A Message from Bobby + In Case You Missed It: #280 – Bobby Talks to Scuba Steve Origin Story...He About His Crazy Life and Radio

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Speaker 1: Hey guys, Bobby here. Appreciate you guys subscribing to the Bobby Cast. If you are a new listener, I encourage you to check out some interviews with some artists or songwriters you may have missed. Just scroll back recently Reba Matt Ramsey of Old Dominion, Ashley McBride, Mackenzie Porter. There's so much, just scroll back. And so not only do we talk to artists and songwriters, sometimes we bring on people from the radio show. And I wanted to share this episode with you. That is with our producer, Scuba Steve. He's the executive producer of the show and he's a really interesting guy. And I mentioned on the radio show that I wanted to replay this you guys could hear some of the wild stories from his life. Here you go. It is Scuba Steve. This is a Bobby Cast with one of the members of the radio show by end our studio at home with Scuba Steve. It's Eddie, Scuba and myself. And for a while, when I first started to do this podcast, I was putting people on the show radio show on and now I just put them on so people could get to know them. It's really before we dialed into just being music, right, we're putting anybody on just kinda to Bobby, I did one, yeah, but people like to get to know members of the show better. And then I thought I was talking to Mike about it. I said, you know, Scuba moved here during a pandemic, so nobody really hangs out like you come over to play basketball. Have you ever hang out with Scuba? No? Not outside of work, That's what I'm saying. Your Christmas party? What last last year? Oh? Yeah, not pandemic, but right when he moved. I guess you moved here right before the pandemic, like two or three months before the pandemic. Yeah, and then it just all shut down. I guess we're hanging out with He was situated, you're gonna taking one of these days too, right, Yeah, that's coming. Um, So I thought, why not have Scuba in Eddie. I can ask some questions, we get to know you a little better, alright, cool, and move on with our lives. He's very interesting. So, like I would say, as soon as we're done recording, you know, with the Bobby Bones Show and everything, everything we do for the rest of the day, it's usually just me and Scuba left for like two hours after everyone's gone, so we've got to know each other pretty well. What have you been doing for two hours? Videos? Man? I got a list of videos that I need to do and then when I'm done with that, I go home. And then school was there for another four hours. So sometimes school we haven't been the afternoon at work and I'm like, you go back to work? Is not having left work? Yeah? Um, so let's just by the way Scoopa Steve as our executive producer on the show. He's the guy pulling all strings, line things up, making decisions. He's the guy that is doing the work that you don't know who's doing the work. I get all the credit, and I should. There's also Scuba and I'm totally fine with that. That's the Yeah, I'm totally not kidding. But so you are the executive producer, how would you describe your job? Like, like you said, jack of all trades, managing the team behind the scenes, making sure everyone's in line, put booking the guests, dealing. One thing I didn't realize this is part of my job that I didn't get into until this happened, was sales. There are so much sales involved with this. You get the emails daily of sales request. Uh, there's a lot of things you don't get because I handled before it even gets to or just cancel it before it even gets to request ridiculous request? What's a ridiculous request? Without saying anything exactly, like what is something? And I'm putting you on the spot here, So I'm gonna vent for a second while you think, Okay, I know you get a lot of things sent to you or a lot of asked from local sales or local sales from all over the country. And you go, I'm not even gonna take that to Bob because I know he's gonna say none. Can you give me an example. Well, I won't say the brands, but there's some brands that just don't fit you and your personality, like which wouldn't sell you cigarettes, like something like that pack our pills. No, those go straight to you and then want you to post about it on social and do a video about it, and like we're not going to do that. Or before the pandemic was a lot of travel and we don't have time to travel because we're doing the show daily. Um, a lot of those kind of things or or low ball offers that don't fit what you should be paid for it. Yeah, I like that. Yeah. Do you know though, I don't get paid for national spots. Yeah, I don't think anyone does, I sing, I don't. Did you know that? I knew that. Yeah, there's there's there's a percentage of like a pool somewhere that gets pulled sort of. But I don't get paid per commercial or if I go, yeah, I'll take it only come to me. It's more for the company than anything. I've been a company guy. By taking the large the national spot, I'm being a show guy because if our show makes money, they can pay these fat salaries like eddies. Yes, that's really what it is. Like, the more money the show makes, the better we all look. The local spots is where you make the money in your pocket. Correct. Yeah, but it's always like in a small market, it's like thirty bucks. You know. I can do the same spot in three different places, and depending on how big the city is, it's a different rate for each spot. So if I do Tuscaloose, Alabama, I'm gonna make thirty dollars for that. I'm just making up numbers here. Um, if I do Madison, Wisconsin or Little Rock kind of a middle lish market, I can make eight or ninety, or if I do Seattle, they can maybe three d bucks for a sixty second read. So Tupelow could get Bobby Bones American idol Bobby Bones do and I do them. That's legit. It's per market size. Basically, there's a rate for each market. You're You're also in that rate card too, you lunch box. They really don't want to be honestly, it's usually first and then Bobby says no. That still My point is, wouldn't get me, dude. That's good there. But I don't say no to small markets just because they're a small market, not at all. No. No, I'll say no if it doesn't fit. Like we talked about earlier. So I'm kind of the bad guy in this so and I don't mind being that bad guy. I'll play the bad cop and handle that side for you so you don't have to even ever deal with it. Um there's a furniture store in Auburn, Indiana that I've been doing for like four years. I think I might pay them to do it. Fine, I'm so loyal. And they came on early and I'm like, let's go. It's fans furniture. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're still all around. They love you right off a road. Eight. Baby, that's funny. I know all about it. But people, they're great people though some small markets, they're good, genuine people and they just like to be a part of the show. And I can't hate on that. If I got into this for money, I wouldn't be here. That was true that there were there were times when we would do raising Idiots and we do meet and greets, and somebody from those small markets would come and they own the furniture store, and I would be like, oh my gosh, you're Greg. It's really funny, and it would I would kind of I gotta treat them like they were celebrities to me, I'm doing their commercials and never see their face. Remember that. Or I would go somewhere and see someone I would do like a real estate commercial in like Virginia Beach, and I'm like, lone, Yeah, this is crazy. A lot of guy's geeking out. They're geking out on me. Um. Okay, so that's your job. But let's go back way back, um and I'll say this, I got you, and we'll get here a second, I end up ended up hiring you from Ryan Seacrest. Yes, that's where you were before me. We will get back around to there. Okay, but first let's start with Scuba Steve's life. I grew up in Orlando, Florida, a small town called Ovido in Orlando. Is that considered Orlando? Well, like it's like when you live anywhere else, like San Francisco. You're not really from San Francisco, You're from a suburb of that. So Orlando is the largest city, but Ovido is where I was born and raised. We'll take turns. Let's let's um back and forth on questions. Okay, try to stay in somewhat line. But if you don't, that's okay. Okay, you want to go and now me another one? You know now where you ahead where I'm from? No, No, I don't care about the round table. I love this about Scuba. Yes, yes, yes, me right now? Okay, when was your first girlfriend? First girlfriend? Was kindergarten? Not what? No, this is a real girlfriend. First real girlfriend then that would probably be Stacy in fifth grade? Bones. Okay, so you grew up in Orlando. Yes, as you were getting older, what was it that you wanted to do for your life, like when you're sixteen seventeen having to start to make those decisions. Um. I think at that point I was okay, I definitely want to do something in entertainment. Did Yeah, Because I grew up in Orlando, where Nickelodeon was huge. Nickelodeon Studios was located right there on Universal Lot. I wanted something to do with acting or producing, directing of some sort. Always television, always film, from even to this day, that's what that's still when my long term goals is that. So I wanted to go for that. I wanted lee Orlando, moved to Hollywood, Um, but that didn't work out for a while. I got into like a bunch of, you know, mediocre jobs, landscaping things like that, and then eventually made the move to come out to California. So you're hustling in Orlando, not in media, but just trying to make enough money to pay rent and the bills. And you hadn't at least dabbled in the Orlando media world before you went to l Ah. Yeah, Because so I was about eighteen nineteen I started getting into radio. But how so I met somebody at a club event in Orlando being fishy about this. You met somebody did something happened where he just clicked and said, I should just saw the did you. Well, there's a couple things that happened. One I went to when I went to this um this I tried it out, this radio school called Connecticut School Broadcasting part of it, and it's literally the biggest load of crap. And I don't know that that's true. But you did it, and you didn't like it. I didn't. Yes, you can see on the news of some things that have happened at that school. Anyways, See, I went there and it wasn't in Connecticut. It wasn't in Connecticut. It was located in Orlando. They had locations across the country, but Connecticut was where it was originally based. And they promised you this whole Hey, if you come here, we're gonna you're gonna learn from the all stars in the industry and they're gonna hook you up. There were no all stars in the industry that were there. It was a bunch of people that didn't really make it themselves either. And they taught you on equipment that wasn't really what they were using at the radio stations and in television in general. Um. So I went there for a few months and then I met somebody out and about So let me pause. You went there, that was your very first step. You knew you wanted to do it. You go and you pay money. Yes, how much money it was? I think it was a thousand dollars a month, And it was it was an ad that I heard on on the radio because I was like, I was listening to the radio, like, Oh, I want to get on the radio. This is how you do it. So I figured this is my chance, my shot to get in. So I went there and paid that fee for per month, and while I was there, learned the tools and met somebody along the way who was like, hey, I worked for a radio station locally in Orlando. Here, I think, uh, you know, you've got some chops. Let's bring you in meet the host. What chops did you have at Connecticut School of Broadcasting? I guess the I was always on time I was there earlier. That's the choppiest of chops, honestly. Yeah. So, okay, you want to do that. Do you have a tape that you gave them? Um, he heard me record some stuff in front of him. He was one of the guys that was it came in every once in a while, wasn't one of the main teachers, so like an adjunct professor at CONNECTICU School Badcasting. Yeah, yeah, exactly, and go ahead. Sorry, no, I'm just trying to walk through this with you. I know, I just got nineteen questions like what's your favorite color? Please ahead? Go ahead. That was one of them, So go ahead, we'll save that on for later. So you're doing what at this school? Do they give you sheets to read? And are you trying to be a newscaster or they going you're gonna do commercials? It's both. So there's a radio side and a television side. The radio side is showing how to work their board and how to talk up a song and had to record a commercial. And the people that were teaching you were just DJs that didn't work out, most of them. And I say DJ's like, I don't feel like I'm a DJ. And in either way, I don't mix music and I didn't get into this business to play music. Will there be a few songs to play while I'm on the air, Yeah, but I don't care like I like the music format. I picked to be in with Country because I felt like that was the livestock group I can most relate to. But if they were like, hey, come to Polka, you'll never hear the song. We're just gonna put some polk on, I'll be like, great, let's go. As long as I can be me, I'm fine. So you were working with DJ who talked up music songs. Yes, yeah, and that was your goal, and that was what they were trying to teach us was how to do that okay? And how to record it? Basically the basics of radio. Do you still have that hit? Might get a song up, but Scooba can hit a post from Connectut School broadcasting all right here he is, hold on, let' let's give me a second. You know what hitting a post is, right? Yeah, we we hit it right for the vocals. Come in. Mike has given you the hardest song. That's like a thirty seven second introl. You can tell your whole background. Is that what you want to do? All right? Go and three two one. So when I hear the song, it reminds me of my father and we used to hang out by the pool lot and he would be, hey, son, grab me that beer. Over there. So I grabbed the beer. He's like that screw driver next to you. Take that too, all right, I'm the count of three. I want you to pop the bottom. So I popped the bottom, throw it to him. He'd drink it as fast as he can, and he's shotgun it. And that was the first time I learned how to shotgun a beer at the age of nine. Wow. Yeah. And then, by the way, we have some tickets to give away in ten minutes. What I really have to say? I give that a solid C plus though, And you came in raw. Yeah you still you hit the post. You had to rush it a little bit. Story story. I like that. Good. Good, So you learned how to do that? Yeah, exactly. Yeah, who did you meet? What person? I met a guy named Alex who was the who eventually got me into the building at Clear Channel in Orlando, Florida. Was he on the air? He was the morning show producer for the morning show at XL. Is he still producing there? He is not. He got cut No. Nine when they had all those massive cuts, So he's not in radio anymore. He's in radio, but he's doing smaller roles within Orlando. Okay, So you're now in the building. What do you do at XL in Orlando? So at first I was an intern so I had to use that CSB that I had as my paperwork for going to school. Did you graduate? I left before graduation, which really pissed them off because they didn't they didn't get credit for me getting this internship. There's a lot of a lot of because they they basically the whole goal was to get somebody in there and then get credit to say hey, x y Z went to the school and look at them now. And they were really pissed that I left before graduation, didn't fulfill the curriculum because I was like, I don't need this. I met this guy, He's gonna get me in. I got an internship, see you later. This is what I needed. Huh. So they want you in so they can say look what we did and get more money from the next person. Yes, so they can get through and say look what we did, and to keep that going, keep that bio on the website of like, these are all our people that go that went to the school, and here they are now. Are you on the website now? No? They hate me. They want nothing to do with me. You. So you're an intern and you have you have to have some way to prove that you're in school when you're an intern. Yes, we need to pay for Connecticut School of Broadcasting. Yes, okay, I used that. Michael Brian was my p D who was the p D at the local local affiliate Nashville when I moved here. Yeah, he was the PDS. My first run into him and I was the intern there at XL and I did that for about a good four or five months, kind of played the sixth man on the show that all the behind the scenes. Was it crazy to be on the air though, even even you weren't getting paid, Like, was your life a little different? Because people started think you were kind of famous. When I'd go downtown to Orlando as an intern, you go to the club and they would go, oh, it's Scuba Steve from the John and Ja Morning Show. And it was the coolest thing for me because I was in my hometown and I was a small local celebrity. So for me, I got a lot of cloud with my friends, free drinks, free entrances the club. So let me mention Scooba Steven because it sounds like that was already your name. Yes. Yeah. As an intern, they named you Scooba Steve. Yeah, birth named Stephen and then Big Daddy was a popular movie at the time, and they just named me Scuba Steve and I just rolled with it. Ever been scuba diving? Never? Never in my life? You have an interest? No, My my wife's father passed scuba diving, so I have no interest in scooba diving. What's your wife's father died while scuba diving. Yeah. On they were on some vacation back when she was a kid and he went scuba diving, and I just had fear. I've had a fear of it in general. But when she told me that, I was like, I'm definitely not scuba diving ever. The irony for her not think about this And by the way, lovely, Yeah, I think your wife is a lovely Thank you. She's got this dad. He goes cuba diving, unfortunately passes away. Well, it's time for her to live our life now. As an adult, she meets a guy his name is Scuba and has to think about that every day. Everything was manifested in some weird way. Wow, that would be like your grandpa getting hit by a train. You meet a guy named Cho McGhee like, I'm gonna marry you too, man, And it was a very weird coincidence. Okay, so you're interning there, when does it turn into a real job? And what's the real job? So I'm interning there. They do all those massive cuts in two thousand nine, and I was one of those. That was because I got brought on part time for a little bit after the internship. They cut me because they cut all part timers. But then I met a guy my way out and named Rick Everett. He's the p D at the rock station there, and he's like, hey, look man, just hang tight, I got something for you in the works. You know, we'll get something on the books for you and in the next couple of months. So I kind of just I took his word. I waited a couple of months he hit me back. During that two months, I was applying at every radio station across the tree from Canada down to Mexico. Were you also doing a job though, to make rent? No, that's when I was living with my ex wife who was paying rent, who was paying rent and paying for everything, and we found out on the radio show cheated on him and he found out Ashley Madison, Go listen to the Bobby Cast. No, go listen to the bibone show on Thursday. That was when that was. Man, I feel bad about that one. No, I don't know if it's okay, not at all. Great story though, I can't believe he's Scuba Steve. I woant have dropped that when I met your wife. I would have been like stunning Steve, our spatula Steve. I just wouldn't to stay with scuba Steve when your wife's dad died scuba diving. Yeah, yeah, she was. I guess she was fine with it. She doesn't have a problem. So have you ever asked her that? Um, I've never really tried it up. I mean, it was mentioned to me that that happened, and oh my god. Yeah, I don't know, man, I think that's probably something you need to change. Did she ever call you scuba? Never know? I'm just I'm just is she comfortable you talk going about that? Yeah? Totally so. I think the people on the radio show would be blown away at that story, and not in like a funny way. But then, you know, isn't it ironic? You think? Can I bring that up on the show next week. It's fine. Yeah, I don't want to. I don't want your wife to be upset. No, it's been a long time. Her father passed when she was twelve, so it's also been a very very long unbelievable. Yeah, wow, Okay, so you're working part time at the rock station. Is that they hired you on to do so then he brings you back and then that's what it is. It's two things. One he needs help launching a sports station. So that was pretty much my main priority was to help get the station launched, run it, do everything for production, run the board for all the shows, get that off the ground, and also help out at the Rock station, which my goal was, Oh I want to be on this rock station in some capacity. Uh. And then I also started working for Johnny again on the morning show. So I was doing morning show from about four until about one, and then one over to the sports station, did that to the afternoon, did the rock station in the evening, and went home and did all over again for seven days a week. And I'm not even gonna go wow because I did the same crap, because so she just got to I think it's great, but you know, I'm not gonna be like, Damn, I can't believe you did that. Didn't too? Yeah, you have to do it. We've all done that crap. Waddy hasn't He kind of got brought in. Uh. So you were working with Johnny? Was it? Johnny and Jade? Jade? Yeah? Jade? I think you know who she is. I know Jade pretty well. She now she lives in Nashville now and works for Apple Music. Yeah, and but I know Jade through a couple of different things. But yeah, so Jade and I are were you guys? Cool? Yeah, very cool. Yeah, we still talked to this day. Well I like her. Yeah, if he didn't great. Yeah. When she was here in town a year ago before Shook the gig, we went lunch and everything. So she was one of the hosts while you were what position? She was the co host when I was intern, but then also became a person on the show, a part time personality and producer. You were you a producer on that show? Yes? What did you produce? So? I was the associate producer. So I would do kind of like what Abby does, screen calls, edit audio, get some audio on the streets, put together you know, one sheets, all that basic stuff. Okay, so you're doing that for how long? I did that for about about a year year and a half. And then are you going I gotta get out of here and go somewhere bigger or did you kind of get pushed off? I wanted a full time position, and they dangled that cared for years. You know. We eventually a full time I was working seven days a week, but only logging twenty nine hours um and I was fine with that. Like you said, you have to you have to grind, and I'm totally cool with that. And then I got to a point where I wasn't gonna get that full time position anytime soon. My ex wife at the time got the opportunity to move to San Francisco, and I knew nothing about it. I just knew it was a bigger city, was California. It's an opportunity. Let's do it. So I quit my job. And before I quit my job, I remember the moment where we were driving. We had the U haul packed the car ready to go, everything to hit the road, and I went back to the clear Channel building before my email expired, and I emailed all the p d's in San Francisco and the operations manager and said, hey, this is me resume. I'm heading that way. Even if we can just have a conversation, coffee whatever. Um, I have no job. I'm willing to do whatever you need. I'll do it. And then I got some responses in the drive to Sanford Cisco, and then we apologif for a secondary what's the question you want to ask him? I'm good, I'm listening. I wanted hally blue and green. Thank you. There you go. You don't have any like a sign questions. This is a good story relief. I'm good. Okay, left out of it. You made fun of my first question. I'm scarred by that. You're driving, you get emails back, emails back saying hey, when you come to town, hit me up, I would love to talk to you. By the way, there almost isn't a further drive. Oh it's super far because you're going from the bottom right basically to the upper left. I mean you could have gone to Seattle. I guess I'd have been further but Seattle Portland. But other than that, that's about as far as you can go. Yeah, I'm in with the car with somebody that I sort of hate at the time, so it was a fun three to four day drive. We mean sort of hey, because you weren't divorcing then, no, but we were. Our relationship was sort of on that verge of things weren't going right and you still thought you wanted to move with her even though things weren't going right. Yeah, because I saw this as an opportunity to change me as a person and take me out of my hometown, which was I love Orlando, but I wanted to grow and for me to grow, I have to go somewhere. So so what were the emails saying as you were driving? They were just basically just like, hey, when you get to town, hit us up. And I responded, say, no problem, I'll be there in this date. Let's lock in a date when I get to town, and and then that happened. I talked to three different people. One of them was Cat Collins, who's a p D over there UH at Wild nine, who was like the top forty station in San Francisco. UH. Andrew Jeffreys was another one. He was just a p D at the time for Star like a hot a C and then Don Parker, who is the operations manager, and they're all like, hey, we don't have any gigs at the moment, but we'd love for you to come in and just just, you know, just talk. I talked to Cat for like two hours, just talking about radio and life and the move, and everyone seemed to be pretty interested and me taking the chance of quit my job and moving out here with this girl and hopes that things just happen to work out. And what job did you get? Eventually? So eventually Andrew Jeffrees was like, hey, man, I got something for you. Um it's not a morning show producer or anything that you were looking for, but it's an end of the building and if you get in and as you know, that's you know, that's the ticket. You just want to get into the building, Get that email, get that key card. And so he's like, hey, I have a producer position where you basically take the Seacrest show in the local end and you localize it, inserted into the system and watched the board. Which is kind of funny because later in life and I'm working for secrets doing the opposite sending the stuff exactly. Yeah, So how long did you do that? So I did that for about three or four months, and then there was a morning show opportunity with a guy named Don blue Uh at star Win O one three, and I became his morning show producer from that, and then from that did that for about a good two years. And then the in the building was the j V show. He used to do, this show called The Doghouse, and him and Rico needed a executive producer because they were gonna start taking on affiliates and they just had they didn't have any organization within their show, and they needed someone to kind of help that out and playing the day and do all the day to day stuff. So I went on did that and that was a wild ride for a good three three or four years. Um. The fact that those personalities and I've ever met them before, order them. Um. J V is a great guy. He's from that old school radio era of I'm gonna piss you off to the absolute brink and watch you break for content. So he would like push my buttons and push my buttons and push my buttons and just wreck me. I mean literally ripped the flesh off my skin. Not literally, not literally, but figuredively to get a reaction out of me for whatever was going on. Like basically I was the butt of every joke for everything, no matter how hard I worked or did whatever, which at the moment, I was like, gotta hate this guy. This is so ridiculous, but it made me who I am today, gave me the thick skin and gave me the tools to take it on to the next level. Ever getting an off air screaming match with him on air and off air, but in the off air that was extremely intense. On air, you can at least a little bit ago. That's for the show, like I turned it up for the show. Sure you ever getting an off air screaming match? Well, the problem to a lot of our offer screen matches. He'd press record on the box crow and they would turn into an on air match without even realizing or or flipped the mics on. Like I cursed in the air three or four times, said the F word, the S word, not knowing it. But just because I didn't know I was, we were alive on the radio, he flip it on, and all sudden I'll be telling to go f himself and uh, And then there it was. Why did that relationship end? That ended because of money and the dying need to come to l A at some point, So you weren't getting paid enough for what you were doing. Oh not at all. No. Now you've established yourself as a producer. But are you going I'm a talent, Why am I producing? Or are you like, dang this producing is? Who knew where it's at? Well? I was thinking it was a combination of both, because then when I went to as I was leaving in San Francisco, I made relationships in the all format, uh, and I was like, look, I want to track. Can I do some tracking the side to kind of have my own creative things? So I tracked like Stockton, Bakersfield, small markets outside? What what shifts? Uh? Mid day? Well, first it was fill in shifts, and then when I got to the Seacrest Show, then I was full time mid day on a ALL station. So I would basically wake up super early in the morning track that midday shift and then go over to my desk at the secret studio and do my job there. Did you know fun fact pop up videos poop that when we were doing this show, Uh, it really started to gain some steam. Probably had about a hundred affiliates Eddie, and now we're also doing afternoons on a rock station under fake names and we never said it really. Yeah, it was pretty cool. I was like a Mexican dude had like a bad accent, really is missing their bones. Yes, yes, it was me and at the time my assistant and Eddie and it was Slappy the Wonder Boy in Zeus and Eddie would Slappy the Wonder Boy and Cruz was Zeus and Eddie was Chico. Yeah, that is so cool. And we did it forever and we're just doing it. We're just going to my office for there's a studio and looking out in thirty four five minutes we were yeah while doing the Bones show. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we just did after the shift we walk in and we thought it was hilarious and we would play we could play this is a good one. I like this one. It slappy the one. This one was really good. Your Chico, Oh yeah, our Zeus. Yeah, I like bo that's pretty rad. That's really cool. So we did that for a while. I like, just can pop up videos over. Um, so you want to go to l A. Do you have a job first? No? So I quit that job as well. Um. And at that point I was with my wife, my I want to say current wife, but my forever wife, my my soul mate, and she had seen what this job had done to me, the hours that I put into it versus the compensation I was receiving in the way I was being treated. She's like, look, I support you. You want to go to l A. I'll stay here in San Francisco with my family. And she had a good job in the city paid really really well. It's like, look, you go ahead and go and if it works out, I'll come down there and meet you. If it doesn't work out, then at least come back here and we'll figure it out. So I moved down to l A. And within a few days I had a connection and I got a job by Dr Phil Show where I was running and doing p a work um and that. While I was doing that, I got a phone call from my guy named Dennis Clark, who I met in San Francisco, and he's like, Hey, I know you're in l A. I heard you. Let he goes, uh, he goes sit tight. I got something for you. Do you ever meet Dr Phil? Yeah, a couple of times. Yeah, thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs in the middle, good and bad. I mean, I always hate to say about people because you just never know their mood. That day, and he always seemed like he's very busy and his goal was to get in and get out. So I can't really say I didn't like the guy. I just can say that he was just there. You're not saying you dislike him, but you are saying you didn't like him. Yeah, it was. It wasn't different on it. Yeah, he seemed like he was just trying to get do his job and go home. It sounds like you didn't have a lot of time to get to know him too. Yeah, just what it got to know. But he was living up in a barely hills mansion, like we had a different lifestyle. I was a runner and he was the host of the show. So Dennis Clark, who I know as well, hits you up and says, we got a job for you. What's the job? And then as the supervising producer for Seacrest National Show. And I was like, holy crap, this is really cool. I'll entertainment. So it started off and I built onto. It was basically it was very bare minimum. You basically took the local show and you had a team of editors and a writer and stripped it down. Road pickups approved the edits and they shipped it out and then dealt with some affiliates. Very basic, very easy, good paying job. It was much It was much better than Dr Phil Show and working in San Francisco, So yeah, it was fine. It wasn't the greatest, but it definitely paid much better, so I was cool with it. Would you say you were thriving or just starting to do better than surviving? Um, I would say starting to do better than surviving expensive. That's the thing too. If if I made this salary anywhere else, I'd be great, But in l A. It was very expensive with rent and just the cost of living was really high. Drugs, drugs. Yeah, Hooker's process. So you are working with Ryan. Did our paths ever cross before you came here? There was a couple of times. There was I think one time when you were doing but I didn't know you. So there was one time you came by. I recognized you because they're like, oh, it's Bobby, and I was like, oh, it's Bobby. And then I googled and figured it out and uh, you were what was it? What was I doing working in the building? Well, you were I think in the building tracking or doing something because you were doing dance with the Stars, I believe. And you came over and I think you're looking for Tanya Um, which that's a funny story too about their producer UM and you were you came to the black Glass room looking for somebody, and I guess that we were tracking and recording, and so you like waved and left. But I knew that there was a moment on that show that we were trying to connect Tanya with you. That wasn't That wasn't gonna happen. Yeah, it wasn't gonna happen. But but they but she was trying to and they were trying to not saying you reached out for it or anything, but they were trying to make it happen. But and I was gonna put it on the National show. And the local producer, who I think has a crush on her, he got really but hurt about it, and he was like, I ticked it off, We're not airing that, And I said, f him. So I put on the National show anyways, because him and I didn't get along. We butt heads a little bit. Interesting. Yeah, So that was our first run in first run, in the second run in was it was actually right before I took this job, very very close to it. We were at a hotel. I was at the are and um, it's this hotel that's in Hollywood at the corner of right near the mall, you know, the what's that big mall, Beverly Hills Mall. Whatever. Anyway, there's a hotel cross street from the mall, and we were over at that. We were at the bar. And when I was in the interviewing process, before I had actually even got to you or anyone, it was just kind of behind the scenes of I may make this move. I said, the bar with some friends and um, and you were sitting in another area, just chilling by yourself, and to look over and they're like and then my friend John Niels like, hey, it's Bobby. And I was like, look over, so because that's a weird coincidence, and I was like, yeah, you should go over and say hid And I was like, no, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna say anything. And he goes all right, and then we end up walking sort of together toward the elevator to go up, and you win another elevator. I went another. All that happened, you didn't even say hello. I didn't say anything, because I was like, I didn't know. You can lose it, but I didn't know. I was by myself, just chilling somewhere by yourself. And then I think I think it was maybe Jessica at some point came over, Uh your sister, Yeah exactly, yeah, and she came over and and did something and you like went away. Uh, yeah, I'm chilling at a hotel yourself. Weirdo Scooba. Steve didn't even say hill I wanted to when I felt weird. I'm by myself all the time, but not not as much anymore. But pretty, Caitlin, they're just chilling on your phone. You give me a look like who the hell is this guy? And I'm just kidding, okay, I'll probably get you look like, please me. I have a friend. Anybody anybody be my friend. Actually, you had that thing and I had this like gut feeling and you probably just happened all you before we were sitting there. You want to say hi to somebody, could be anybody of any capacity, and you just have this feeling you should say it, and you should say it, and you don't say it, and I just almost like threw up and I was like I'm not gonna do this. I'm just gonna leave it. So I didn't know Scooba, but he was recommended by a couple of different people that I trust, and I was like, okay, great, So Scooba flies in. We interview was fantastic, interviewed like three or four people that all were highly recommended. And because I had always just hired people that I knew or trained, and I was like, man, for me to grow, I need somebody that knows things other than what I know, because I only know what I've figured out myself. And so offered to Scuba. He was like, I need more money. But also on the on the quiet side, I was like, scoopid just tell him you need money. I was like, don't don't take the first deal, like hold out because I knew we were going to get him, but I also wanted him to squeeze him for as much as he could get. But was he available or how No, But that was a whole other thing. He wasn't. He was working with Ryan, and so I reached out to Ryan and was like, Hey, I would love to talk to Scuba, but Ryan's team loves Scuba so much they didn't really want to get rid of scuba. And so there was this whole month or so I was like, I'd like to have scuba, and they were like, we don't want you to have scuba. And finally I was like, it would mean a lot to me because I want to elevate him. This will be literally the biggest position. Finally Ryan call was like, Okay, you can have scooba, but it's a little type for a bit. It was. Yeah, it was almost a good month and a half, two months going back and forth, and I had to wait for Ryan because Ryan was on vacation at the moment, and then when he came back, and then we eventually had to have the conversation over the phone, which wasn't what I wanted. I want to talk to him face to face because I have a lot of respect from him and he really helped me out with my career at that moment and did a lot for me and I learned a lot from him. It was pretty cool to work with Ryan seacrest Um. And we had that weird conversation on the phone where kept cutting out and I would say something, go, what's that had all planned out like bullet points of what I wanted to say, and I had to keep saying it over and over and over, and eventually I was like, God, he's not gonna get what I'm trying to say. But at the end he kind of understood what He's also what I'm trying to hear. He is that you want to grow. You're looking to move your family to a different location and increase your pay. I'm like, hey, he goes, I'm totally cool with that. I hate to see you go. I love you, you work hard, You're one of the best employees on my team. But if this is what you want, I give you my blessing. And I was like, perfect, cool, That's what I was looking for, was his blessing. And then he called me. I was like, yeah, fine, you know, I was like, thank you. Yeah. So I moved over um and here you are. Now, how do you feel a year? And this last year has been weird though, so it's kind of hard to It hasn't been extremely normal, but it hasn't been for anyone, but you've almost put your entire existence here abnormal it has been. It's if the abnormal has become normal. It's been weird because you come to the city and it's a fun, cool city to go out and do things and check things out, and you really can't. And my wife, we have a kid, and she was pregnant throughout this pandemic, and so I was also very paranoid about going anywhere and seeing any thing. And you meet labels and people and everyone's wearing a mask, so you don't know what anyone looks like. You meet him six seven times. It's been a really weird year, but it's been a cool year and it's helped me grow a lot as a person and as an employee. So it's been weird, but it's been cool and I'm down with it. Another kid, get two kids now? Yeah. Um. And you talked about Dr Phil, I talked about Ryan Secret. What about me? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Now you're great, your thumbs up. What's the hardest part of executive producing my show? About me? What's the hardest part about me? About you? Personally? About me as a talent? Like what's the what are you constantly like, oh my god, I don't know how I'm gonna get this or get him to do this, or like, what is the the thing that you go to your wife and complain the most about me. Well, I don't complain to her because this is the one job I will say I haven't complained about anything because I finally found a position where I feel like, Okay, this is like you talked about, it's a great position, it's a growing position. It's a show that's thriving. There are a lot of people when I got this job like, damn, dude, you got the position, like that's the show to be on because that show is growing and the company believes in it. And I've noticed that through my conference calls and meetings. This is the show the company is backing and believes them, which is great. So I made the right decision. I think. One thing, um, and it's also my problem too, is because you're someone who has done a lot of it yourself, and because you've you know, you've even told me we had meetings before in the past, like hey man, there was one time I had seven commerses and I was running this and doing this whole thing and figuring out everything on my own. You have that. It's that kind of personality where you're like, look, this is me, this is my baby. It's tough to let go, but you even preface it when I had the interview're like, hey, look, man, this is a group of people that we've been together for a long time. This is it's gonna be tough to jump in. Somebody knew everyone's been together for ten plus years. You know you're the new guy. You got to kind of find your way in. And I found my way, and I feel like with pretty much everybody, Um, I would say everyone, yeah, except for Mike. Mike doesn't seem really like doesn't It's okay though, just me. Um, So it's been the control that yeah, me going, I still need control, yes, and I but I but I'm also a person to understands that because I'm also the exact same sonality type. So if I didn't have that type of personality, i'd be like, man, what the hell do Why does he just give me a little more control? But I understand that, and I also understand this is a long term game and it's a building the relationship and getting you to trust me, which I feel like that has grown over this last year of gaining some sort of trust and also just letting you know, like, hey, look, I would never crap on the show. I would never ruin it. I would never do anything that would jeopardize you or this show. So I hope that over this next few years that we continue to grow and build on that so you can get more trust in me. And I understand that. I get that. I'm totally fine with that. I do feel I've got a little better at it, though you have a little bit yeah, yeah, a little bit. In the beginning, it was I was like, damn, I pitched ideas or things or say stuff for even just like little things like within the show content, and I'm like, okay, all right, and I would beat myself down on like, I get it. It's his show, this is your show. It's got your name on it. I respect that a hunter and ten percent um. So I just for me, it's it's a it's a it's a process to to kind of just get you to really trust me to where we can have that relationship to where all right, cooy, you got it, this is your thing. I want to do like Maddie the Morning Mike and just walking into thing's done. Yeah, I think I want that, but then I can never do you can't do that. It's tough. And I understand that maybe it'd be cool. There are a lot of personalities that have that where they walk in and there's a stack of papers and it's all organized from top of show dan to show and they literally look at it, read it, and just go from one to the next, one to the next. But then those shows don't have the life that this show has. So I've cost also come to understanding that that's okay that it is in that way, because this show wouldn't be where it is if if you weren't more in control of it. Because this is your brand, this is your product, and I feel like the way we do it is is actually it's okay and it's fine, and it works. That's better than okay and fine, you know what I mean. I mean it is a mediocre fair you know, milk toast. It's pretty good. It's pretty good. Well, okay. On the opposite, what's the best thing, the best thing? Um, I would say that this show, it has been inclusive and they have invited me in and not on the personal level like teach me to a shotgun, Eddie, I don't hang out, but at work, I would say this team has been more inviting and more welcoming and more open to me coming onto the show. Being the guy that's the newest of this show, and that's been the coolest. And everyone has been accepting of me and and has allowed me to come in and work with me and work well with me, which has been cool. We're gonna end this on one Eddie question. Okay, Eddie, what's the one question that you'd like to ask Cooper Steve. It's Friday night, you got nothing to do? What are you ordering to eat? And what are you gonna watch on TV? Wow? Okay? He starts to cry. All that other stuff doesn't do anything down. He starts to get emotional. My mom wants um. But if I'm in this city, I don't really know what I'm eating. But if I'm eating in a city that has my food that I want, I'm eating at Little Taiocha and Van Eys, California. What is that? What is that? It's Thai food? Um, Thai food Vans, California. They got this amazing orange chicken. They got this pork, this fried pork belly with buck choi and Chinese broccoli dipped in this like amazing black sauce. I don't know what it is that some sort of like soy sauce mixed with hoist and sauce, a couple of other things. Uh they're hot drops, soup. Uh they're Vietnamese coffee or tea, whatever it is. And probably watching I would say Law and Order, um, Special Victims Unit or Criminal Intent. Brothers, sisters. I'm the oldest of four, twin brother and sister and little sister. Parents still alive, Moms alive. Dad passed way recently, but we didn't have a relationship, so stepdad. I had three stepdads. Wow, that was cool. No, it wasn't. On the next episode. I've been married twice. Yes, it's signed with your forever wife, correct my soulmate. Okay, I feel like Edd, you learned something here. Yeah. Man, I'm telling you, this guy's full of stories and and we're gonna go on and on and then like in a few months you're gonna find something. We would be like what, Oh my gosh, we got to talk about this, more about this, because that's what it is. Dude. He's got all kinds of stories, like the mansion he lived in, things like that, and then like like even my wife the other day was just like he really found dead bodies in his house, well not bodies, dead people. Yeah, you can't make it up, though. I just found nine dead bodies, a monkey, and uh talking dog. Stop Like how I just made that up? Though? I came here in a spaceship. Okay, all right, scool Steve, thank you. I follow Scooba Steve on Instagram, Instagram, Twitter, Yes, but you don't know my handles. It's at at Scuba Steve Radio. I did see the B team Facebook page now people to follow you the other day. Yeah, yeah, they're cool. I don't I don't need facebooks. I don't check that out. No, no, they were. They have a Facebook. I don't do Facebook. They have a Facebook group. It's actually the only good Facebook group with our show because our show page is evil. But um they were like better go follow Scooba Seve on Instagram. Cool, awesome, Thank you much, followers. All right, that's it, thank you very much. Scoobaste everybody,