We recently connected with Gina Grad and have shared our conversation below.

Gina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I hope to build a legacy that honors my father who was in the radio business for 40+ years. It wasn’t the business I thought I’d be going into since I was a theater major and all I cared about was actin’ and singin’ in off off OFF Broadway non-equity stage productions. But I eventually found my OWN voice and realized that speaking my own words was the way I felt the most authentic and alive.

As for how I’ll be regarded when I shuffle off this mortal coil, I hope people will say I had a kind heart, a clever tongue, and that I was a hard worker who made people feel less alone. I’d also be proud to be known as a fierce protector of my family and friends. Meanwhile, I strive every day to change the way society views stepmothers through my blended family advocacy, my book “My Extra Mom,” which is in the Library of Congress, and my “My Extra Family” social media account.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For those who aren’t familiar with me, I’m a broadcaster who’s been in the radio / podcasting business here in Los Angeles since 2006. I got my start at the now defunct 97.1FM KLSX talk station, producing and anchoring on the “Tim Conway Jr Show”. From there, I went on to co-host mornings with the Mark Thomspon of “Mark and Brian” fame on 100.3FM The Sound. I was also fortunate to anchor on KFIam 640 and still do the female voice imaging over there. As for podcasting, I co-hosted and anchored the Guinness World Record holding “Adam Carolla Show” for nearly eight years, as well as co-hosting over 3,000 episodes of “The Pretty Good Podcast” with Randy Wang, followed by multiple years of “Easy Listening” with Teresa Strasser, and “Fitness Confidential” with Vinnie Tortorich … with tons of other projects in between.

Meanwhile, if you’re a gamer, you might know me from various animated series, as well as the voice of Rose in the “Street Fighter” video game franchise.

I’m incredibly proud of every job I’ve ever gotten because NONE of them were ever handed to me…accept for my dad helping me get an interview for my first ever radio job where I screened phone calls for a weekend overnight public service call-in show. Beyond that, I worked, fought and hustled for every opportunity I’ve ever had.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In the vain of fighting for every job I’ve ever had, I have LOTS of stories – some funny, some frustrating – that illustrate what it takes to stay afloat in the broadcasting / voice over industry. For instance, when I first moved to LA, it was essentially a requirement to have voice over demo CDs burned and shipped around town, along with a hard copy of your headshot and resume. So every weekend, I’d go over to the newsstand, grab a copy of Backstage West, and spend the day – and the money – doing bulk shipments of cold submissions. I never heard back from 99% of them and some of the ones I DID hear back from got me into some sketchy situations (like a party in Hermosa beach that lured young ladies there under the guise of a film audition). But, all that being said, I DID ultimately land the job with “Street Fighter” through a cold submission for another animated project. THAT led to other series, which eventually led to “Street Fighter”.

Meanwhile, during lean times, I always took those as opportunities to do a project on my own, as well as taking jobs working in the industry on the writing and production side. Whether it was one of the podcasts I’ve mentioned or my Grain Free Comfort Food website or writing my book for children of blended families, I’ve never wanted to waste any free time, always looking a underemployment as a huge personal opportunity.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I want to preface this by saying that anyone who’s lucky enough to work in their chosen field has VERY LITTLE to complain about. We are fortunate to do something that “fills our cup” and that’s a very special thing.

That being said, when it comes to anyone who consumes entertainment like radio and podcasts, I don’t think most people actually know what goes into churning out this kind of product. Many people think that if you’re able to talk, then you’re able to do radio – I thought that too! Then I humbled myself and got into classes immediately. That led to landing my agent.

But I digress…

Every project I’ve ever been a part of has always brought the same initial complaint: “This doesn’t sound like the thing I’m used to”. And as a consumer, I totally understand that. Nobody’s happy when a sit-com adds a new character or a movie sequel re-casts the lead. But the vitriol I’ve experienced in the past for “daring” to accept an opportunity I was offered after years of honing my craft and working my tail off has always felt bizarre to me. That being said, I don’t take it personally. Like I said, I understand where it comes from…I’ve just never been able to wrap my head around being so angry at a change-up in free entertainment that someone contacts that person – or their employer – in a futile attempt to end their livelihood. It’s just not something I can identify with.

That being said, the same people who initially try to end your career are often the same ones who end up loudly grieving your departure when you move onto your next project. That always kind of tickles me. And who can blame them? They finally got used to you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram/ginagrad
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/ginagrad
• Twitter: https://x.com/ginagrad
• Other: myextraseries.comIG: @MyExtraFamily
  IG: @GrainFreeComfortFood

  “My Extra Mom” available on Amazon and BarnesAndNoble.com