Top New Talent Q&A: Tim & Sammy

Tim McDonald and Sammy Garlepp have been named in Radio Today’s Top New Talent to Watch in 2019.

Accomplished comedians Tim & Sammy have been on radio for less than a year, but that hasn’t stopped them from making waves in the industry with their Triple M Aussie Lunch show ‘The Smoko’.

The boys secured their gig through the SCA Hubble program, after racking up an enviable social media following from the start of 2018 thanks to their podcast and a steady stream of hilarious social content.

With a perfect mix of satire, observational humour and fake callers, Tim & Sammy will have you harking back to some of the great radio shows of the past.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmsJEgoDa0b/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Get to know Tim & Sammy with our Top New Talent Q&A:

Who/what inspired you to choose a career in radio?

You’ll probably hear this answer a lot but it’s the truth – Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the modern radio back in 1890. Without his pioneering breakthrough, there’d be no way to recap MAFS or sell cheap tiles. Whenever we aren’t sure about a topic or idea we still find ourselves asking – “What would Guglielmo do?”

What radio shows do you first recall listening to as a kid (or when you first started listening)?

We grew up in the early days of podcasting, so we’d race home after school to binge on comedy radio shows from Hamish & Andy to Hughesy & Kate to Breakfast with Alan Jones.

How did you end up in your current gig?

Three television psychologists looked at us, and looked at Triple M Aussie Digital and thought “let’s put them together”. As long as we keep writing “stay” at the aircheck ceremonies, they have to keep us on. But we’re so grateful they do because the support and feedback we’re getting from SCA and the Hubble program are second-to-none.

What’s been your most memorable on-air moment so far?

Last year we set Sammy up on a blind date. With his mum. Sadly, things went downhill pretty quickly and there hasn’t been a second date (Sammy realised she had children).

What’s one skill that you’ve mastered, and what’s one skill that you’re currently working on?

We definitely don’t feel as though we’ve mastered any of it, we’ve still got so much to learn.  But we have developed a pretty good knack for dodging radio questionnaire questions.

We’ll get back to you about Part 2.

How do you prepare for your shift on-air?

We prepare for every show just like an elite athlete would prepare for a big game or final – we start with an inappropriate Instagram post, then an apologetic press conference and later, a court appearance.

How does the person you are on air differ from the person you are off air?

We’re pretty much the same, to be honest, we do the same things off air that we do on air – catching up and telling stories, making each other laugh and pausing on the hour every hour for news, sport and traffic.

What advice do you wish you could give yourself when you were just starting out?

Have fun, give everything a go and above all else, don’t leave radio questionnaires to the last minute.

What’s your dream radio job?

2GB Breakfast. We know Alan Jones is thinking of leaving, so as soon as we can pronounce Gladys Berejiklian we’ll launch Timothy & Samuel.

If you weren’t working in radio, what would you be doing?

Currently, we’re only working in radio on a very casual roster, so that’s like asking someone “If you weren’t going to F45 every third Tuesday, what would you be doing?” In any event, the answer to both questions is the same – cross fit.