ThatGuySteve, how he creates great radio stations

Steve Wall, Chief Creative Officer Talent Farm. 

Steve has launched a few of radio’s most successful On-Air and programming personalities.

Jamie White ~ The BakaBoyz ~ KozMan ~ Mark Adams ~ Kelly Urich ~ Chris Davis ~ Leigh Ann Adam ~ C-Minus ~ Mr Choc ~ Jennifer Wilde ~ Mancow ~ Rusty Humphries ~ to name a few… 

Meet Steve Wall, the Chief Creative Officer of Talent Farm, whose expertise has shaped some of radio’s most successful on-air and programming personalities.
 
With a knack for discovering and nurturing talent, Steve has discovered and worked with a diverse array of individuals, including Jamie White, The BakaBoyz, KozMan, Mark Adams, Kelly Urich, Chris Davis, Leigh Ann Adam, C-Minus, Mr Choc, Jennifer Wilde, Mancow, Rusty Humphries, and many more. 
 
At Talent Farm, Steve’s visionary approach extends beyond radio stations to the broader Attention Business, where he continues to innovate and create compelling content and programming.
 
Discover the power of Steve Wall’s Talent Farm and unlock the potential for greatness in your radio station or business endeavors.

Talent Farm Talent Discoveries

“Steve Wall was responsible for foreseeing the talent in “The BakaBoyz” before we left Bakersfield for L.A. to Power 106. He always brought a fun and energetic environment to every aspect of the workplace. He was a pleasure to work for and always inspired his employees to strive to be the best. I recommend any company that loves to win to bring this great guy aboard.” Nick Vidal BakaBoyz

Click here for Nick & Eric V on Dominating Hip Hop Radio in the 90’s 

LeighAnnAdamRadio“Steve Wall hired me to do mornings with him at 99KG in Salina Kansas in the mid 80’s. There was something magical about that radio station, and I had a fun time working with Steve on and off the air. (And frankly, he needed me!) We had some of the highest ratings in the history of that station, and we were nominated by Billboard Magazine as station of the year, Steve was nominated PD of the year! That great station helped launch both Steve and my career, and I really enjoyed working with him. Steve’s track record of programming great radio stations, consulting, and developing talent speaks highly of his skills. If you have a station and want winning ratings, to win in-the-hallways and on-the-streets, and increase your revenues. Steve Wall is who you should have on your team.” Leigh Ann Adam Dallas

cdavis“Steve Wall was a strong mentor to me. He thoroughly coached me, helped me refine my skills, and gracefully allowed Bill Richards to move me to WNCI Columbus about a year later. Steve has a unique talent for picking the hits, finding and coaching the right personalities, and making it all work – rare in the business today. Steve also has an uncommon ability to get the best out of his team. His skills as a talent magnet are extraordinary. From Leigh Ann who came to work with us at 99KG, to Mancow, Rusty, The Bakaboyz, Koz, Mark Adams, and Danny C, the list just keeps growing. I’ve watched Steve grow over the years as both an incredible person and a successful program director. Now his many years of experience, love for this business, and hard work have without question earned him a place alongside the true, seasoned radio veterans. If you’re looking for a brilliant PD or consultant who will lead with both clarity and certainty and take your talent or station to the next level, I very highly recommend that you seriously consider Steve. He’s a rare find.” Chris Davis WNCI Columbus & then some

“Steve has always had an ear for talent, from picking the hits before they were released – to discovering up-and-coming radio talent from a mound of demos. He’s been a successful on-air talent himself, so he understands talent and what they need to succeed. It’s not always easy to handle the fragile creative ego, but I always felt heard and understood when I spoke to Steve. We started working together in 1988, and continue to work together on voiceover and creative projects today.” Jennifer Wilde Daily Show / Actress

Mancow Pic Pointing“There would be no MANCOW w/out Steve Wall. I’d still be dancing down at the warf w/sailors for nickels. Steve Wall knows how to actually WIN in radio. His track record is unparalleled. Steve Wall has picked more talent from obscurity than a leper has picked… Where there is no vision people perish. Steve Wall is a visionary and a man of great leadership and skill to boot. His track record still amazes me. Steve Wall is a winner!” Erich MANCOW Muller

allanh“I worked with Steve as GM at KKXX (CHR) in Bakersfield from 91 to 94 and he is a Dynamo. Steve took the station to a world-class staff that brought us to the #5 highest-rated CHR in the USA and Billboard Best of Format award. Steve’s talent acquisition skills are amazing! He hired midday and afternoon personalities who were good enough to have worked and still worked on LAs KIIS-FM and Power 106 and a morning guy who is now nationally syndicated. Even our part-timers on KKXX weren’t from Bakersfield; they drove in from LA and Santa Barbara, etc. to do part-time shifts on the station because Steve built in a nationally recognized juggernaut of talent. Prior to working for me, Steve was the guy who found and hired Mancow and most of the people he hired during his three years in Bakersfield are now Major players in Major Markets from Coast to Coast. At our first meeting, Steve laid out his critique of the station and his vision of what needed to be done. He concluded with the statement: “If you hire me every talent on that radio station will be performing at their best in 90 days, or the bar will be set too high and they will move on.” My response was “You’re hired.” It was a decision I never regretted. I went on to go back into programming five stations in Tucson then back into Sales Management, but of my 25 years in Radio, Steve Wall will always stand out as one of my Top 3 best hires. Screw trying to grow talent. Hire it, hire Steve Wall and he will grow it!” Allan Hammerel VP/GM KKXX

“I first met and worked with Steve in 1988. Over the past 21 years, I’ve watched him become an accomplished air talent and radio professional. He has done so through that combination of qualities that is all too rare: hard work, honesty, continual self-improvement, and an overflowing positive attitude. If you can get him on your team, do so.” Steve Casey Steve Casey Research / SRVP Program Research Strategy Clear Channel

“Steve has a tremendous passion and energy for not only radio but life as well. This guy is infectious! As a manager, Steve is a motivator who will get behind everyone on the team to block, and tackle and when the ball is handed off he’s the first one to cheer you on. Steve’s biggest gift is the ability to coach and grow talent into superstars. If you’re looking for a guy that can inspire and get it done then you need “ThatGuy” Steve!” Kevin (Koz) Koske WTMX Chicago

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“Steve Wall is an industry leader and I can’t tell you how much I learned from the guy during our period together at KMXV in Kansas City. His programming skills, combined with great people skills, make him one of the elite guys in the business. Steve Wall gets radio and all the other marketing that comes with it these days. I would gladly recommend him for taking your business to the next level. Any questions, feel free to contact me” Kelly Urich Kansas City

“I worked with Steve Wall at Star 97 in Nashville, and to this day he’s still one of the finest air talents and radio men I’ve known in my career. A real broadcaster with compassion, a real communicator with a good sense of humor, and a radio voice guy with a very smooth delivery. He’s also one hell of a nice guy too.” Jack Shell – On Air Personality 

“I have worked for Steve Wall in a number of different capacities over two decades. Nobody is better than Steve at working the phones, I mean nobody! He is smart, kind, a great team player, and a fantastic leader. I highly recommend Steve Wall!” Rusty Humphries  Podcast Host / Personality

“I recommend – very highly – Steve Wall. Steve was our PD at Star 97 in Nashville and made the station sound better during his tenure than it had sounded at any time during its existence. He was always extremely prepared and, as a result, so was everyone else on his staff. His on-air enthusiasm was very contagious and made the whole station sound great. He was a good coach for the air talent and always had exciting and very targeted promotions on the station. He had a knack for music scheduling which kept the station on target every hour of the day. Steve is very plugged into newer technologies like Twitter and Facebook and knows how to keep the station website up to date with the most relevant content. On a personal note, Steve is a joy to have on the staff. He is always positive and working hard to make the station better every day. His enthusiasm is contagious. I know Steve would do a wonderful job for you.” Jim Kennedy (Former VP Cumulus Media) Jim Kennedy Consulting

“Steve Wall is passionate, motivated, and tremendously optimistic in this passing phase of radio bashing. As we witness radio rebounding and enduring the vicissitudes of technological challenges, Steve stays engaged in the evolving industry, yet remains committed to the basics that never fail. Best of all, Steve is passionate about the people he works with, and is one of the most generous pros in broadcasting.” Tommy Griffiths

“Steve is an outstanding air personality with a love for music and people. I had a blast working with Steve in Virginia and then hired him for Afternoon Drive at KDON in Salinas-Monterey. Steve replaced me as Program Director of KDON when I was promoted and I would absolutely hire Steve again if the right opportunity came up!” Jamie Hyatt SVPP iHeartMedia Honolulu

“I worked with Steve on a special project. Steve is a knowledgeable programmer and has an intuitive sense of engaging personalities and winning brands. It’s a joy watching his success and the successful ratings of stations who hire him.” Jon Baum  Marketing and Promotion

“Steve is a consummate professional with a colorful career in broadcasting and an asset to any group. Among Steve’s personal qualities I have admired most have been not only his creativity and grasp of the abstract but also his vitality, work ethic, and day-to-day welcoming demeanor. I would recommend Steve for virtually any position you have within your organization, and I hope you will extend to him every possible courtesy and opportunity.” Roger Nelson KXLY Broadcast Group

“I needed a seasoned high-profile afternoon personality for Jones Radio Networks Hot AC format when I re-tooled it in 2003. I hired Steve Wall to help us raise the bar… and he did!” Jon Holiday Sr Dir Programming, Jones Radio Networks Denver

“Steve programmed KMXV, Mix 93.3 when Danny Douglas and I were doing mornings as “Danny and The Barber”. We made it to number one in all female demos. I’d say it was a job well done! My constant thanks to him for making us look so good.” Karen Barber 

“Steve Wall is a rare Program Director who knows content, talent, and music and is a great manager of his staff. I’ve known him to develop and launch broadcast careers in multiple formats such as Rusty Humphries, Erich “Mancow” Muller, and The Bakaboyz among many others. Steve is more than an idealist as he has the ability to execute and he is a proven ratings winner. Any radio station would be lucky to have him at the helm.” Terry Anzaldo Owner, TA entertainment

“I have known Steve Wall for about 20 years now, and our professional relationship has always been a delight. His knowledge of the ins and outs of radio, programming, and creativity has always been his strength. We had many successful marketing and artist development projects we combined efforts on over the years, when I was Arista, Epic, and Warner Bros records. Steve always looks at the whole picture, and looks toward the future.” Felicia Swerling-Suslow In2une Music/Flea Cave LLC

“I had the pleasure of working with Steve Wall at KDON-FM back in the Henry Broadcasting days. Steve was always very energetic and passionate about music during my tenure with him. He always made sure there was a terrific work environment & vibe with his staff. I can always say that working with Steve was (and still is) a lot of fun.”  Efren Sifuentes On Air Personality

“Steve & I worked together for a brief time at the “Grapevine Radio” version of KKXX-FM in Bakersfield. He blew into this market-leading station and showed us how to make it sizzle with energy, excitement, and passion; quickly leading KKXX past perennial top-rated KUZZ to become Bakersfield’s #1 Radio Station. It was a pleasure to watch Steve’s programming magic work successfully in Fresno, San Diego, and many other major markets. If our professional paths should ever cross again, I’d work with him in a heartbeat!” Chris Squires

“Steve Wall is one of the most receptive, “Out Of The Box” thinkers, and talent managers that I have met in the business. He understands all facets of the radio industry and knows exactly how to problem solve and make magic happen.” Mickey English Producer, Mancow’s Morning Madhouse

 

“Steve Wall is accountable. I can’t say that about too many people.
Steve is really good at what he does in addition to being honest and hard-working. He’s someone you’ll be happy to have on your side.” 
Craig Whetstine Managing Partner SoHo Media & Marketing LLC 

“Few people have the passion of Steve Wall. His work ethic is one that those around him feed off of and he exemplifies the qualities necessary for a leader. Steve dedicates himself to putting on nothing less than a quality product, seeing the big picture, and winning. He’d be a welcome addition to any organization.” Dave “Duke” Sholin 

“I’ve known Steve for too many years to count. Not only has he excelled in every aspect of radio that he has been involved in but, took those talents across the board in multi-media and consultancy capacities. If you are looking for an expert who has a “feel” as much as a focus, he is your man.”  Frank Miniaci  Fastlane Entertainment 

ThatGuySteve helped us build the #1 radio show in Elko, and we’ve kept it
#1 for years and years! We hired a young woman to do traffic (because she didn’t want to work as a night auditor at the Holiday Inn anymore). She was terrible at Traffic, but somebody put her on a commercial, and she sounded pretty good. Before long she was our fill-in voice tracker. Then a morning jock quit, and we had to put her on the air live. She was pleasant but had no idea how to structure a show. We called “ThatGuy” Steve Wall. He worked with her over the phone air-checking break by break, one-on-one, and taught her the tricks to accelerate her growth on the air. For the last six years, she has been the top-rated DJ in our town. Yes, she had some natural talent. But I believe that she never would have developed it successfully without Steve’s outstanding help. He is working with another newcomer on one of our other stations now. Feel welcome to call me and I’ll verify this for you in person.  775-777-1196. Ken Sutherland President & CEO Ruby Radio Corporation

“Inspiration and sense of working with someone that has a rare gift. That is what it was like working with Steve. Everything I know about radio was a gift from Steve. His leadership is punctuated by his humility, work ethic, creativity, and dedication to the artists and listening audience. Steve’s business acumen and ethics are demonstrated in his daily life. His passion, compassion and integrity makes him someone you want to be LinkedIn with.”  Scott Holsman Next Level Performers

“Steve is a creative and progressive team player. He’s energetic, and a lot of fun to work with!” Jerry Post News Director TV4, KXLY Broadcast Group

“Steve’s genuine enthusiasm and charismatic attitude brought me to Fresno (from Santa Barbara ) to do mornings for B95. I’ve never worked with a better-suited PD than Steve. He supported the morning show in every move and worked tirelessly to help us be the best we could be. He’s also full of creative ideas, very networked, and is a “branding” expert. I enjoyed my experience with Steve so much that we still are working together on many projects. He’s a true find!” Hal Abrams Animal Radio Network

All inquiries are welcome.

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