SHOW DESCRIPTION
As we kick off Women’s History Month this year, 45 Forward is celebrating the remarkable achievements and life experiences of Bonnie D. Graham, an amazing modern-day renaissance woman. Bonnie has broken ground as an early woman in the tech field, including careers as a mainframe computer programmer/analyst and corporate systems liaison; she now produces and hosts a livestream series, “Technology Revolution: The Future is Now.” But Bonnie (widely known as “RadioRed”) is much more than veteran techie; she’s a true thought leader who engages smart, game-changing leaders from every profession on her array of live radio and recorded podcast series, like “Read My Lips: Cool Conversations with Creatives.” In today’s show, we’ll talk about her forays into a wide range of media projects, the lessons (and laughs) along the way, and how she manages and balances her multiple enterprises. She’ll also describe how her unmistakable broadcast person has evolved as a high-powered fusion of her far-flung experiences, ranging from stand-up comedian and improv performer, to newspaper journalist, writer, playwright and artist. And yes, she’s a drummer, too. Her email signature is “Onward!” and we’ll find out where she plans to go next.
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Bonnie D. ‘akaRadioRed’ Graham’s “why” is speaking with smart, articulate, creative, tech-savvy thought leaders from every profession and career path. Pursuing her passion, she has created, produced, hosted and moderated more than 50 thought leadership roundtable live radio and recorded podcast series for global enterprises and organizations since 2011 plus four series of her own. Her aggregate global radio audience over the years numbers in the millions, plus thousands more since she began live-streaming videocasts on LinkedIn and Facebook. Bonnie D. currently produces and hosts four live-stream series. Technology Revolution: The Future of Now [formerly Coffee Break with Game-Changers Radio for SAP] is a four-panelist predictions roundtable currently covering the future impact of AI on a different industry, business, lifestyle or creative genre each week. Read My Lips: Cool Conversations with Creatives with akaRadioRed is a three-panelist roundtable sharing insights about their professional and personal creativity. In mid-2024, she created and debuted We Dish: TOO Saucy Dames and We Dish: TOO Saucy Dame + Cool Dude with a unique one-on-one conversational format. By February 2025, she’s completed more than 60 episodes. Her previous careers include mainframe computer programmer/analyst [‘Early Woman in Tech’]; corporate systems liaison [communicating in Computer-ese and English]; local newspaper beat reporter / assistant editor; newsletter designer / writer; and marketing manager / event producer in the software, real estate and finance industries. A fan of giving back to her community, she has contributed her time and skills as a creator / producer / host for cable tv and talk radio and designed the organization’s newsletters and brochures; MC’ed bachelor auction charity events and business events [dinners with entertainment]; managed election campaigns [hotly contested local park district commissioner posts]; produced / hosted a United Community Fund live telethon [dozens of entertainment acts, live-broadcast via a Cablevision truck]; mentored / coached colleagues [what to wear / not wear when speaking on stage]. Bonnie D.’s broadcast persona is a fusion of her experiences as a standup comedian [always clean]; improv performer [studied with Michael Gellman of Chicago Second City]; second-wedding showcase creator / producer / MC [15 vendor exhibits, fashion show, live music]; wedding coordinator / MC [hired a 14-piece swing band for the reception]; comedy troupe founder [performed in book stores and libraries]; drummer / concert producer / MC [rock ‘n’ roll, Motown, Latin rock]; playwright / producer / director / acting coach [three romantic comedies]; comedy script cold-reading event producer / host; entertainment reporter stringer / interviewer / photographer for The Improper Magazine [interviewed Johnny Mathis and Neil Sedaka, covered concerts by Joan Rivers, Patti LaBelle, BB King, Basia, The Smothers Brothers, Jeff Dunham]; avid visual artist [250+ pieces so far – abstract watercolors, acrylics, mixed-media collages, digital art]; video creator / editor for a VR website [stop-motion original art and music]; poet [completed Poem-A-Day Challenge in April 2023]; and hopefully-soon fiction author [almost-murder-mystery-thriller-satirical-comedy novella].
CONTACT: bonnieradio@gmail.com
More than 200 of Bonnie’s recent videocasts are available on-demand at https://www.youtube.com/@BonnieDRadio/streams.
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