About the Collaborators
Shannon Sargent
Writer / Designer
While some chose to ‘run out the clock’ in Florida, this is where I got the meter started. I was born in the 70′s in Ft. Lauderdale, shortly thereafter my family moved to Brandon and that’s where I grew up.
Family/friends, business and the community are paramount to me. As a life long Floridian I have worked tirelessly to better all of the above—not just for myself, but for everyone. I’ve raised three children in the Tampa area; all the while actively participating in their educational process and juggling a career. Over the past few years I have also delved into political activism. The old adage is that “all politics are local”, we affect change by standing up for what we believe in our community.
My business experiences are fairly diverse. While many of them center around technology, the perspectives have been many. I worked on the technical/programming side at Roadrunner Cable, was a sales representative at Alltel/Verizon Wireless, was in charge of Quality Assurance for TruGreen and, most recently, Trans World Network. In addition to the latter QA responsibilities I trained new hires, moulded customer service representatives into more than just script readers, but actual customer /service/ individuals. I’ve constructed training guides, maps for success and, most recently, began formulating a book with regard to customer service experiences, call centers and management strategies.
As if I didn’t quite have enough on my plate I also enjoy playing the flute, I am a gamer and have been known to pitch a softball or two… just watch your head.
email: Shannon at kittykat.org
Aaron Gellman
Writer / Designer
Coming soon
email: Aaron at kittykat.org
Michael Groff
Writer, Voiceover/Production/Broadcaster
While some people spend much of their youth figuring out their career path, Michael Groff knew at a very early age that broadcasting was in his blood. At age two he used a wooden stick for a microphone and did ‘shows’ for his parents, by age five he was recording hours of his thoughts on cassettes and by age nine was a regular caller to talk shows.
Sure, Mike enjoyed riding bikes, playing video games and watching cartoons like any other child; but radio was always the passion that burned brightest. At age 13 he guest hosted a show on KFYI in Phoenix and by 15 he was working at the National Weather Service in Phoenix, AZ doing NOAA weather radio broadcasts (on KEC94).
A graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Communication, Mike began his own endeavors into the uncharted territory of internet broadcasting. In 1999 he began putting the pieces together for an online station; by 2001, the station became one of the most listened to in it’s genre. Most notably, however, Mike began his own talk show in September 2000. Wanting to ever expand his boundaries, he began syndicating the show to other internet stations. The audience grew tremendously and over the next several years it became one of the pre-eminent internet talk shows.
Mike’s show—much like the person behind the microphone—has always been a bit unconventional. While many angles of the show are driven (at least in part) by Mike’s Libertarian affiliation, he often describes his leanings as being part of the “common sense” party, a rather exclusive club in today’s talk radio arena. For the regular talk show junkie, the show offers a wide variety of political commentary, news, and discussion. But the show often delves into the arena of satire and parody—making fun of itself (as the self described “Zipcode Famous Michael Groff Show”) along with other radio shows and society as a whole.
The show has various bits (often imitated by other shows) such as “When Crappy Covers Collide”, prank calls, and a look at everything—from what’s happening in Washington D.C, sports talk, advice on life, to the stupidity of pop culture—and everything in between. All of this without the use of talking points, partisan kool-aid or some bizarre radio voice. Utilizing passion, but maintaining common sense… A host that actually has a conversation with his audience.
Currently Mike’s show isn’t on the air live—however he still does regular podcasts which are available from various sources such as michaelgroff.com and itunes.
Michael Groff is also a voice over and imaging/production specialist. His voice (and production) have been heard on dozens of stations (Hitzradio, Star104, .977, etc), podcasts (including Bruinscast—the official podcast of the Boston Bruins) and commercials.
email: groffshow at gmail.com
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