Dynamic Duos: WSFM’s Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller
In this week's Dynamic Duos, radio hosts of Jonesy and Amanda on ARN's WSFM, Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller share how their friendship has flourished over the years, from meeting in a Triple M foyer on Brendan's first day, to heading up their show at WSFM for 17 years.
In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two members of the same organisation with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.
Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones
Amanda Keller:
I first met Jonesy when he arrived at Triple M in Sydney. I was working on the Andrew Denton Breakfast Show at the time, and Jonesy arrived to do afternoons. I now know that, as he says, he ‘busted his hump’ to get to that station, and was so competitive with himself that he’d given himself a deadline of working on Sydney radio by the time he was 30. That driving force was all below the surface. The person I met was the funny, disarming, perennially sunny Brendan Jones. And those 2 sides to this day are at the heart of the man.
We stayed friends when he left Triple M to do the breakfast show at WSFM, and when Kayley Harris, his cohost, left the show…he came ‘a courtin’. I had a toddler as well as a baby under 1, and he said to me “I Promise this will never be hard”…and by and large he’s been right. The show is always challenging, high octane, and unrelenting. That’s all the stuff I love. It’s rarely stressful, so the rest of it I can handle
Our friendship bleeds into our working relationship and vice versa. We talk to each other in shorthand, thanks to our shared history as well as the necessity for brevity that any breakfast shows knows. We often say that when we get home , our partners pick us up on our direct way of speaking , because that’s how we’ve communicated with each other all day at work. As Jonesy says It’s like the scene from I Love Lucy when the chocolates are racing off the converter belt…there’s no time for niceties. The conveyer belt isn’t stopping.
Jonesy and I are joined at the hip. I trust him implicitly. The show wouldn’t survive without that. I can throw the (metaphorical) ball in the air and I just know he’ll bat it back , and a funny, irreverent, important or downright silly conversation will ensue. It’s my dream job.
Brendan Jones:
I first met Amanda in the foyer of Triple M Bondi Junction. It was my first day at the station that I’d spent the better part of my career pursuing, to be standing in the foyer, not as a visitor but as an employee was more than surreal. I was having a conversation with Barbie, the receptionist and one of the glass doors opened, it’s Amanda she pops her head into reception and said “you must be this Jonesy we’ve heard all about!” I must admit I was pretty star struck at the time as I had been a fan for a long time, these days not so much…. JOKES! Amanda has been such a big part of my life for so long I don’t know where I’d be without her, our relationship has always been grounded on trust and a truly authentic friendship.
Amanda on Brendan:
Most memorable moment with Brendan: Jonesy and I I broke a world record together. We did the world’s longest underwater broadcast in the shark tank at the Sydney Aquarium. It was memorable for so many reasons..in particular our underwater fight. Our office, bizarrely, has a pool on the roof. And in the days leading up to the record attempt we had to don wetsuits and practice talking to each other underwater with specialist headgear. I was struggling with the equipment and water was getting in my eyes, much to Jonesy’s impatience. We had a full on spat underwater .We weren’t even aware it was being recorded. It’s one for the archives.
Best word to describe Brendan: Enthusiastic is the word that comes to mind. After so many years in radio, he still turns up every day champing at the bit.
Brendan’s most annoying habit or endearing behaviour:
His enthusiasm can also be his most annoying habit. We will be having a preshow meeting at 5.30 and as a group decide on a phone topic. While we try to flesh out the rest of the three hour show Jonesy will be going down the rabbit hole on You Tube trying to find a tiny grab from the tv show Dukes of Hazzard to illustrate the topic. Suddenly it’s 6 o’clock, and he’s watched an entire episode.
Brendan on Amanda:
Most memorable moment with Amanda: Whenever I go out with Amanda, it’s almost like being out with a one woman show. When we are at a lunch she’s always entertaining the table. However, one memory that sticks out was when we were interviewing Richie Sambora and Amanda quizzed him as to what he was drinking, even grabbing his glass and saying “let me sniff.” It was well documented that Richie was a recovering alcoholic. There is always entertainment and laughs with Amanda.
Best word to describe the Amanda: Wonderful
Amanda’s most annoying habit or endearing behaviour: Leaving a cereal bowl with congealed cereal in it.
If you and a colleague would like to submit your story to Dynamic duos, please email kwelch@mumbrella.com.au.
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