Alumni Spotlight: Brandon Newby (2015)

June 6th, 2023 by Liz Kosik

Brandon Newby (2015) discusses their experience at the WLOY radio station. Newby shares his favorite memories as an aspiring artist and the station’s impact on his career path.

Q: Can you tell us about your show at WLOY? (name and theme, genre of music)

A: “What Cats Listen To” lmao, I don’t remember the time because we had several different time slots over the years. It started as a Pop-Punk show, but as a Hip-Hop fan, I would slide a random song in a block. It eventually became a multi-genre show. We didn’t go into it with a theme, we just wanted to hang out and play music.

Q: Who is your favorite artist now?

A: I have way too many to name, but Kid Cudi will always be a go-to. And Conway The Machine is probably my current favorite. His new album “Won’t He Do It” is a masterclass in rhyme structure and flow.

Q: What do you do for work? Did your experiences at WLOY transfer into your work?

A: Currently, I wear a ton of hats at Career Communications Group, a minority-owned, STEM advocacy organization, here in Baltimore. WLOY definitely helped because one of the things that stood out on my resume was the fact that I had radio experience. It definitely showed that I could adapt to different situations.

Q: Tell us your favorite WLOY memory.

A: I have way more WLOY memories as staff, so I’ll save those for another time. But as a DJ, I think it was playing a cover of City and Colour’s “Body in a Box” that my co-host and roommate, Brian Mangels (’15), made for my EMS class on-air. As an aspiring musician, it was just really cool getting to hear myself and something I created being played in that capacity.

Q: One piece of advice for current students looking to enter the broadcast/entertainment industry:

A: I’d say that the key is to truly be yourself. I could do a whole soliloquy, but everything in the industry is based on relationships and people can absolutely tell authenticity. If you approach a situation solely based on what you can receive, people will always be able to notice and you’ll be treated accordingly. Also, be kind to others. The world sucks and being kind costs you absolutely nothing, but can mean so much.