On Grindhouse Radio, he said, “I had always wanted to do some kind of radio show or series. Being that I have been in the public eye my entire life, I have always been on the other side of the microphone. I’ve always admired how guys like Howard Stern, Soupy Sales, Wolfman Jack and so many other DJs were able to entertain the masses using only their voices and personal charm to establish themselves.”
Brimstone continued, “I thought to myself: ‘I can talk, I like to talk, and I know a little about a lot.’ I think it would be fun to do this at this point in my career. I came up with the name, bought the URL and put it on the side burner while I tended to the plethora of other things that I am involved in. That is, until I brought in a couple of interns to work for my Hound Comics brand, Steve ‘Zambo’ Zambito and Kim Adragna. I knew they both had experience in broadcasting and after getting to know them both more – asked if they’d be interested in potentially doing a show together and seeing if we would mesh well on the mic.”
He further added, “We all sat together after business hours surrounding a laptop and a single mic that Zambo brought in – Kim had a handful of topics, and I brought my experience. Everything just clicked. It was better than I had imagined. An hour went by in the blink of an eye. That was our humble beginning. We never turned back.”
‘Best of Long Island’ wins
This year, Grindhouse Radio won the “Best of Long Island” accolades for “Best Radio Station,” and Brimstone won for “Best Twitter Account” and “Best Long Island Personality.” “It is always an incredible feeling receiving love here at home. I was born and raised here on Long Island and I am a New Yorker through and through. Wherever I am in the world, I always find a way to represent where I come from,” he said.
Brimstone elaborated, “The truth of the matter is, I get attention everywhere else on the planet including Manhattan but rarely receive love from media on our little Island, which I find strange. That said, being acknowledged by the LI fans for the last three years in a row for, The Grindhouse Radio – as well as the last two years being declared, ‘Best Personality’ and operating the ‘Best Twitter Account is truly humbling.”
He noted that he is very appreciative that people took the time out of their busy schedules to go and vote every day. “The competition in the ‘Radio Station’ category is fierce here on Long Island with tycoons and mainstays in the industry like our friends at WBAB and The Shark. It was shocking to us that we had made such an impact – nonetheless actually win. We work really hard here at GHR and wholeheartedly appreciate each and every success individually.”
Brimstone talks digital transformation
On the impact of technology on the entertainment business, he said, “That is a really touchy subject for me – I can go either way with it. You know, video killed the radio star type of thing. I think that technology has absolutely dumbed down the entertainment industry as a whole. The web is now overpopulated with every Tom, Dick and Harry who has an Internet provider and a smartphone.”
He continued, ” This offers a tremendous amount of opportunity, but a vast universe of ‘not so good’ content. In a positive way, you have waves of innovators who have shown up and changed the face of television and film (such as Netflix and Hulu), shopping with Amazon, radio whenever and wherever in the form of podcasting and Internet radio. It is insane thinking about it considering when I was a kid if you would have told me we’d all have things called ‘cell or smartphones’ and used a thing called ‘Google’ to search the ‘web’ for anything you’d ever want or need to know, I would have thought you were crazy.”
Regarding his use of technology in his daily routine, he said, “I am pretty much attached to my smartphone. I hate to admit it. I am a slave to not only the grind but to the quick, easy access at my fingertips. I legitimately hate the fact that I am reliant on my phone, but I use it for everything – it is my connection to the entire outside world.”
Advice for aspiring entertainers
His advice for aspiring entertainers is to be themselves. “Never be a carbon copy of anyone else, it works for them – be different. Work hard. Remember that if you aren’t doing it, someone else will. It’s also good to remember that people will always hate on people that are doing the things that they wish they could. Haters and dream crushers are always going to hate on people putting in the work. Keep your skin thick, we know why they’re angry. Lastly, protect yourself. There are a lot of bad people out there.”
When asked if he ever gets overwhelmed, Brimstone responded, “Honestly, yes I do. You would not be human if you didn’t get overwhelmed. I happen to have a higher tolerance for stress than the average person albeit I also do more daily than an above average person so take that how you will. I try and schedule myself out as much as possible in order to stay focused, although sometimes even the best-laid plans get wonky.”
He continued, “I breathe a lot and in recent times I have started relying more on the GHR staff to help keep me focused and take some of the pressure off of me. It’s hard for me to let go of responsibility, but when you’ve got a great crew – it makes it easier to delegate and ask for help when needed. It helps tremendously on the GHR side of things that my partners are hands-on too. My old bones couldn’t handle our daily workload on my own and our team is fantastic.”
Each day, Brimstone is motivated by his family. “My wife and kids are the world to me, my universe. I do everything I do in order to make a living and a future for them,” he said. “I love success and I thrive on it. I also absolutely enjoy getting to do so many of the awesome things I get to do, the people I get to meet, the friends and fans I make along the way. The journey makes it all worthwhile and motivates me to be the best I can be,” he elaborated.
For his fans and followers, he said, “Thank you so much for all of your support over the years. Doing what I do wouldn’t be complete without each and every one of you. I am extremely active on my official social media accounts and I am very interactive as well.”
Brimstone wants his followers to know that he only writes on his official websites and he does not post on blogs, Reddit or other message boards. “There are a lot of people pretending to be me and make me look bad. It also sucks for the fans who think that it is me,” he admitted.
To learn more about Brimstone, check out his official website, and follow him on Instagram, Facebook and on Twitter.
