STORYTIME TAPESTRY

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Nicole Stevenson??™s Weekly Column

Fireside Chat ??“ Featuring ??“ ? ? Michael Ray Smith

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Sept 13, 2005

Visionary

by Nicole M. Stevenson? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 

.Michael Ray Smith is an outstanding actor, comedian, talk show host, and corporate trainer. The CEO of Power Talk FM with a back ground in engineering and a creative vision is letting his mind expand beyond limits. Read about the boy from Indianapolis that had an inkling that he would? whined up in the entertainment business.

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When did you get started in this business?

PowerTalk-FM was an Idea I had in July of 2003. The original idea was to give teenagers a place on the Internet where they could talk about issues important to them. I wanted to do my part in preventing another situation like Columbine. Teens need to talk without feeling pressured. We decided to add a relationship show and a spoken word show to bring the adults to the station and things just exploded in a wonderful way after that.

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How long have you been a comedian?

Once you're a comedian you're always a comedian. I can find the funny in almost every situation. Some situation the funny or the lesson comes after some thought. I performed Standup for 4 years.

Although I don??™t travel on the comedy circuit any longer you will hear plenty of standup in my keynote and motivational speeches.

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Where have you performed your comedy act?

Wow, I started my armature stint at the punchline, in Atlanta. Once I got on stage and made people laugh I new that comedy would be my thing. About a year after I got started a club opened up downtown call the Comedy Act theatre. I grew at the Comedy Act as well as many comedians you no now like Chris Tucker, Joe Torrey, Arnes J and many more. I was blessed enough to do standup in various cities and the island of Bermuda.

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Tell us exactly how you began your acting career?

Acting is my first love. The only reason I jumped into standup was so that I could parley it into acting. Basically I did several plays locally then shopped my headshots to several agents. Several agents bit; from there I auditioned for movies and commercials. It??™s cool when you go to the post office and someone says I??™ve seen you somewhere before. I will always continue to strive for bigger and better commercial and movie roles. I love the atmosphere around the whole process.

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Why did you become a Motivational? speaker?

Motivational Speaking for me was a natural progression from the things I was already doing. The fact that I am able to add humor to it has always been a bonus. I have mentored teens for as long as I can remember. They spend time at my house, I teach them how to work hard and be proud of what they do. I also feed them well and create a positive environment for them to talk about issues important to them.?  I??™m a talker so putting a title on it like Motivational speaker was just icing on the cake. Part of being a good speaker is being a great listener. So I listen to the needs, and supply what I can in an encouraging way.? ? 

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Has becoming a CEO fulfilled all of your expectations?

I am so early into the game with PowerTalk-FM that I have yet to fulfill all expectations. It is very challenging.

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How long did it actually take to get your company started?

PowerTalk-FM took a year of research to get off the ground.

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Did you have support when you first ventured out?

WOW, the rollercoaster ride of people that were interested was phenomenal. We actually went to schools and recorded several interviews with teens before we decided to proceed with the venture. Unfortunately many were interested in the concept but could not actually produce any tangible help. So we decided to foot the bills with our own resources.

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What was the hump you had to get over to get where you are at? now?

Marketing and getting into the school system. There are so many criminals, some you see everyday and some prey on innocent folk on the Internet. Getting people to understand that we are ligament operation was a struggle at first. Amazingly after we put our adult program in place word a mouth got better than what was expected. Now we just need to concentrate harder on advertising and donations to keep PowerTalk-FM on the Map.

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I see that in a character drawing you appear to be a super hero, is this the way you feel about yourself?

Yes, up until 2005 I was superman and he was me. I have since thrown away my cape. I??™ve been labeled as the type of person who likes to take charge and have control. So the superman title seemed to fit. Actually I??™m just the guy who looks around to check all the players and leaders. If there is no leader then I??™m your man, I don??™t have a need to run or control the ship but I will not let it sink. I hung up my cape because the demand was too great, when people perceive you as the man, the phone never stops ringing. I only pull the cape out when I need too.

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Tell us about your diverse programming?

PowerTalk-FM is always creating new shows, the PowerTalk Network is our teen show, the Spoken word show is self explanatory, we feature spoken word artist and poets around the globe, the VIP show features recording artist??™s actor/actresses/authors and more. We also have a HIP HOP program featuring up and coming hip hop artist and information on the hip hope game. Then there is my favorite HE SAID SHE SAID, the crazy adult relationship show where we talk about the differences between the way men and women react in relationships. We also having open slots with talented people who are ready to do their own show, so if you have an idea and you want to do your own show we can accommodate that also.

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Tell us about "Journey to the Motherland" ?

Journey to the Motherland wow. I look back on the board game and realize how big a project it was. The game was and idea I had to get people to discover all the wonderful black Americans that helped mold this country we live in. Before the Internet, I stumbled on all the inventions and improvement created by black people. I always wondered how I could tell people my discoveries. I remember thinking what do black people love to do when they get together??¦..Play Cards.

So I thought to myself, self you need to create a game that will be just as fun and house shaking as spades but teaches history without the feeling of one reading a book. That??™s how Journey to the motherland was born. It??™s a mixture of charades and win lose or draw. It??™s a phenomenal site to see it being played and to hear people say. I didn??™t know Garret A. Morgan created the traffic light.

Ray I? would like to say to? you "Keep on living your dreams and opening up the window for young minds to? receive a breathe of fresh air"

? ? ? ? ? ? If you would like to be featured in an upcoming interview, please contact me as soon as possible.?  The positions are filling up fast.?  You don??™t want to be left out in the cold.

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winterose@videotron.ca? ? ? 

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? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  If you would like to be interviewed for Nicole Stevenson??™s newsletter First Cuts you must first become a member of the newsletter.

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? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Her email address is: stevenson15N@aol.com.?  For optimum exposure please make sure you are a member of both newsletters.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 

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