I’m so excited that my good friend Jill (www.jessandjill.com) and I are going together to the Green Tie Ball this weekend. We are looking forward to supporting Chicago Gateway Green as well as getting into the Studio54 theme. This week we had the opportunity to catch up with one of the emcees for the night, Angi Taylor from 103.5 KISS FM. Check out some her favorite spots around Chicago and get your tickets to party along side her Saturday night.
Heidy & Jill: We’re so excited for you [and Fred] emcee this year’s Green Tie Ball! Why is this event important to you?
Angi: Chicago is, to me, the most beautiful city in America. Any time people visit for the first time, you’ll always hear “it’s so clean here!” I’m a supporter of the beautification of our city, and we Chicagoans have so much city pride, so Gateway Green’s initiatives are something I’m proud to get behind.
Heidy & Jill: You are one of our favorite voices on the air. At what age did you know this is what you wanted to do?
Angi: Thank you for that! You’re one of my favorite blogs *air kisses*! I honestly fell backwards into radio through a college internship. I knew entertainment was my place from a very young age, but radio was never a thought until I saw that I could still be ME and entertain. What started as just college credit turned into my passion on the first day.
Heidy & Jill: How did you get your start?
Angi: Working in a nightclub as a bartender I met the local radio star who offered me that internship during my first semester of college. After 6 months as an intern I got my first small market job in St. Cloud, MN and never went back.
Heidy & Jill: Wow that sounds like you were in the right place at the right time. Do you have a piece of advice for those trying to break into the business?
Angi: Network, network, network. Go to radio conventions, send emails to those you respect for advice, and if you’re in college- get an internship!
Heidy & Jill: What has been your most memorable career experience?
Angi: Becoming the youngest female morning host at my first major-market radio station (KDWB-Minneapolis, at 22 yrs. old), was a big point of pride for me! Also getting this job in Chicago… I grew up in Minneapolis, so to make it here was all I ever wanted. I never had NY or LA aspirations, it was always “when I get to Chicago, I’m there to stay because then I’ve made it.”
Heidy & Jill: If you could have anyone on the show, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you ask?
Angi: This is such a loaded question. This might not be the answer you were looking for, but I lost my grandfather last year to Alzheimer’s, and I’d probably have him on to ask him everything I never had the chance to ask while his health was declining. He lived an amazing life and by the time I wanted to dig deep, he couldn’t remember things. I guess that’s an answer for ME, but other wise I’d have on Notorious B.I.G. and ask him “Who Shot Ya?”
Heidy & Jill: Besides this year’s “Studio 54” theme the night will also incorporate a number of charitable casino gaming tables from Roulette, Blackjack to Craps. What table are you planning on hitting up?
Angi: I love Blackjack and will hit a table for sure, but I should just throw my money at them and walk away because I suck. My husband is a craps guy, and he’s good… so there’s the balance.
Heidy & Jill: The Green Tie Ball is always known for its great performers and DJs – this year is no exception. What song(s) do you want to hear played Saturday night?
Angi: I want some Studio54-era disco for sure! I also love anything current I can dance to. And a girl always likes to dance to songs we know the lyrics to… then we’re in our own music video on the dance floor!
Heidy & Jill: When you’re not working, what are you listening to?
Angi: I love top40, everything we play at KISS-FM, but I’m a hard-core hip-hop fan. Love soul and R&B too.
Heidy & Jill: We love your hair! Where do you get your hair done in Chicago?
Angi: I have a secret weapon! My hair fairy is Jes Mateja and she happens to be the girlfriend of our night jock Rufio, so I’m spoiled in that she’ll make house calls. She is so funky and creative, that going from Kardashian hair to Miley Cyrus hair was a fun experience… it could have been tragic with the wrong stylist!
Heidy & Jill: What are some of your go-to spots when getting ready for these types of events?
Angi: Cusp, Intermix, any boutique in Wicker Park, and tons online: ASOS, Nasty Gal, Shopbop, GILT (for shopping).
Love Kasha at Aniko for waxing/facials, LOVE Leslie at the Liposuction & Cosmetic Surgery Institute in the Gold Coast for a needle prick here and there, and of course Jes for my hair!
Last but not least…
Heidy & Jill: Where can we find you “recovering” on Sunday?
Angi: There’s no place like home and a Lou’s pizza (g-free!) for recovery, but I also love to bum around at flea markets on the weekends – Randolph Street Market gets half my money. I’m a novice “Flea Market Flipper!”
