Radio Connection graduate Robert Kuse
has known he wanted to work in radio and entertainment since he was a kid. Now at just 19, he’s just graduated Radio Connection, forged a number of great industry connections, including one with his mentor Craig Larson, COO of Gow Media, and is even going on-air every Saturday morning, network hosting
Full Throttle with co-host/producer Andrew Carlson on
SportsMap Radio. Read on to see how Robert kicked his career into high gear in just a matter of months!
What brought you to Radio Connection in the first place?
“So, I looked at a lot of options. When Covid hit I was not out of a job, but my job was closed for a period of time and I was like, ‘How do I move on from here’, you know, ‘Regular college?’ I was in a community college and I wasn’t getting anything out of it, and I was like, ‘This isn’t what I want to do. I don’t see how this is going to help get me into broadcasting. So [I asked], ‘What’s the best way to get into broadcasting?’ I looked up a lot of different options and the best way to get my foot in the door was the Radio Connection. They have given me such a plethora of networking opportunities. It’s been amazing.”
You were matched with Craig Larson, Radio Connection mentor and Chief Operating Officer of Gow Media. You asked him one very direct and precise question. Care to share a bit of that conversation with us?
“He said, ‘What’s your goal?’ And I said, ‘Craig, I have a goal, but my question is, how do I become full-time in radio and can support myself as a career doing this?’ And, you know, Craig basically told me, ‘That’s on you, brother. You know, you got to have the talent. You got to have the want. And you got to have a personality, and you can’t be afraid to show it.’ And that’s what I did since I had a conversation with him. And I’ve only grown from there.” What’s the one thing even Craig Larson can’t teach in radio?
Find out in our Straight Talk video with Robert below!
So Full Throttle which airs on SportsMap Radio, how did that come about?
“So Andrew was a producer on a show that I had segments on…. Once I kind of got recognized a little bit they were like, ‘Okay. So here’s your test.’ … Not a Radio Connection test… [a] real life, ‘Here’s your test. Can you do it?’… And what I found out was, working with these guys, they’re going to pull you up. So, I got in with Andrew [Carlson, a SportsMap producer] … started doing these little bits for him. He heard it…. And it was just kind of this perfect connection.
We just sound good together…. So we did some practices for a while. And Craig heard it and was like, ‘Awesome, let’s do it.’ And then we’ve been rolling out and going since January.”
What’s the show about? What topics are you guys covering?
“It’s jam-packed. We got 60 minutes and we talk about it all. As you can tell by me, I’m that person that can just talk really, really quick. I can never stop talking…. We go full throttle and it’s a sports radio show [on] SportsMap Radio. And, you know, I’m the type of guy where I can bring anything into it. So it’s not just sports. You know, I’ll talk about some entertainment. I’ll throw in some music in there on you… You want to talk about WandaVision?… That’s what
Full Throttle is.”
Your first interview was for the SuperBowl episode. How was that experience?
Robert Kuse in his home studio.
“I think it was our second show, our second live show on-air…. So we did an interview with Chiefs’ Hall of Fame running back, Christian Okoye, the Nigerian Nightmare. And that was such a cool experience for me because that was my first interview.
[I] was just like, ‘Oh my God, like I’m talking to this guy that I’ve played with in Madden since I was a little kid.’ It was pretty surreal like, ‘Holy crap. I’m here. Like, I’m talking to this man. That’s what I wanted to do,’ is this type of stuff.” … We had a good conversation with him. He played for the Chiefs who were in the Super Bowl. And he let a message out to Chiefs Nation, [but it] didn’t go their way. My boy TB12, you know, he stepped in, does what he does…. you know, my first live show was about Tom Brady. So, it was just really surreal.”
What’s on the horizon for you?
“It could be anything. You know, that’s kind of a cool thing too…. I’m 19 years old right now. Still live at home. I feel safe and secure…. The fun part is, where is it going to take me? … I could have a job, maybe in Houston. I want my own show. I want to be an entertainer. But one thing I will say about this is speaking, hearing yourself, making your own things, it inspires you to do more. Once you hear yourself and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m pretty good,’ you want to do other things.”
What do your parents think of what you’re doing in radio?
“You know, this is really a second job right now…. I’m working a ton and other stuff, and I still have the time to do this. And obviously, I love and I cannot wait to get full-time into this. I just graduated the program a week ago. And here we are… I got all these projects going for me and a lot to look forward to. So, they’re obviously thrilled with all that and are my biggest fans right now. So it’s pretty cool.”
Learn more about
Radio Connection, for broadcasting, podcasting, radio production, and more!
* * * * *
