Curious to learn more about KAMP Student Radio’s 2022-2023 executive board? Look no further than right here! Keep reading to get the inside scoop on KAMP’s current leadership!
General Manager - Annika Reimers:
Written by: Kenzie Cate-Tolson
Edited by: Alex Sanchez, Rhiannon Shea
Annika Reimers is the General Manager of KAMP Student Radio. The way in which they became the general manager was unlike those before them.
Annika, who is self-described as colorful, personable, sexy and direct, is one of the main reasons that KAMP still exists today. Annika had joined KAMP their freshman year in the fall of 2019, and they were told about KAMP by a friend a year older than them. They knew they wanted to join because of their love for music and desire to be in a vibrant and fun community.
Annika describes their music taste as loving high-quality lyricism, valuing experimentation and hearing new sounds that sound good, and having songs that resonate after listening to them. Their favorite song is “Don’t Ask Me To Explain” by Of Montreal.
When COVID-19 shut down the world in the spring of 2020, KAMP shut down as well. During this time, Annika as a sophomore took over the E-Board position of programming director, even though they already were the alternative music director.
During this semester, KAMP membership tanked, and the only actual members were the officers. Because of that, when the officer elections came around, many positions were not going to be filled. Annika was pushed to apply for the general manager position by legendary KAMP officers marketing director Jaclyn Kelly and general manager Brody Dryden.
Annika was only a sophomore at this time, and to be general manager this young was unheard of, as it is usually only a position for seniors. Those officers pushed them into it and had to so that they could save KAMP.
The job of the general manager is a hard and busy job. Annika describes the position of the general manager as doing, “anything and everything.”
They run KAMP meetings, orient new members, send out our weekly emails, organize all in-studio concerts, act as our point of communication for the rest of the school and administration and they work on anything else that needs to be done for the radio station.
I asked Annika what they brought to the job as general manager of KAMP and how it has changed under their leadership, and their answer really surprised me. As someone who wasn’t in KAMP before Annika was general manager, I didn’t realize all they had done. They organized the first KAMP show in over 10 years, and not only was it successful in raising money for the Trans Asylum Seeker Support Network, the show completely sold out.
They made it their mission to gain and retain new members, and now this year, KAMP is having record-breaking numbers of members at meetings. Annika has also made in-studio concerts a regular KAMP event, which they do by contacting bands and planning when these concerts will be. They have also helped the news team make its return from the dead which I am really grateful for.
The KAMP that exists now wouldn’t exist without Annika and their leadership.
Head Music - Raul Gonzalez:
Interviewed by: Carlos Laphond
Edited by: Vic Verbalaitis
Raul Gonzalez (he/him/his), UA junior, is this year’s Head Music Director at KAMP Student Radio. Born and raised a Tucsonan, Raul joined KAMP his sophomore year after being introduced to it by a friend of his.
He was drawn in by the laid-back, warm environment built by every member, as well as the opportunity to meet cool people, go to shows and talk about music.
Raul says that, while many activities on-campus can feel exclusionary because of the nature of their projects or interests, he has felt very welcome in KAMP; the inclusivity and open-mindedness of the people here is probably his favorite thing about the organization.
As Head Music Director, Raul works closely with his fellow music directors, offering assistance in keeping the music stacks updated, finding new releases, and talking to promoters around the city to find press opportunities for KAMP members, which allows them to go to shows for free and set one-on-one interviews with local and touring artists.
When asked what he was most excited for this year, he shared that KAMP’s growth in membership this year has been amazing, especially when accounting for the difficulties the station had during the pandemic. He is thrilled to meet the new people in the group this year and wants to get more people involved in press in particular, as it is a great opportunity to get a deeper look into the music industry locally.
Most importantly, he has shared that his best song to listen to while fighting for your life in the toilet is, “Living for the Moment” by Darwin’s Waiting Room. He says it, “makes you want to get up and live for the moment,” especially when fighting those (Taco Bell) demons.
Programming Director - Hayden (Tilly) Tillinger:
Interviewed by: Catherine Hill
Edited by: Vic Verbalaitis
Within the open layout of the student radio station, the conversations of KAMPers carry across the room.
Members of the university student radio lounge in well-worn couches and spin in swivel chairs. In the station, art covers the walls. Album covers, posters, stickers, CDs, and original zines are found across all surfaces. The station door clicks loudly as members enter and exit.
One KAMP member introduces himself with a greeting and a wave.
As Programming Director of KAMP Student Radio, Hayden “Tilly” Tillinger plans internal affairs for KAMP, organizes members and events, assists the general manager and
runs the student radio internship.
“When you like doing something that’s technically a job, it’s easy to let things get away from you,” Tilly said. “[I’ve] learned to set boundaries and balance work and life.”
Tilly pairs technical skills in excel spreadsheets with his outgoing personality, as he welcomes new members into the student radio.
“[It’s] a lot of work but it’s well worth it,” Tilly said, shooting off finger guns.
During his freshman year, a spokesperson visited his dorm and advertised KAMP to the hall residents of Yavapai. Tilly’s interest in broadcast news and love for music drew him to the university radio. Friendship solidified his presence in KAMP, as he became an official member in the fall semester of 2019.
“I hate this guy. Get the hell outta my sight!” Tilly said. He cracked a wide smile as
Ellis Laveen exited the studio.
One of Tilly’s fondest memories in KAMP is the night he and Ellis played songs in the station. He recounts that the two of them couldn’t sleep that particular night. Playing songs during a spontaneous late-night solidified their friendship.
Tilly said, “[The] people I’ve met in KAMP, I really value.”
Media-savvy, Tilly inserted “off-record” and “on-record” pauses to crack jokes with his peers in the studio. One jab, recorded for the record, captured Tilly’s ability to interchange light-hearted humor and sarcasm.
While I took a sip from my orange water bottle, Tilly remarked, “Orange is my favorite color, thanks for asking,” as he rolled his eyes.
Tilly is a senior at the University of Arizona, pursuing Environmental Policy with a
minor in Water Resources Management. After graduation, he plans to work as a
government agent in the EPA, closer to the Pacific Northwest and closer to his family.
Production - Ellis Laveen:
Interviewed by: David Aguilera
Edited by: Vic Verbalaitis
Having moved to Tucson all the way from the suburbs of Chicago, Ellis Laveen, an
architectural engineering student, is proud to be part of KAMP’s executive board as this school
year’s Production Director.
Becoming a new KAMP member in the fall of 2021, Ellis remembered being hesitant to
join a club, as it can be an intimidating process. On this note, he affirmed that it is very
important to get over this initial step and be open to meeting new people, who in the case of
KAMP happened to be a very welcoming community.
Making new friends with similar interests through KAMP, Ellis started to see how the club was a creative outlet for many. He emphasized that, “Room for creativity is a big thing in KAMP.”
When asked to describe himself, Ellis chose the adjectives “laid-back” and “adventurous”. Some of his major interests and hobbies outside of school include learning about
astronomy, watching comedy shows, drawing graffiti letters, hiking and playing basketball. In addition to being in KAMP, he also mentioned he is a part of the university’s club baseball team.
Ellis describes his own music taste as mainly composed of alternative rock music, specifically 90s alternative rock and grunge, listing Sabadoh as one of his favorite acts from the genre.
While he mentioned he is not as enamored with today’s alternative rock scene, he does
consistently listen to some contemporary punk-related groups, such as Destroy Boys. He also
described Queen of the Stone Age’s “…Like Clockwork” as one of his favorite albums at the
moment. He pointed out that he enjoys the art-rock atmosphere of the instrumentals in the album especially compelling.
Another band Ellis brought up was the local Class Acts!, who gave an in-studio performance at the KAMP radio station on Sunday, Sept. 11. He remarked that as he came upon a song of theirs for the first time, he thoroughly enjoyed it, although he was not aware that they were a local Tucson band.
During one of his first weeks as the production director, he found himself alongside the band, helping them set up their overall sound system, soon to be amused by one of his “favorite in-studio performances” to date. Further reflecting on the experience, he explained that through these collaborative events, both the artists and KAMP receive further exposure, something he considers to be a win-win situation and a direct way for KAMP to interact with the local music scene.
Setting up for in-studio performances is one of the many responsibilities Ellis has as
the production director. This setup process specifically prepares the artists’ public address
system so that the performance can be loud enough to listen to via amplifiers, speakers,
microphones, and monitors.
The recording aspect of the performance is handled through the routing of these different devices to the soundboard, and after recording the performance, Ellis mixes the resulting audio file for the artists to keep.
Another main part of his position as the production director revolves around the organizing of podcast live shows and all of the necessary training that hosts of shows need. This training includes learning how to use the sound board during a live show, how to record a show on a computer and how to export and upload the file to whatever other platform desired, such as Spotify and Soundcloud.
As of now, the main recording software used during this process is GarageBand, and Ellis reassures that the training is relatively simple and accessible to everyone interested. However, he also mentioned that at the moment there might be only,“three or four other KAMP members who are able to provide this training,” including Ellis himself.
When asked about the biggest challenge he might face as the production director, he identified the limited number of trainees for live podcast shows as one of his possible concerns. However, it is common that the number of people seeking to start a podcast show each year is much smaller than the pool of people seeking to start a music radio show.
He said that if the demand for making podcasts continues to increase, there could be a way to open the floor so that other KAMP members can become trainers and help address the demand.
The important principle, he recognizes, is to try to reach everyone in KAMP who wants to make a podcast and be able to train each person accordingly.
Having attended both 2021 and 2022’s fall semester club fairs, Ellis stated that these two
events represent some of the most memorable moments he recalls in terms of his time in KAMP; the latter being filled with energetic calls to those walking nearby and the smashing of CD records to bring attention. Looking back at the presence of KAMP during the fall 2022 club fair, Ellis confidently expressed that he sensed a lot of interest from the students that interacted and that he has, “a gut feeling the interest is still increasing”.
This general excitement for KAMP, as demonstrated by the high number of students seeking to join the club during last week’s meeting, makes him and other fellow KAMPers optimistic about the rest of the semester. Ellis added that preparing future in-studio performances is the main thing he is looking forward to in terms of making an impact on KAMP through his position.
When asked about how he came to the initial decision to apply for the production director position, he said that he was influenced by his involvement in helping the previous director, Nate Smith, set up for in-studio performances last year. Ellis elaborated that when he realized he enjoyed the responsibilities associated with this position, he decided to apply and hoped that it could be another opportunity to be involved in the club that had already provided him with plenty of fun memories.
One colorful and hilarious memory he described was when he and Tilly, a fellow KAMPer and E-Board member, bought construction workwear at a thrift shop and showed up to a banger party with the support of several of their friends all wearing hard hats and similar gear.
Still early in the semester, Ellis is happy to see how well these first weeks at KAMP have
gone, with many members voicing their interest in starting a podcast and the semester’s first in- studio performance being successfully held at the station. Admittedly, he suggested he was not as busy during the start of programming when compared to other members of the executive board.
In terms of school, this is a busy and fast-paced senior year for him as he navigates through design projects and some technical electives simultaneously. When thinking
about the executive board and KAMP overall as a team, Ellis comments that his biggest strength is his desire to help KAMP grow as much as possible and allow everyone to explore their
creative outlet without restrictions.
This aspect of creativity and expression without constraints often came up in my interview with Ellis, as he affirmed that he only trained the members interested in starting a podcast, but the development of format and content itself was completely up to them, almost without any limitations in terms of subject matter.
He said he is definitely happy to help people brainstorm concepts for a show, but that as it tends to happen with members excited to begin podcasting, people usually already have a lot of ideas in mind.
When asked about what he has learned in his experience at KAMP so far, Ellis insisted
that he sees a lot of value in the skills he has learned as the production director, as he believes
that the position has helped him become more personable and improve his public speaking
skills.
Furthermore, he also described the importance of collaboration skills in maintaining a
direction towards the common goal of the leadership and the club, given that each leadership
position serves a distinct role. He was positive that many of these skills and more were easily transferable to his career as he continues his way through senior year.
On a final note, I asked Ellis if he had any messages he wanted to share as a direct address to his fellow KAMP members, to which he responded: “Start a podcast and come get trained in the production booth!”
Marketing Director - Lillian Durrie:
Interviewed by: Kim Ngomo
Edited by: Vic Verbalaitis
KN: Introduce yourself! What’s your name?
LD: Ah! My name is Lillian Durrie and I’m KAMP’s marketing director. I’m a sophomore this year and I’m studying communications and I’m also minoring in public relations.
KN: And where are you from?
LD: I’m originally from Ottawa, Kansas.
KN: What’s your zodiac sign?
LD: I am a scorpio! A November Scorpio to be exact cause there’s a difference.
KN: And outside of KAMP and your classes, what do you enjoy doing?
LD: I love jewelry making! I think that’s what I spend most of my free time doing. I also like thrifting and I like going to the secondhand stores!
KN: And do you have any fun facts that separate you from others?
LD: Hmm, James Charles has me blocked on Twitter. That’s the only interesting thing I can think of, haha.
Engineering - Wyatt Ellis:
Interviewed by: Rhiannon Shea
Edited by: Kenzie Cate-Tolson, Alex Sanchez
RS: Introduce yourself!
WE: I’m Wyatt, a double Physics and Aerospace major with possible minors in Astronomy and Math. I’ve been in KAMP for one year.
RS: What is your job at KAMP Student Radio? What interested you about this role? What are the challenges?
WE: I am the Engineering Director and Metal Co-Director. Engineering is kind of with production since it is event-based. I oversee equipment, Robo DJ, any broadcasting equipment. I also give information on studio equipment and offer Ham Radio license study sessions during office hours. The Engineering Director role blends with Mobile DJ, since they are both equipment based.
I took a job at the Steward Observatory and I got experience using equipment for radio
astronomy. That is how I initially got interested. It is about as challenging as any equipment management. Doing a diagnosis, assessing why things aren’t working, and looking at more variables. Overall, I feel decently experienced enough for problems that have come up. But it is difficult to give advice when I am not at the station.
RS: What is your personal music taste?
WE: I’m big into hardcore punk, postpunk, and metal. I am more into metal now than before I was one of the Metal Directors.
RS: What developments would you like to see within KAMP and/or your role over the school
year?
WE: I would like to see some more people involved with Ham Radio and ask how to use radio tech. I would like to see engineering more active within KAMP as well. I’m happy to help with fixing equipment, but I feel like it could be more. This year I have a goal of trying to help Production and Mobile DJ streamline equipment.
RS: What skills have you developed over your time at KAMP?
WE: As experienced as I was with radios when I came in, I had not spent time around sound. It was a steep learning curve, as I had never dealt with it. But now that I know how, it was very rewarding, but tough. For metal, I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better at communicating about music.
RS: What is the most memorable moment in KAMP for you?
WE: KAMP Goes Camping was memorable. Going to Arivaca Lake was beautiful, having everyone there together, getting lost. KAMP’s shows at Groundworks, especially with KAMP artists and seeing ppl in KAMP around at shows.
Mobile DJ - Soo Kim:
Interviewed by: Vic Verbalaitis
Edited by: Peyton Riegel
KAMP’s Mobile DJ Director Sooyoung Kim has quite the experience when it comes to live mixing.
Taking up the reins as a club DJ in South Korea during his 20s, Soo learned the ins and outs of live DJing hands-on through an unpaid apprenticeship at a popular dance club. From there, he developed his signature style of mixing tech house and dubstep, and has since brought his talents to KAMP’s mobile DJ crew.
Kim, 31, is studying at the UA with the goal of becoming a dentist. In addition to his studies, he absolutely loves being a part of KAMP Student Radio.
“People are really nice,” Kim said about his fellow KAMPers. “I think they are really nice people and they are open to anything, open to everybody.”
Before beginning his interest in electronic music and live mixing, Soo was a big metalhead and rock fan, citing some of his favorite groups during his high school years as bands like Metallica and Muse. He also enjoyed a lot of the indie rock music coming out of South Korea.
It wasn’t until Soo was around 18 or 19 that he began his exploration into electronic music, where artists like Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex and David Guetta served to make a big impression on his music taste.
When Soo entered his 20s, he became a part of the clubbing scene in South Korea, where he was eventually inspired to start his career as a live DJ. Though he learned the basics of beat matching from YouTube tutorial videos, Soo felt that he really got the best experience from going out and playing live for an audience of people.
“I figured doing it by myself in my bedroom didn’t really help with increasing my skill,” Soo said. “[With an audience] I learned how to control my set and the ups and downs of how to warm up the stage.”
After about a year of DJing for avid clubbers in South Korea, Soo decided it was time to pursue more scholastic endeavors.
Soo ended up at the University of Arizona, where after he joined KAMP Student Radio and the mobile DJ crew, realized that he wanted to further his role in KAMP this year.
He greatly enjoyed DJing at KAMP events during the spring semester like the Engineering Student Council’s end of year party, where the energy was high and the music was bumping.
“It’s kind of weird but it’s like a euphoric experience,” Kim said. “You want to do it again. That’s why I applied for the job.”
Soo hopes to increase the number of KAMPers involved with mobile DJ crew this year, and wants KAMPers who have never had experience with DJing before to get hands-on time behind the turntables. If that sounds interesting to you, be sure to contact Soo and join KAMP’s Mobile DJ crew!
Sports Director - Trevor Shore:
Interviewed by: Peyton Riegel
Edited by: Vic Verbalaitis
“Sports!”
Everyone has a figurehead that comes to mind when the topic of sports is broached. Whether it be LeBron James, Jackie Robinson or Tiger Woods, names with the status of nothing short of icons are quick to be recalled. However, for the members of KAMP Student Radio, the only name that comes to mind is Trevor Shore.
“I asked if I could do sports…and I just loved it,” Shore recalled enthusiastically, recounting how he was first introduced to KAMP at the club fair years prior.
Shore is dedicated and passionate about not just sports themselves, but how the members of KAMP can actively participate on campus. Shore not only loves commentating on games and attending sporting events, but has grown fond of his fellow executive board members at the station and the greater KAMP community. KAMP has given Shore the platform to come into his own and further explore his personal interests, as well as expand his openness to meeting new people and breaking out of his shell.
When asked what his plans are for the future of sports at KAMP, he is not shy in expressing his optimism for the expansion of opportunities and activities for those who are interested in taking part.
“The future of sports at KAMP is really bright, our numbers are steadily increasing,” Shore said.
Shore is eager to continue his work at KAMP sports and grow the program with big projects in the works in regards to commentating. He encourages all to join KAMP and to branch out of their inner circle of friends, since doing so provided the path that led him to become the sport director.
So the next time the mind wanders to the topic of sports, the person that might just come to mind is Trevor Shore.
News Director - Peyton Riegel:
Interviewed by: Reed Lofstedt, David Aguilera, Rhiannon Shea, Catherine Hill, and Kenzie Cate-Tolson
Edited by: Reed Lofstedt
“Hectic, but happy.”
This is how KAMP news director, Peyton Riegel, described the new influx of students both within the news division of KAMP and the organization overall.
Riegel was a junior when she got accepted for the position of news director. She was nervous at first, as she didn’t think she would receive the position, but she has grown the news division of KAMP to bigger grounds attracting more and more students.
Using this new growth, she has cultivated a larger, more news-driven, and protective space for people to dive into the journalism they love. She knows how people have looked down on KAMP and more specifically KAMP news, as below the Wildcat or other campus news. She hopes she can inspire new members to turn around this narrative and create a more inclusive and deep news-focused section of KAMP.
The openness of the KAMP atmosphere as a whole allows for more individuality when it comes to covering stories and writing opinion pieces. The less structured format is meant to give people a better chance at growing into news positions and following topics are stories that interest them.
Her engineering background may make it confusing as to why she is the news director, but her ability to create more fluid communications and greater build of soft skills has allowed her to transfer her experiences over to KAMP news.
Her time in KAMP has led her to become closer to peers such as general manager Annika Reimers, as they have become close friends and roommates.
Peyton hopes she can better guide future KAMP news students to create and follow the collaborative and open style she has presented, and create a greater community of acceptance and togetherness.
All KAMP news content is written, edited, and published by members of the KAMP News Team, for more information on KAMP News or if you have any comments, questions or concerns please email news@kamp.arizona.edu