Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica May.
Monica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a child, I was interested in music and radio – I loved listening to the voices of the various announcers. In college, I studied radio and television and interned at both before graduating. It helped determine which entity I’d work in. Four months after graduation, I landed a radio gig in Maryland. I would later move around the country, working in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, and of course, Orlando. Along the way, I worked as an entertainment reporter for B.E.T. Coming back to Orlando a second time, I met and married my husband. George is a caterer, so we blended our talents and developed the “Bistro” concept. It brought his love of food together with my love for entertainment. We found a brick-and-mortar in MetroWest, across from the golf course. It allowed me space to host my mother/daughter events through my non-profit “Let’s Spill the Tea.”
During the pandemic, we began offering hot meals to first responders and all service workers weekly. Later we searched for Disney and other entertainers who were furloughed and offered them a place to perform. We invited the public, and with safety as our concern, created an outdoor environment where people felt relaxed, could hear great music, and eat delicious food from CB Catering. The Bistro concept sustained beyond COVID-19 and remains a staple in our community.
On another note, I was asked to rejoin the staff at STAR 94.5 to produce a 2-hour community-based talk show on Sunday morning and a music intense show. Soul School Sundays’s on from 5 pm – 10 pm.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Radio was not an industry with a lot of women on air. So, I learned to trust my own instincts and do my best always. I learned and grew in my profession becoming one of perhaps three female program directors in the country during the early 90s.
Being in my profession often means moving a lot. You have to be extremely confident yet cautious to mitigate all that you encounter.
In Orlando, I was hired as news and community affairs director and then quickly moved to producer/talent for the Tom Joyner Morning Show. I stayed in that position for 13 years until Tom retired December 13, 2019. Making the decision to leave the following week was bittersweet but one that I knew I had to make. You have to realize that everything (in its present state) has an expiration date.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Besides being back on the radio, I am President of Monica May Communications. Once I left radio, I began an internet community affairs show, “One Take Live.” It was a 15-minute live podcast-type show that aired on Streamyard every Thursday evening. I need to start it again – not only was it fun, but it gave our community a chance to get the kind of info they came to expect from me. MMC moderates educational, health, entertainment, and politically based webinars. Some of my clients are the Orlando Magic, Center for Change, and Tech Sassy Girlz to name a few.
I believe I am best known for my skill to interview. I make conversations fun and engaging which puts the guests at ease to share information,
I am most proud of how I continue to land on my feet and how I’ve pivoted from just doing radio to becoming an entrepreneur.
How do you define success?
Success is using whatever God-given talent you have to sustain yourself!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Monicamaycommunications.com
- Instagram: askmonicamay
- Facebook: R, Monica May, Monica May Communications
- Twitter: askmonicamay
- Youtube: Monica May Communications
