(By Charese Fruge’) Skye Smith has the best of both worlds as the National Sales Coordinator and an on-air personality for Star 94.1 in Atlanta. She started her career in sales as an intern for Radio One while attending Georgia State University in 1997. She later moved over to Univision to work in sales and then to V-103/WAOK.
In 2004, she crossed over to promotions to work for Cox Media at 97.1 Jamz. In 2006, Smith moved to Los Angeles to work for Universal Music in the digital department. She later returned to Atlanta and to radio, and the rest is history. Smith is also an actress and has worked on several Tyler Perry sets. She can be seen in everything from music videos to major motion pictures and theatrical productions.
Smith says she knew she wanted to work in radio since she was in high school. “I always loved music, and when I realized I could make a living based on that passion, it became my career goal. This career has allowed me to impact people’s lives positively both personally and professionally. It has also led to one of my biggest accomplishments: having a child who is in her last year of graduate school at UGA. I am so proud of her. It wasn’t easy. As a single mother in the industry, you tend to always be on the go, and finding someone to take care of your child can be a challenge. Thank goodness I had amazing friends to lend a helping hand.
“One other thing my career has also allowed me to do is expand my range and enjoy my passion for acting and working in live theater.”
One of Smith’s most challenging experiences over the years happened to her just recently. “I just experienced this the other day at an event. I had an up-and-coming artist that I was interviewing at a festival, and one of the questions that I asked must’ve struck a nerve. He proceeded to tell me his answer, which included a lot of profanity and since we were on Facebook live, I told him ‘Oh we have to keep this clean.’ He proceeded to say that’s who he is, and he doesn’t change for anybody and then he walked off. I was standing there stunned for about two seconds, and I had to bring it back in and just let the viewers know hey, this is life, and sometimes things happen but we’re still gonna have a good time and keep it moving.”
Another challenge for the industry in general is bridging the gap between the older and younger generations. Smith has a fresh perspective on it. “The younger audience takes what was old to us and makes it new to them,” she says. “When you go to the stores, you will see the Nirvana, Madonna, Whitney Houston, and Selena T-shirts that are all coming back, so for us, it’s all school for them. It’s newfound music. How do we bridge the gap? Well, I think some of the newer artists that are sampling older songs are a good way to start. Artists will always sample songs from the past. It’s a good way to expose both generations to old and new music.”
As far as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Smith says, “We have moved the needle a bit, but let’s be clear, there is still a wide gap there in terms of equal pay and equal respect. Women still have to prove themselves a little more and that’s OK because we have the built-in ability and mentality to do so. Personally, I do try to get as much squeezed into each and every day as humanly possible. Because time is something we can’t get back and I wanna be able to use all of my time wisely. I’m working on a little more balance though. Sometimes I do have to tell myself to stop and do nothing for a minute, but that doesn’t work out too well for me because I’m always doing something. Like I said, It’s a work in progress. LOL.
“As far as my next big project, I am filming a reality show called ‘Nstyle Atlanta Uncut.’ The show focuses on the life of journalists behind the camera scenes that people don’t know so it’s an interesting look at some of the things that we go through. I am the peace-loving, vegan on the show ha ha ha. We are in the second season. You can catch it on FoxSoul and our YouTube channel Nstyleatlanta Uncut.”
Follow Skye Smith on social media @skyebutterfli
Charese Fruge’ is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talents, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. Find her at @MCMediaOnline. See more Women to Watch here.
