Presenting five more of our 30 Under 30 finalists

As we get towards the pointy end of the competition, today we introduce another five 30 Under 30 finalists.

Scott Frappell

An announcer at Max 1073, the two loves of Scott’s life are making radio and – surprisingly perhaps – supermarkets.

“Seems a bit strange, but my initial opportunity in radio began in July 2020 while working at Woolworths and talking with a manager. By sheer coincidence, she was the chairperson of a community radio station in Western Sydney.”

“She encouraged me to volunteer as an announcer. I picked up a solo drive show. Community radio was an exceptional starting point to learn the ropes and to make enough mistakes to fill a journal!”

Scott says “One of the first things I was told when starting out was ‘It’s a bad time to get into radio, it’ll be dead in 10 years.’ I’ve also always been told to ‘Have a backup plan, something to fall back on.’”

“I see that radio holds a place in the lives of many and will continue to hold such a position, but so will podcasts, audiobooks, visual media.”

For Scott, professional success comes in many forms, two of those being job autonomy and variety.

“Where spontaneity and unpredictability are all part of the plan. It’s the ability to change careers and use my skills elsewhere if needed.”

Professionally, Scott believes his best attribute is his work ethic.

“I constantly remind myself why I got into radio – I love to string a yarn.”

Based on his own experience, Scott feels a huge challenge facing the industry right now is incentivising regional radio work for young people.

Liam Armstrong

Liam – Account Director at ARN – says his interest in radio stems back to his love of the (now former) 693 AM 4KQ.

“As a child growing up, I was blessed with a musical family who loved nothing more than kicking back and indulging in the good times and great classic hits played across the 4KQ airwaves.”

“Having fastidiously worked to the absolute best of my ability to generate the opportunities that I have come across in my infant career, I have come to know and appreciate the traits of quality leadership. To me it is forward thinking visionaries, people who see potential in others and work to bring it out of them.

“As I have been fortunate enough to drive a strong career trajectory from such an early age through great leadership, it makes me want to lead in a way that I have been led.”

Luke Cooper

Luke – Executive Producer at 4BC’s Brisbane Live – began his journalistic career a decade ago, when he doggedly pursued as many part-time media and communications internships in various mediums as he could find, while also studying at university.

“Over a three year period, I gained first hand work experience with eight different organisations and some of Australia‘s most talented journalists.”

Now, having found a steady next stage of his career, Luke has developed more of a genuine passion for local radio than any of the other mediums he’s worked in.

“I love the power it has to disseminate news rapidly and effectively and to tell important stories in a unique, personal and often intimate way.”

Luke says he is motivated every day to share his enthusiasm for news that matters to people with his team.

“I strive to use my professional background and the lessons I’ve learned over the years to help my colleagues grow as journalists and producers and to lead the ‘Brisbane Live’ program to even greater achievements.”

Lucy Lokan

Lucy – FIVEaa Breakfast Executive Producer – initially studied law.

“To say I then fell into radio like the infamous ‘right place, right time’ is excruciatingly accurate.”

In the final semester of her Law degree, a job vacancy for a Client Implementation Coordinator at Nova Entertainment came up.

“Within two swift weeks I started my first full time job. My Law exams eventually end, and whilst the Agency Sales team wonder if I’ve already changed my mind to become a solicitor, the answer is still a resounding ‘No’! At this stage, I’m very green to the media world and don’t know where Radio will lead, but I know it is the right industry for me.”

When it comes to leadership, Lucy’s favourite piece of advice comes from her dad;

“That advice is to never be the smartest person in the room. Sure, he didn’t exactly invent those wise words, but it’s accurate regardless of who it comes from. Leadership to me means not only having dignified confidence to lead a team and fulfilling my day job, but also be a willing pupil in any situation.”

“Being a leader means drawing on many resources to produce the best output, and I learn best on the job and from my peers. The world of audio is progressing incredibly fast, and I welcome the learning opportunities this presents.”

Chris Barks

Chris – a Broadcast Technician at ACE Radio – originally came from a live events audio/lighting and video production background, as well as running his own DJing and event production business.

“My first job in radio was in audio production, and in my first year of being eligible, I have been nominated for Best Achievement in production (country). I have also been able to do fill in on-air shifts as well.”

In the last few weeks of being with ACE Radio, Chris has since joined the engineering team.

“I absolutely love it! I’m learning from very experienced people about the behind-the-scenes engineering side of radio, something that when I dropped from university, I never ever considered (and at the time, never considered or thought of a career in radio). I originally wanted to be a pilot.”

Chris says there are several qualities required to be a leader.

“I firmly believe to be a leader (in anything), you’ve got to be willing to be patient, and willing to teach and want to learn new things. I always say, you never stop learning in any industry or job.”

Radio Today’s 30 Under 30 Awards are proudly supported by the following: