Master of Radio Part III: 99%

After the initiation into Radio Säteily through Dawn Breaker in 2007, I was ensnared by the delights of aerial broadcasting for good. Producing my own shows couldn't satisfy my hunger. I needed more. Throughout Säteily's history, there have always been free-for-all slots in the schedule, a section called Taustasäteily (Background radiation), which could be reserved by anyone for a show of any kind. Yeah, my name found its way up there quite often - at first. Growing into a battle-hardened veteran, I wouldn't even bother reserving time, I'd just stumble into the studio whenever and take the wheel or join the program if it was okay.

"Julius, what... why are you...?"

By 2011 my voice had earned recognition due to the sum of my own "official" shows, participation in my friends' shows and spontaneous appearances. That same year was also the first during which I was recruited as a voice actor for ads produced for sponsors - and as my first role I got to play God. Ah, isn't that just the greatest marvel for a voice actor: to be cast as the guy upstairs? Or the girl. Or something completely different. But in my case a guy. By the way, I'm horrid at female voices. No one should ever ask me to voice a female character. It's... um.. it's...

It would be misconceived not to mention the uncanny discovery of the coffee making possibilities offered by the studio. For a brief time, I brewed all my coffee there. I mean it - ALL MY COFFEE. Whether I was editing, writing or attending class, I'd sneak into the studio (meaning openly marching in like I'd own the place), make a quick batch of the good ol' caffeine infused petrol and either sit down in a corner table or retreat to my appropriate whereabouts.

"Hi... yeah, don't mind me... just continue with the show."

However, it was a short-lived ruse ending in 2012 as the renovation of our department re-located the studio to less exploitative quarters. Nevertheless, my presence at the studio started to be so regular that it didn't take long before most of the people holding a program started to think I was one of the producers running the show. Every now and then, someone would ask for guidance and I'd naturally help.

In 2011 I was one of the voice actors in the comedy show Satumaa and the adventure drama Vida o Muerte!. Learning how absolutely inspiring both acting and sound designing are, for the following year I teamed up with my long-time partner-in-crime Atso to produce the ads for sponsors and programs. Yet, the year was a near fiasco. First of all, the re-locating of the studio created a heavy atmosphere of uncertainty, and secondly two of the producers quit midway, one escaping all the way to Belgium. As a result, I expanded my workload to cover marketing and other errands that the severed production team was otherwise unable to carry out. Despite my aid, for a moment it seemed that white noise would be the only program available, but fortunately there was enough sisu remaining in the devastatingly stressed-out producers to pull things through. Though I made great contributions for the cause, I chose to go uncredited. Officially, I've never been a producer.

"Don't mention it."

Becoming a full-fledged title-bearing producer is the one last thing left for me to complete my "degree as Master of Radio". Yet, no matter how much I'd want to recruit myself for the job and present the most awesome and epic Säteily ever created by mankind, that day may never come. My final year of studies is about to begin and there is little room for such time consuming ventures. I have a more important degree waiting to be finalized, an achievement soon to be ten years in the making:

MASTER OF ARTS

The Quest to Complete My Thesis.