't aware, promotions is like your foot in the door a lot of the times, right? I think for media students, we could have easily the thoughts in our head of I want to be on air, I want to be a producer. But if you want to get through the door, that may not always be there as your first opportunity. Promotions, however, that's one of those entry-level positions to be able to join a street team, to be able to join a brand and do some of the stuff that she's talking about, right?

SPEAKER_06

Exactly. And one thing I always tell when it comes to promotions, just because it's an entry-level job, you guys don't have to be entry-level people. It's just more of a way to get your foot in the door when it comes to working in radio. Because when you go into promotions, you are the face when it comes to being on the streets, when it comes to being at events, when it comes to even posting on social media. Promotions, I always say, is the heart of what makes a radio station keep going.

SPEAKER_03

I like it. I like it, I like it. Okay, let me ask you this.

How To Network With Real Value

SPEAKER_03

Since you are, dare I say, like the queen of marketing or networking is probably like a good way of saying that. Let's pretend this is a networking event for a second, right? And you have a few minutes to introduce yourself to someone that you feel might be worth the collab. How do you go about that? How do you tell them who you are and what you do?

SPEAKER_06

So I think the first thing when it comes to networking with somebody, a lot of you know, times people like to go up, they like to talk about themselves, what they do. But I think the main focus is really figuring out when you're talking to someone of what projects, what do they have coming up? Obviously, it's nice to say hi, my name is Nikki Montana. I do consulting and I do social media management as well as promotions. However, you know, what kind of projects do you have coming up? What's going in the next three months? That's how you really engage in a conversation with people because when you're just talking about what you do, what you have done, no one really cares. People care about what in the future, what are things that you're working on, and how can you collaborate? How can you add value to that person? Because at the end of the day, it's all about what can you do so we can work together if it's either a partnership or ways that we can make money together, and that's how you get someone's attention.

SPEAKER_03

I love that. I love that, I love that. I think that that's one of the unspoken rules in the media industry is having the ability to network appropriately and effectively, taking advantage of those opportunities when you're meeting certain people. I think I tell the students this all the time like you guys are networking right now with the industry professionals, like exactly, yeah, right, and how you act and how you go about that opportunity says a lot about your character or where you're at in this game, and it could determine how far you could go, which is actually a segue to my next question. So you just told us you started in radio, right? And I seen you work your way up the ladder, like probably like nobody else, if I'm being honest. What's something you did early on that wasn't necessarily in the job description description that really like set ablaze for you and your career?

SPEAKER_06

I think one thing that I did was I really had to change my mentality when it came to my job. Um, when it comes to promotions and working in radio, as you guys know, radio has changed from the last 10 years, from the last 20 years. So when I started working in radio, I wanted, you know, I started promotions, I was a part-timer, I was working for free. Now I think the laws have changed where they don't have you working for free anymore. Um, but I was working for free. So I learned from all right, how to, you know, work with programming. I learned how to run the board. I learned how to go into the digital apartment, how to do social media, I learned how to write blogs, I learned with sales. I used to go to sales meetings and be like, hey, let me be on a fly in the wall, let me write your notes and learn about the sales aspect of how they sell commercials, how do they sell radio personalities? And I think the biggest thing is not saying no. I think if you really want to get in an industry, you have to learn everything about that industry. And when you're saying, oh no, that's not my job, all right. Well, then when that next opportunity comes, they're gonna know that you don't want it, that you don't want to be part of that because you should be like, you know what, that's not my job, but it I can help you out. What can I do? And that's also how you build relationships. This game is all about relationships, and I know a lot of people hear that all the time that oh, relationships, what does that do for you? When you build relationships with people, you don't know, especially with your colleagues, where someone is gonna be. Someone might be the janitor one day, the next day they're all the way in a management position, and then maybe they're even at a label or they're at another radio station, or maybe they become a content creator and one year they blow up because of their TikTok content. It's things where you have to understand when it comes to relationships, you need to make sure you strengthen those and you build those with people and be organic about it. With Danny, how I met Danny, me and Danny worked at Hit Sunny73, one of the biggest top 40 stations here in Miami. And that was what, five years ago, six years ago? Once upon a time. Once upon a time. But that's something, even now, if he ever needed anything or he asked me, hey, this is something we need to do, it's because we built that relationship, and that is what's truly valuable and important in this industry.

SPEAKER_03

Oh my god, I love that you said that actually, because I think the hardest thing is getting your foot through the door, right? And she's there talking about I had to sacrifice working for zero dollars. You guys don't have to do that anymore, but you do have to figure out how do you compete in this market. So being able to say yes to everything is super important, but that's also why, and I'm gonna keep tying it back to the unique opportunity that you guys have as students here at this media school, is that we're kind of teaching you several different aspects of the industry. Why? So the day that a Nikki is telling you, can you do this, can you do that, can you do this? Your answer better be yes. Because that's the difference between the next step in your career or staying where you're at. And I definitely think that you guys to some extent are trying to climb the ladder very much how she's been doing so, right? Um coming from traditional radio though, and and taking this shift into being more involved in events and digital and marketing, what's something that people that don't have that background are completely missing out on that you have?

Radio Credibility And Community Trust

SPEAKER_06

Well, when it comes to radio, radio has always been about community. So when you listen to the radio station, you're listening to it because it's your favorite radio personality, it's your favorite music, maybe it's some tickets or giveaways that you want to go see a concert. It's about building community and building trust with that community. Also, it's about credibility. As you guys know with radio, it is an FCC, um, it's government ran. So a lot of things that we talk about, we really have to make sure it's credible. Um, it's not opinionated compared to with social media. A lot of these blogs and a lot of these social media platforms can be more opinionated. So with radio, it was all about trust, credibility, and it's something that when you go into a digital platform, you have to relay that messaging and make sure that you aren't, you know, opinionated. You need to make sure that you aren't giving any, you know, advice, or you're not kind of skewing stories, or you're not skewing things that happen. You got to be really on the mark. Um, another thing when it comes to radio that I really, really love is the way it connects to the community on the airwaves. With digital media right now, that is something that they are trying to do on a video platform. And how do you connect? How do you have people trust you? And that was why I loved radio so much was because we were a big trusted platform, and we also were the ones that really made sure that when we had our community, they valued and they wanted to listen to us.

SPEAKER_03

100%. I I think growing up as a radio kid, uh, and what I mean by that, I grew up loving radio, and that's what led to me like trying to get my foot in the door, and it had so much to do with these certain radio brands just feeling like they were a part of like my upbringing, like showing up to pep rallies, being at certain places out in the street, like really building that community and just like being there with people, like turkey drives and all that stuff. That's the stuff that radio brings to the table that I think other platforms like are now like you're seeing it with it with them, but it kind of started there, right?

SPEAKER_06

Exactly. I tell them radio personalities were the original influencers when it came to it. So now in a day and age, influencers strive for something like that.

SPEAKER_03

One of the things that I think they strive for is being in the right rooms,

Building Rooms And Following Up

SPEAKER_03

right? So let me ask you something. Uh, since you're kind of known for being that person that kind of connects people together, what do you look for when deciding who belongs to be in a room, or or how do you look for forming certain collabs?

SPEAKER_06

So when it comes to certain rooms, so um obviously I go to concerts, events, networking events. I love going to conferences because I love just meeting um CEOs, VPs, and getting education from a lot of high-valued people. Um, I just went to the excite her, accelerate her that was in the Ritz-Carleton in Miami, which was a huge event. Um, very fancy. And it was something that when it comes to bringing people together, I love to, you know, connect people that are either mentors, CEOs, VPs, and then up-and-coming talent that I see that are very passionate, that want to strive for success, that are willing to learn, be coachable, and want to be in the rooms. And I think it's really important for people that are already established or already have a career to really mentor people that want to get in the industry, but it needs to be the right people. Um, a lot of times when I mix people together, sometimes it could be great, sometimes not so much. Um, because it's all about what can we do to uplift the youth, uplift people that are up and coming that want to get in the industry. But once you get in that door, it's up to you on how you move. It's up the way of how you connect. And I think the biggest thing is having a good positive attitude when you are in these rooms and meeting people and creating an impression. Because a lot of these CEOs, a lot of these VPs, a lot of these radio heads, they meet so many people all the time. So you got to think, okay, what do I need to do to connect with them? And the follow-ups are very important.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Must always follow up when it comes to the next day, sending them an IG DM if you're big on Instagram, TikTok, if you get their email, just thanking them, hey, thank you so much. I love meeting with you. And it was just a pleasure. Not, hey, thank you so much meeting you, I need a job, or hey, thank you so much meeting you, give me a follow back. Never ask for something when you meet someone. Just imagine on the vice versa, if you meet someone and they ask you for somebody something that you don't even know that person. You need to build that relationship when it comes to people. And if I can get you in the door, it's up to you to close that door.

SPEAKER_03

Gems right there. That's jewelry, actually. Uh, you might have already answered this question, but I want to see if you could even piggyback on that more. I I do think that those are the intangibles that sometimes we might miss out on, and that's why I'm so glad that you're here to kind of like let us know. Like, do you want to build something? Like, it starts here, it starts from like that first impression. Is there an addition a particular skill actually? Let me ask it this way what's something that's more valuable than a skill in this industry?

Consistency Discipline And Adapting Fast

SPEAKER_06

So I always tell people consistency is the most important thing. A lot of people say talent is important, but I think you could be the most talented person in the world. But if you're not consistent with your craft, also being very disciplined is key of making sure that you make yourself accountable. And sometimes you might not always do what's right, or sometimes you might mess up, but you need to be accountable and understand okay, what can I do that's better, or what can I do to make sure that this opportunity comes, that I am prepared to get that opportunity. And I've always been consistent, even when it changes into the industry. As you guys know, with the digital age, a lot of things have changed. Now we not only we have TikTok, we have Instagram, we have Facebook, we have X, we have YouTube, we have Twitch, we have all these different platforms. But it's up to you to adapt to these platforms and understand how these work. No one's gonna give you a handout, no one's gonna tell you, hey, you need to learn this, or hey, you need to do that. You gotta be consistent with your craft and go out there and educate yourself. And places like Miami Media School is a great way to learn to educate yourself on these different things because it's up to you for you to want to understand of okay, what can I do to educate myself to get further of where I need to be?

SPEAKER_03

I heard Snapchat's making a comeback too.

SPEAKER_06

Oh, I forgot Snapchat, Snapchat too, Snapchat too.

SPEAKER_03

Oh man, okay, uh so this one's up the alley with your particular background.

Promotions Strategy That Moves Ratings

SPEAKER_03

So you've worked for some pretty major brands and radio stations. Some of them are 99 jams, hot 105. What does a successful promotion strategy look like beyond the giveaways and events that we normally see with those kind of brands? Like, how does like what is a solid promotion strategy for you?

SPEAKER_06

So, one thing that I love doing is I love doing community events. I think when it comes to the community and especially with radio, it's all about giving back to the community. And when it came to not only jams and hot, but even I work for Easy93.1, hits 97.3. We always thought, okay, what community events, what community events can we even create when it comes to the different areas of South Florida that are in need? And a lot of times with 99 Jams and Hot, we would partner with um labels, cities. One of them, shout out to DJ Khaled, we the best foundation on 99 Jams, we would do a backpack giveaway where he would support us on giving away almost 5,000 backpacks all around South Florida where we would go to inner cities. And I think that's something that makes radio different from the Spotify, the Apples, the YouTubes of those giveaways. And because of that, on a business standpoint, with Nielsen, which, if you guys don't know what Nielsen is, it gives you basically ratings, it tells you your demographic, um, who we target, your target audience. We always had an increase in ratings because of these community initiatives because we build a trust with the community, and it was also a great sales initiative because with sales, we can sell these sponsorships and we can even get more things we can give back. A lot of times we've worked with companies like the Sedanos, which they've given us turkeys, um, El Dorado, um, lawyer services that would want to give back, and because of these things is what made radio so special to me of giving back to the community.

SPEAKER_03

I love that. I love that, I love that, I love that. Radio radio is that medium where you know you hear things behind the scenes about radio, and you know, TikTok might be a little bit more popular, everybody loves the YouTube, but you don't see radio going away. You just don't, it's not going away.

SPEAKER_06

And it won't go away because radio is free. So when people think about it and they say, Oh, radio is dying, radio. The thing is, radio, we're just getting they're just getting less listeners because of distribution of music. People are now listening to music not only in radio but other outlets, like I've said with the Spotify, the DSPs, YouTube, Pandora. So when a lot of people say, Oh, radio is dying, no, it's just different listenership. And with radio, a lot of things that I love saying because I come from promotions, is you can win giveaways and tickets on radio stations. I've done so many fun things with the radio stations where I've done meet and greets, I've done ticket giveaways. I mean, I'm going to Rolling Loud this weekend with radio station or giving away Rolling Loud tickets, and those are things not everyone can afford. Things are really expensive, and especially with the time we're in. And radio allows you to have these experiences with your best friend, your boyfriend, your family member, and that's the beauty of it.

SPEAKER_03

Love it. Love it, love it, love it. I'm gonna ask this one because I think it's important for them to kind of like hear it from somebody that has been doing this for what are we talking about, a decade, maybe more?

One Rule For Media Careers

SPEAKER_03

13 years. What's one sentence that you think media students should live by?

SPEAKER_06

So my I don't know if he's the CEO, he's the president, but at Cox Media Group, my old company used to work at Rob Babin would always tell us that preparedness plus opportunity means success. You cannot have if you could be prepared, but if you don't have an opportunity, you're not gonna be successful. There could be an opportunity, but because you're not prepared and you don't have the education or you don't have the um, you don't have the brand, you won't be successful. And I think those things go hand in hand. And I tell a lot of um either my team members or people that really want to get into this entertainment and media industry is you gotta make sure you're prepared because when an opportunity comes and you don't have it all together, I'm sorry, but you cannot get mad, you won't get that opportunity, and don't get upset. You you know what? I've gotten a lot of I haven't gotten a lot of opportunities, but I don't sit there and I don't get upset, I don't cry, I just you know what, what do I gotta do? What skill sets do I need to add so then I can be successful and get that opportunity?

SPEAKER_03

So there's first of all, that's that's freaking gold right there. But I just I just think it really speaks to like how can you be upset for not getting something based off the work that you didn't do. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_06

Like exactly.

SPEAKER_03

All right, we're gonna wrap up this portion of the pod real quick with this last question. Nikki, you were talking to us earlier about how you would introduce yourself and ask them about what kind of projects and things that they got going on. So I gotta ask you, since we're collabing right now, what upcoming projects you got working right now? I know you got something.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, so I just recently um created my own business, it's a consulting social media branding business where I work from events, influencers, and community initiatives of building their platforms when it comes to Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube. I've also decided that because of this, this is one of my strengths of working in the social media that it's great because I get to work with clients, I get to work with very passionate people because of my craft and find ways of not only that we can do collaborations, but ways we can make money because I've realized in the digital space there's a lot of money to be made, and that is something that I am very passionate and something that I'm very good at that I've decided to do.

SPEAKER_03

I think, like when I hear that, like this is no longer a job for her. This is what she enjoys doing. Am I crazy?

SPEAKER_06

You're not crazy.

SPEAKER_03

All right, maybe, maybe just a little bit. But in any case, let's clap it up for Nikki for this portion of the pod. Way to go, way to go, way to go, way to go. Thank you,

Coffee Taste Test And This Or That

SPEAKER_03

thank you. Alright, so we're gonna do a quick pivot right now, right? And we're gonna continue to spice things up a little bit. Now that we've gotten the questions out of the way, the formalities, let's have a little bit of fun. We're gonna play a little game of this or that. This is how we're gonna kick things off. I'm gonna need now two coffees being brought over to the table real quick. Here's what's going on. She doesn't know which coffee is which. See, this is why I didn't want to do wine. Coffee number one. Coffee number one is a point. Well, well, I mean, it could be interpreted that way, at least, at least with the other one. But coffee number one is a delicious shaken espresso cortadito courtesy of Sergio's over here in the Rao. So shout out to them. The other, while not poison, is drip coffee from earlier this morning, I think 6 a.m. It was in the lunchroom, and you know, you know how that's gonna go. Just kind of gauging Nikki and figuring out how good she is at this game, this or that. So which one is it?

SPEAKER_06

Alright. Which one is it? I don't know why, but this one's calling my name. You guys agree?

SPEAKER_03

What do you guys think?

SPEAKER_06

I want no point.

SPEAKER_03

The other one's like, go right, go right. I don't wanna look. I don't wanna look. What do you guys think? I'm gonna do this one. I'm gonna do this one.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. So that means you drink the other one?

SPEAKER_03

I don't know about all that. Well, what do you know? What do you know? It is the shaking espresso cortalito. Yes. You can enjoy that. You can enjoy that. I love coffee. Do you have any more of that? Because I would love some. There is some.

SPEAKER_06

This is good.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah? No, it's fantastic. They do a phenomenal job.

SPEAKER_06

I know the Sergio in the back of my mind was like, get this one, get this one.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. Uh, okay, so let's cape things off. This, this or that game is going to be a little mix-up of things media related, Miami related, and I just wanted to cape things off a little bit Miami related. So, Art Basil events or Miami Music Week events.

SPEAKER_06

Ooh, I feel like Miami Music Week is becoming Art Basil and vice versa. But I love Art Basil, I love art. Um, when I was in college, I actually wanted to be a painter and an artist. And then after a year, my parents were like, We are not paying for you to go to college to be an artist. And I went to marketing and advertising.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_06

But I love Art Basil. Like even before it became big, me and my mom would go, we would go look at art. Like, that was one of our things of bonding together.

SPEAKER_03

And the events that are being like formed out of that and the collaborations behind like those kind of events are just like it's like this one time of the year where you it could really take off for you.

SPEAKER_06

I have a whole schedule, literally, that I put together for every like weekend, just because again, it just keeps you organized, you know exactly what you need. Um, also, it's just making sure you prioritize your time is the biggest thing.

SPEAKER_03

That's actually like a good segue for us to keep on. So let's keep this going. Viral moments or consistent content.

SPEAKER_06

The thing is, you need to do consistent content to give viral moments. Um, my thing is with viral moments, it's something if you're pitching yourself to a brand or if you're pitching yourself to a company or an agency, they want to see the viral moments because of the numbers. But with the consistent content, it's just kind of one of those things where you have to be consistent for you to gain followers. A lot of times on TikTok, you have to post between four to five times a day for you to get followers, and that's just something that to me it's like hand in hand, but the viral moments is what's gonna get you in the door.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, okay. Work life balance or career obsession.

SPEAKER_06

Work-life balance. I was career obsessed, I really was, especially when I was at the radio station. I love what I do, but you need work-life balance because if you don't take care of yourself, you will crash out. And especially with media, we're so passionate, we love what we do. But if you don't take care of yourself and take time to go to the gym or go to the beach or really kind of zone in of who you are as a person, you will lose yourself. And I think work-life balance is very important.

SPEAKER_03

As a matter of fact, uh, I teach courses where we have a dedicated focus on media strategy and just trying to have a consistency when you're on these platforms. And the way that I approach it has to deal a lot with who you are as an individual and where you're at at your particular level and point in time. Because if you try to overextend yourself, which I feel like a lot of us creatives have a tendency of doing, like, I can say yes, yes, yes, go, go, go, go, go. But when you hit that wall and you start to burn out a little bit, it just puts you in a position where if you could avoid that and try to put yourself in a place where you don't have to restart every time, it is just so much better for the long term. 100%. And you just avoid that stress. So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Yep.

SPEAKER_03

Here's one that I feel like I know I know, and it's gonna be a tough one, but uh the 954 or the 305.

SPEAKER_06

954 all day. Shout out to Pompano Beach. Free caller here.

SPEAKER_03

I'm seeing thumbs down. I'm seeing thumbs down.

SPEAKER_06

I'm sorry, you guys. I'm from Pompano Beach.

SPEAKER_03

So that was a tough one. That was a tough one. That was a tough one.

SPEAKER_06

But Miami, I always tell people I'm from Pompano, but I am like adopted in Miami. There you go. And I used to live in Miami. I used to live off 69th Street, and Miami is such a beautiful city. I love the culture of Miami, and I love living here because with Miami, it's just something that no other city in the United States is like Miami. And when I go to New York, when I go to LA, when I go to Atlanta, even though I'm repping 954 Pompano Beach, but I always talk about Miami and the beauty of it from the culture, the people, the food, especially making me hungry. Yeah, Jesse, I'm gonna go get some Cuban food after this because I'm all the way down south.

SPEAKER_03

There you go. All right, uh, DM or in person?

SPEAKER_06

In person.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Safe marketing or risky ideas. Risky ideas. Polish content or real moments. Real moments, right? There's a certain like authenticity thing that I think is going on right now in the contemporary where people are just craving that versus something overly elaborate, overly created. It's those authentic moments, some of the times even the ones behind the scenes that really speak to that brand, right? I agree a hundred percent. Alright, knowing the DJ or the brains of the operation.

SPEAKER_06

Oof. The thing is, sometimes the DJ be the brains of the operation. I'm not gonna lie. Um, but it's a tough one. It's a tough one. It is a tough one, it's a tough one. I mean, knowing the operation only because when working in promotions, a lot of times I worked with the promoters or the event people. Um, but I always make sure when it comes to the DJ, when it's my team, I worked on 99 Jams, Hot 105 hits where I've had the best DJs in the city with those stations. And I always made sure my DJs were taken care of when it came to the events.

SPEAKER_03

So that's a hard one, but yeah, I don't feel like she picked it though. That's a tough one. There's a tough one for all right, all right, all right. Uh uh night in or night out.

SPEAKER_06

Night out.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_06

I'm not gonna lie. Even though I like to stay in, I love to watch my love island, I love to watch the boys. It's now something I'm listening to, watching. Um, but I love going out, I love meeting people, I love the energy of people, and you have to have that one-on-one face connection when it comes to people. And I've going out, I've met some people that I wouldn't meet if I was in an office. Um, I remember one time I went out and I went to go see Diplo at 11 and I ran into the owners of Ultra just randomly. And that's how I brought Ultra to hits 97.3, and we started doing ticket giveaways, we did a whole takeover, and they still have that relationship with Ultra because I'm one of those people when I build a relationship, even though I'm not at a job, um, I will still make sure we continue that relationship because I know the importance of Ultra with my top 40 station. And if I didn't go out, I would have never met them.

SPEAKER_03

So, long story short, is just being outside, right? Being outside, being outside. All right, let's tap it up. Let's tap it up for Nikki Montana. Let's go. Okay, we're almost there, guys. As promised, I'm gonna allow a moment for you guys to ask Nikki some

Student Q And A On Career Paths

SPEAKER_03

questions. This is going to be our QA session. So let's kick it off. Let's just, you know, rip that band aid. Who would like to go first?

SPEAKER_04

Okay, um, what would you rather do? Radio or what would you rather do? Radio or media or media um social media? Like what would be be your first preference?

SPEAKER_03

Uh well, you know, we have a saying in radio, that's how you know it's live.

SPEAKER_04

Uh I if I could Well, I'm saying like if she had an option to choose, like what would she choose?

SPEAKER_03

Between radio or social media.

SPEAKER_06

Or working, social. So 10 years ago, I would have said radio because I loved radio. Radio was one of my, you know, that was my passion job. And when I got the opportunity, I was working for Cox Media Group, the biggest radio station brands, that was my dream job. I wanted to be the promotions director of 99 Jams and Hits 97.3. When I got out of college, that was my goal when I got that in five years off hustle, determination, and discipline. But now with the stage of what the digital era is, social media, I think, is radio, you can only be in a certain market. With social media, you can be worldwide.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

So with the expansion of that, I think I would do social media because I see with that being able to expand. And also with money, I think a lot of advertising dollars, a lot of these brands are going towards more social media. They still buy on radio, but I'm following where the money's at. So I would do social media, it's more with me, my industry.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. I love that. I'm gonna add to that real quick. So, so similar to her, my trajectory went from radio to social and digital. And it was an interesting article that came out through Forbes. This is circa 2021, 2022, that said, as of right now, some of the top jobs that Fortune 500 companies are looking for has to deal with social media and social media management. So for me at the time, I was like, wow, I must be doing something right to take that shift because I'm going where the money's going and I'm growing where things are growing. So, yeah. 100%.

SPEAKER_06

I saw that too.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, there you go. There you go, there you go, there you go. Uh, next question.

SPEAKER_00

Hi, Hernando, how are you? How are you doing? Uh so an up-and-coming Instagram or what do you think will be like a really good suggestion when they're like growing their social media?

SPEAKER_06

So, when it comes to social media, I think people have to understand that you need to find a niche. Um, when you're everywhere posting, if you want to do food content, then you want to do artist interviews, and you want to do events, you confuse your audience. And when you have a niche, especially with this day and age, a lot of people want to follow you. They have to get something out of it. And if you want to build your platform, you got to think, okay, what do I want to focus on? And something that you're good at and you enjoy. You don't want to say, hey, I want to do food content and you don't even like eating or going out, which is crazy because you'd be surprised. I know a lot of influencers and models that do food content and they don't even like eating. And I'm like, what? This is crazy. Um, I know a lot of people that do certain music industries and they don't even like that music industry. They'll say, hey, you know, but because they've already in it, they've already done a good job, they'll stay in that industry, but it's not something they like. Um, also, I think when it comes to branding, it's trial and error when it comes to social media. It's fine if a video doesn't work. It's fine if, you know, your profile picture isn't something that you want to like. Always update and change things. Everything is always evolving. No one's gonna be like, oh my god, that video was shitty. Try again. Take the same video and be like, okay, what can I do better? Repurpose content when it comes to it. I think sometimes we get in our heads when it comes to social media and we want everything to be perfect when it's not perfect. And like what Danny said earlier, a lot of content's raw content. You don't have to have a whole video setup editing. You can do raw content. If you guys go to my Instagram page, a lot of my content that I go viral is event content. I'm specifically a social media event specialist. And I go and I cover events like I was doing at radio, and I get viral moments, and most of my moments are not cut, edited, it's just me captured. Capturing that moment, and I can't tell you all my sauce, but there's other things that I do on the videos, but that is my niche. That's when people following me in my content is because people want to see that. I work with an influencer, Super Cindy, and you guys probably know who Super Cindy is. She was on 99 Jams for almost 25 years, and we are now positioning her to hospitality content. And now she wants to do, she's always wanting to do food content. That was her thing. So now with her page, we are taking people that followed her for artist interviews, rappers, music videos of what she used to do, and now we're getting her into a different space. Is her content doing that well? No, it's not as what it should compared to if she posts an artist interview or she did a freestyle. Right. But we're transitioning her followers and her audience to get in the hospitality space because now that is a new angle that she wants to go. So that answered your question.

SPEAKER_03

Again, I and I feel like that relates to consistency, right? Because over time, like that shift will become apparent, and then those followers followers are soon followed. Do that, just that. Yeah. We have time for one more question.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, we got two people that want to ask a question.

SPEAKER_03

We got time for two more questions. Let's go.

Handling Stress With Support Systems

SPEAKER_03

Question.

SPEAKER_05

But I'm gonna need some help because I'm gonna do it in Spanish.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_05

So you sento or say in esta industria I moments of frustration.

SPEAKER_03

You give off this vibrant woman empowerment energy.

SPEAKER_07

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

When you are feeling times of frustration, like this industry very easily could like be get, what do you do to kind of like echalo bayano?

SPEAKER_07

Right?

SPEAKER_03

Right, right, like to kind of like brush it off your shoulders and kind of keep trucking on.

SPEAKER_06

So I think the biggest thing that keeps me going is having a good support system. Obviously, things can be hard. I mean, a lot of times I was very stressed, especially working in my past jobs where I would be very stressed. I would cry, I would close my door so no one saw me, and I didn't want my team to see that I was stressed out because when I consider myself a leader and I love to lead people and I like to get people where they need to be at. But when it comes to me, I gotta take care of myself. And I have a I have a very close relationship with my family. My family is very supportive, even though certain things they don't always agree with, but I like to give them context of the reasons why I'm doing something. Um, I also have a man, shout out to my man right here. Um which was very hard because dating as a strong, independent woman, a lot of men can get very intimidated with that because um unfortunately there are men that are jealous of women's success, and you gotta be very careful with that and getting people or men around you that are very supportive that aren't your competition, and it's also your friends. Um, I have so many different friends that are either in the music industry that are head of labels. Uh my mentor is one of the VPs of iHeart. Um, I have influencer friends, I have doctor friends, I have one of my friends who works at Bank of America, and it's good to, you know, have a diverse friend group that not all your friends and people are in the industry because sometimes you got to talk to someone, you got events, you got to get this energy out. Um, and that's something that the last couple years I've been really focusing on that. But at the end of the day, I don't see no one sees me quit, no one sees me get, you know, cry. I put all that closed doors because at the end of the day, I need to keep my head up and do this for myself. And when people see your weakness, a lot of people will take advantage of that. And that's something I've learned a lot because a lot of people are your competition when you're going into the rooms. You're competing, you know, when it comes to promotions, when it comes to being an on-air personality, being an influencer. So you gotta have those right people around you with good intentions that when you have those bad days and you need to call someone, they're gonna be there to support you and not let you down and be like, yeah, you know, I had this issue too, or this happened, or whatever. That's not what it is. It's about being there for people because at the end of the day, we all love what we do and we're passionate about it, but we also have to make money and we gotta survive and make a living. And unfortunately, I don't have kids, but I know friends I do have kids, and they got something that they have to do for their kids and for their own family, and I'm very supportive of them. Um and it's just you know, supporting others, giving back. Sometimes, you know, like today, um, one of my friends, Martica Lopez, she's on hit Sunday 7.3, she was on this podcast, but I just check up on her and I'll just send her, you know, just text messages and just saying, hey, if I know she's doing an interview or if she's sick, and I'd be like, Hey, I hope you're good or you're feeling better, like also giving that energy to your friends because we all have things that we deal with, and it's also good to pour out in other people, too.

SPEAKER_03

Love that, love that. Good question. Good question.

SPEAKER_06

Sorry if it was long, but those are things that I just like I believe on pouring out and giving in when it comes to people.

SPEAKER_03

Good, good stuff.

Branding Advice For Artists

SPEAKER_03

Our last question.

SPEAKER_01

Hello, good morning. Hey, my name is Mr. Beezle. It's I'm sorry, good afternoon. My name is Mr. Beezel, and first of all I want to thank you for all the input that you're providing, especially myself, because I'm an artist and I'm trying to, you know, get myself out there in Miami. I just moved down here. So, my question to you is like, um, how expensive somebody like you might be to work with somebody like me who is not known yet, but who wanna get out there and also wanna offer himself for free for a couple events, and then later on we can do some business together and stuff like that. Is that possible? That's my question.

SPEAKER_06

Um, so everything is customizable with the person. So a lot of times I have different clients, some that have 4,000 followers, some that have 150,000 followers, some have a million. So a lot of things are customizable based on doing an audit of what your social media is and what your goals are. Um when it comes to success, everyone measures success differently. And you have to be realistic on what that looks like. Um so with that, I mean, we can exchange information and we can kind of go into next steps of what that is and what you're trying to do. Um, being an artist is I think very difficult, but when it comes to music, we've transitioned, and I know some people are not gonna like this, but it's all about your brand. It's never about the music. We know there's a lot of music artists out here that suck, that aren't good, that you probably hear on the radio station. But people love their brand and they love the story behind their brand. So now when it comes to an artist, it's one of those things where you gotta have people fall in love with your story and your brand, and then the music is what keeps them to you. So I think that's a thing is also realizing okay, what do I want my brand to look like? What do I want when people go on my social media or when people meet me? What do I want them to relate to? Um and it's other things too relatable. Do you, you know, um with one artist, one thing that we worked on was we were like, okay, what things do you want people to like about you besides your music? And he's Haitian, so he wanted people to know that he was really big with his roots. Um he loved football, he was a big UM fan. So it's like, okay, we want to make sure when it comes to the University of Miami that that was something he always repped, he always, you know, wore the cool gear, and that was something that we want people to be latable, because some people might follow you because you're a UM fan and things like that. So it's just things you gotta think of, okay. What is my brand? What do I want people to notice me about, and then build off that with your music.

SPEAKER_03

And that's just one question answered.

Raffle Winner And Final Words

SPEAKER_03

Imagine winning a one-on-one session with Nikki Montana herself. I think that's actually like the best segue I could find right now. So that concludes the QA session. Let's get this raffle going. By now, I'm assuming you guys went ahead and you followed the instructions, you scanned the QR codes, you followed, you subscribed, you have your raffle tickets. We have my guy Adrian behind the scenes getting ready to do the randomized number, and Nikki's about to announce it. So go ahead and spin that thing around. That actually looks like fun. Oh, wait a wait a second. I think it's gonna make you pay. Oh! Alright, alright, Nikki, will you do the honors?

SPEAKER_06

Alright. This person is number one, raffle ticket number one.

SPEAKER_03

It's a no congratulations! Annel, you just won a one-on-one session with Nikki Montana. You won a coffee gift card, you won some equipment to record some social media content. Congratulations, guys.

unknown

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_03

As a matter of fact, round of applause for all everybody again. What can I say, Nikki? Any final words or thoughts?

SPEAKER_06

Um, no, I just want to say thank you guys so much for taking your time and energy of being here. Um, my biggest thing is obviously uplifting people and helping people get to places they need to be at because I've had a lot of mentors and a lot of people in the industry that poured out and did that to me to get to where I am today. And we just started, even though I've done a lot of great things, but I have so much more coming up. This weekend I'm going to Rolling Loud, so I'm so excited. I've been working Rolling Loud for 10 years when they first started. So I'm excited. And again, just keep on going. I know it's very hard. I know we're very passionate people. We want to, you know, get if you want to be an on-air personality, if you want to be a TikToker, if you want to be a content creator, but it's not always gonna be easy, and you got to be consistent and keep on going because if you really want it, you will go and get it. So don't let that stop you.

SPEAKER_03

Beautifully said. Guys, that concludes the podcast. Thank you to Nikki for coming on. Thank you to Miami Media School and everybody involved. We out. Peace.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you for watching Coffee and Cabernet with Danny Doe. Make sure you subscribe and follow us at Coffee and Cabernet Podcast.