Buzz Blog

Internet radio may still be getting its footing in terms of reach and attention, but many of the stations are bringing you music you can't easily find on conventional broadcasts. For those of you who may be on the geekier side of things, a lot of the music you may listen to from film or video game soundtracks will never get airplay on terrestrial radio, leaving people to listen via YouTube. That all changed when GeekFactor Radio launched last year, offering a streaming supply of music coming from nerdy resources as they build up their own talent pool to become a fully-sticked radio station. Today we chat with the Promotional Director of GFR, Chance Le Prey, about the station and what they intend to do with it in the years to come. (All pictures courtesy of Geek Factor Radio.)

Chance Le Prey
GeekFactor-Radio.com

Gavin: Hey Chance, first thing, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Chance: I'm just another nerd who truly believes "imagination fuels imagination." Though knowing about me isn't nearly as important as knowing about the incredible team I've been fortunate enough to have around me.


Gavin: What first got you into geek culture, and what were your major influences?

Chance: The biggest thing that stands out in my childhood memories is playing Pokémon Red on my Gameboy Color; from there, the rest was history. I'm a huge gamer at heart and a Marvel nut to boot.

Gavin: You currently perform for Off-Broadway Theatre. How did you get involved with them?

Chance: I was actually recruited by the director of "Y-Light" to play Edmund Sullen, in a spoof of exactly what you think.
The Off-Broadway Theater has introduced me to some of the greatest performers and individuals I've ever had the opportunity of working with. My mom always said, "You should make someone smile, over making them frown," so delivering raw comedy suits that life lesson pretty well.

Gavin: How did the idea for Geek Factor Radio come about?

Chance: Geek Factor Radio wasn't actually my idea. The brilliant conception of the company was actually by my Event Coordinator, Nichole Hicks. I was originally brought on as the Marketing/Promotional Director. It wasn't until July of this year that I took the mantle as Chief Executive Officer.


Gavin: What was involved on the technical side of setting up the station?

Chance: I've always been of the mindset that a leader was never meant to know how to do everything, but to trust those people that have the skills and talents necessary to achieve the team's needs. So setting all this up was left in the hands of Nichole, Jay (my station manager) and Bruce (my lead IT). Frankly, they do-slash-have done a brilliant job of making our station deliver.

Gavin: How did you about securing the rights to play whatever music you wanted to?

Chance: We have licensing tailored to Independent stations, to help cover licensing fees and server space.


Gavin: How did you go about choosing to bring on staff?

Chance: Like I said earlier, I'm the first to admit "I don't know everything," but there are individuals out there who know their crafts. The team that Nichole put together was already exactly who we needed in their respective positions. Beyond that, I filled needs with passionate people. In fact, we're looking to recruit writers currently.

Gavin: Aside from the music selection, what makes your station different from other online stations?

Chance: We are dedicated nerds, geeks and gamers, creating a sound for nerds, geeks and gamers.


Gavin: I've noticed you're slowing trying to create online content. What are your plans moving forward in that area?

Chance: We have video interviews, Con coverage, articles and contests in the pipeline. Our number one goal is to provide an entertaining environment for our audience, backed up by informative and eye-catching articles. As my staff is probably sick of hearing "Attract them with the sugar and they'll stay for the meat."

Gavin: Are you planning on doing live shows or having more live DJ's yet?

Chance: A resounding yes! We are currently working on a weekly line-up with live DJ's, theme days, and bringing on guests.


Gavin: You've also started incorporating podcasts into the site. What shows will you be bringing on in the future?

Chance: We have a local pop culture show "Auditory Nerve," which my Promotional Director Kyle Larsen co-hosts. As far as the future goes, we're now looking for any podcasts who care to submit or get in contact with us to bolster their distribution.

Gavin: For those wishing to get involved, how can they help out?

Chance: I'm always looking for creative and passionate individuals who want to help out, they are more than welcome to contact me directly at chance.leprey@geekfactor-radio.com.


Gavin: What can we expect from you and Geek Factor Radio over the rest of the year?

Chance: Geek Factor will be bringing coverage from the major Cons around Salt Lake, we've got videos on the way, our "Play or Nay" reviews, and a few events we have planned up our sleeves. Just keep a lookout on our Website or Facebook page for the exciting news.