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Shore Sounds: Steph Monks

Anna Henvest.

Ever considered a career in the entertainment industry? Channel’s Anna Henvest caught up with new host of the The Edge’s Nightshow, Steph Monks, to find out what it takes to cut it in the radio industry…

Rock DJ!

Steph Monks.

On an idyllic sunny day in Takapuna, I had the pleasure of catching up with Steph Monks. After a short while, it was tricky to remember this was the first time we’d met, and I wasn’t out for a coffee and a catch up with my bestie. Instead of the usual ‘interview’ dynamic, Monks instantly puts you at ease with her light-hearted and friendly nature and an abundance of laughter and ks. jokes. She’s inquisitive, interesting, and Marty Hehewerth, Steph Mon has an incredible gift of storytelling and chatting – this could be what makes her perfect for a job in radio. Monks is one of The Edge’s latest additions, co hosting with Marty Heheworth on The Nightshow five nights a week. Although she admits her voyage to radio wasn’t meticulously planned, Monks has proved herself by working hard to get to where she is today. Currently living in Hauraki Corner, Monks attended Takapuna Grammar School and said she “loved school life.” Her subject choices were Drama, P.E, English, Media Studies, French and internship programme, Gateway. She said: “I was really into school... Takapuna Grammar is great because they offer you such a variety of extracurricular activities. I was into tennis, netball, volleyball and choir.” Although she originally wanted to become a teacher, she describes her journey to radio as unexpected and couldn’t be happier doing it. “To be honest it’s just something I’ve fallen into. Doing work experience in radio while I was at school

definitely helped me out and I loved doing it... It’s something I never thought I could do because the industry here is so tiny and there aren’t many jobs in New Zealand.” She was in the car with her sister listening to prominent Edge presenter, Sharyn Casey, when she realised her future career goal. “I said ‘Wow she sounds like a cool girl, I’d love to do what she’s doing’ to which her sister replied ‘I’m friends with her, we’ll get you to meet her’.” This led to a meeting with Casey, where she was offered work experience for The Edge’s promo vehicles, the Road Runners. She did this every weekend for six months and it then turned into a job once she’d finished high school. After finishing Year 13 at Takapuna Grammar, the outgoing 22-year-old completed a degree in Communications, majoring in Radio, from AUT in 2012. During the first two years of her degree, she worked part time for the Edge’s promo team, the Road Runners. A testament to her work ethic, she also knew she had to “put in the hard yards”, and sat in with producer Chang Hung once a week. She was then asked to do ‘mid-dawns’ which is 12am-5am, followed by weekend shifts and filling in for people when they were away. She graduated from university and landed a full time job as an announcer on the morning show for More FM in Hamilton. After living there for just eight months, she landed her “dream job” as a Nightshow announcer at The Edge. When asked about the best part of her job, her face instantly lights up. “I get to do really cool stuff, like the music awards. We were broadcasting from the red carpet and interviewing all these stars and you have to take a step back and think ‘what the hell am I doing here, I’m such a freak!’ Going to Rhythm and Alps over New Years was also a big highlight. I’m so lucky.” She has many great stories to tell, and jokes about already experiencing her career highlight; when working at More FM and singing Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ with one of her industry inspirations, Hilary Barry. “Best moment of my life,” she jokes. Her favourite interviewee thus far has been UK pop princess, Natalia Kills. “She was absolutely crazy. She was so much fun and had such a great energy. It’s so easy to do my job when you’re talking to people like that.” She may have the job that many teenagers can only dream of, but what does it really take to get to where Monks is today? “Some pretty crucial advice is that you have to be prepared to work for free, like I worked for free for so long. It’s such a fun job but you have to do the hard yards in order to get noticed and proceed to the next level.” 10 fun questions 1. What is your favourite spot on the shore? Takapuna Beach 2. Pet Peeves Lateness. It’s not that hard, set an alarm, get a watch, it’s not that hard. 3. Who’s on your iPod right now? Katy Petty, Rihanna, Beyonce and anything Disney. Favourite Disney song is Pocahontas ‘Colours Of The Wind’. I used to pretend I was her singing it in my garden with feathers in my hair. Still do. But that’s a secret. 4. What would you save if your house was on fire? My polar bear, ‘Polar’. 5. Dream Destination? Hawaii, The Maldives 6. If you could interview anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? Katy Perry, I reckon she’d be really fun. 7. Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Just be you, because everyone else is taken, and love yourself. 8. What is something few people know about you? I was in a barbershop quartet with Lorde’s older sister at school... and I’m a huge hypochondriac! 9. What are three things you’d take to a desert island? Jake the Dog, Marty my co-host for some funny chats, and some sun block. 10. Where do you see yourself in five years? I’ll be in a three piece band with Katy Perry and Beyonce. Nah who knows what I’ll be doing! That’s the awesome thing about life. It’s always changing and you never know what’s around the corner. Tune in to 94.2FM The Edge or listen online at theedge.co.nz from 7pm-midnight Sunday-Thursday to catch Steph on The Nightshow.