The airplane hangars below grew distant, and the trees blurred into a green mass as Cami Henz ’17 gently settled into the helicopter’s tan leather seats.
Life had been a bit of a whirlwind recently. Just one year before, Henz accepted a dream opportunity as an intern for the Irving-based radio program “The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show.” In April, she was hired full time. Now, just three months later, she was in Blake Shelton’s personal helicopter headed to the opening of the country singer’s newest Oklahoma bar.
The helicopter touched down in a small airport near Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and Henz exited with Big Al Mack, one of the morning show’s four emcees. Henz was tasked with filming that night — more specifically documenting Big Al’s obsession with Shelton as Big Al emceed the night’s events. When singer Gwen Stefani, Shelton’s girlfriend, stepped on stage and surprised fans by singing one of her hit songs, “Hollaback Girl,” Henz was in heaven.
“I pinch myself a lot,” Henz said of her life as she now knows it. “I started listening to ‘The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show’ on my way to school when I was a high school sophomore. I thought Kidd was hilarious. He was energetic, witty and a true comedic genius. I wanted to meet him one day. Better yet, I wanted to work for him one day. He is why I wanted to major in radio/TV.”
In the Studio
With the glow of the screen lighting her focused eyes, Henz methodically mouses through the show’s livestreaming software. To her immediate left are floor-to-ceiling windows looking into the studio. The show’s emcees, Kellie Rasberry, Mack, José “J-Si” Chavez and Jenna Owens, are live.
Henz, a Keller native, has wrapped herself in a blanket, and a digital timer hangs above her on the wall, its bright red font tinting her dark workspace below with a light shade of rose.
As video producer for KiddTV, a livestream version of the radio show, Henz’s workdays start very early. Five days a week, a preset alarm chimes well before dawn so Henz can be in the studio by 5 a.m. She then begins preparing visual content to pair with the show’s live airing, meaning she needs to know what the cast intends to discuss so she can pull photos and videos to stream live while they talk.
It’s fast-paced, but live entertainment production is where Henz thrives.
“During my senior year at Keller High School, I joined the broadcasting class, where I learned how to use a video camera and read the morning announcements,” she said. “I also learned how to edit and think creatively. I would critique myself and fix the way I pronounced words or the way I said a sentence.
“I realized I loved creating content,” Henz added. “When I applied to SFA, I immediately checked the radio/TV broadcasting box when asked what I would be majoring in. I knew it was my passion.”
Passion Projects
The moment Henz walked into SFA’s KSAU 90.1 broadcasting studio years ago, everything felt right with the world. She worked as the station’s DJ on Wednesday nights, playing music and taking requests before reporting weather forecasts and news headlines.
“I knew it was what I was meant to do,” she said. “Having to think on your feet and be quick if something goes wrong was exhilarating. It was in those moments when my interests turned into passions.”
Passion — it’s a word that seems to follow Henz, or perhaps deeply define her. While at SFA, she tapped into an abiding love for live production but also found a more niche passion through Driving Jacks, a free designated-driver program for students.
“I was part of Driving Jacks my entire college career, and I became president of the organization during my senior year,” Henz said. “I met the most incredible and loving people, and I made best friends, whom I still see to this day. Driving Jacks was a huge part of my life.”
In breaks between studying, class and Driving Jacks, Henz also worked a part-time job with the City of Nacogdoches’ Main Street. In this role, she helped develop the city’s popular podcast, NacChat.
“I am just so proud of Cami,” said Amy Mehaffey, Nacogdoches Main Street manager. “She had her heart set on her dream job with Kidd Kraddick, which she talked about often, and now she’s living her dream. No one is more deserving.”
For Henz, passion drives success.
“You have to find your passion and work as hard as you can,” she said. “You have to be willing to do it for free, and if you’re not willing to do something for free, it might not be your passion.”
Surreal Reality
When Henz applied for the Kidd Kraddick internship in 2018, she tried to stay realistic — she was, after all, vying for a spot in a highly competitive market. So when she received an interview and then an email offering her the position, she was soaring.
“I actually still have my parking valet ticket from the day of my interview,” she laughed.
When the internship ended, she was hired part-time and then, just a few months later, as a full-time video producer. Henz has been on air a handful of times, the first to read a bit she developed titled “Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to College.” Another time, she wrote and read a letter to Kidd, who passed away in 2013.
Content curation, creativity, persistence — Kidd Kraddick cast member J-Si said they’re what make Henz stand out.
“I told myself, ‘If I just get my foot in the door, I can make them see what I have to offer,’” Henz said. “What was important was having confidence in myself and in my abilities. I showed them I’d stay late and work really hard on getting things done.”
Almost immediately after being hired full time, Henz began putting together a podcast with fellow SFA alumna Meagan Beckwith ’16. On the Kidd Kraddick-affiliate podcast, titled “Adults in Training,” the alumnae cover a variety of topics, all related to the simple fact that they’re “still trying to figure out how the world works.”
The opportunities available as a Kidd Kraddick employee are versatile and thrilling. Henz has traveled to Florida with Kidd’s Kids, a program where staff members accompany children with chronic and terminal illnesses and their families on an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World.
She’s met Shelton and Stefani and continues to hope that one day her dream guest, Shania Twain, will walk through the studio doors.
“It’s surreal and crazy. Truly crazy. There are so many people across the nation who listen to our show and love the cast so much. We get thousands of calls every day from people who have been listening for 10 or 20 years,” Henz said. “I get choked up when listeners, who are going through a hard time, call in and their only escape is the show. I’m just so blessed I get to work with such amazing people and help put together a show people rely on to get them through the day. It truly is incredible.”
To watch "The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show" live taping, visit kiddnation.com/kiddtv.