bfurukawa@hawaiinewsnow.com
My mother once told me "You're not always going to like your job." Ever since that day, I've always felt that I had to prove her wrong (Sorry Mom!). The way I see it, if you don't enjoy your job, how can you do your best at it?
Up until that point, I though all my resume would consist of was "professional pencil pusher". Then, in 1992, I answered an ad for a radio station that was looking for interns. As soon as I walked into the Radio Free Hawaii studio, I thought to myself, "Yeah, I can do this". From production to broadcasting, and everything in between, I learned as much as I could about whatever I could. I've always been fascinated with how things work and I've always been a quick learner, but working in the media field just felt natural for me.
When my stint in radio ended in 1999, I decided to focus on another passion, music. I've had piano lessons and learned how to play the guitar, but I was never really good at either one. As a child, I remember making crudely made mixed tapes, (yes tapes!), by recording songs off of the radio. So, during my time in radio, I picked up the art of being a DJ, maybe I was destined for it. The music, creativity, and just seeing people enjoy themselves, made me realize that was what I wanted to do next.
Although I found work as a full time DJ for the legendary Wave Waikiki, I also wanted to learn the inner workings of the club and night life industry. Again, I learned about whatever I could. Promotions and Marketing, day to day operations, electronics, you name it, I learned about it.
In 2006, The Wave Waikiki closed. A fellow DJ, whom I actually met during my radio years, already worked in the news business. He knew of my job situation and told me that KGMB was looking to hire. With my production experience from my radio days, he figured I would be pretty well suited for the job.
He was right. For me, it was exciting to see everyone working together at such a fast pace for a common goal. This was a team that I wanted to be a part of.
In the past 3 and a half years, my role has expanded from production tech to... well, let's just say "Jack of All Trades", I couldn't be happier. The thought of being on television never originally crossed my mind, but once I saw a niche that needed to be filled, I ran with it. I work with a talented and great group of people and I'm looking forward to working with the new members of our growing television family.
In my free time, I love listening to music, cooking, hiking, surfing, and just trying new things. As the saying goes, 'Variety is the spice of life!'
Work is serious enough, life doesn't have to be.
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