Meet the Staff: Dylan Holland

By Brandi Mitchell
Web Content Contributor 

It’s College Radio Day and KTSW is making an effort to honor the members that work both behind the scenes and on-air to cultivate KTSW into the success that it is. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dylan Holland, Studio C producer and assistant music director. Holland is in charge of booking Studio C sessions and screening all the music that comes into the station. If it sounds like a pretty significant job, that’s because it is.

Holland is a senior here at Texas State and applied to KTSW a year ago when he got an email advertising applications; the rest is history. He has loved his time spent in the studio and with the newfound friends he made through this job. The people he works with are one of his favorite aspects of his position. He tells me that a typical studio session begins when he shows up around 4 p.m. to help their sound tech, Emilee Biles.

He pauses here and lets me know that she does most of the work, and to make sure to give her the credit, letting me know he is as humble as he is talented. KTSW has so many incredible “cast members” that it’s hard to give enough credit! He goes on to tell me that the band typically loads in around 4:30 p.m. and they sound check them before going live. Holland has the specific job of checking levels of sound and keeping dead air from interfering with the band playing. 

After the set is done, they typically get a quick photoshoot and thank the band for contributing to the culture and mission here at KTSW.  It was clear how passionate Holland is about his job, and also about the local music scene in San Marcos and here at Texas State. However, what was most evident was his love for the friends at KTSW that have become family, and all of the people he has had the opportunity to learn from and grow with.

Holland has wanted to work for a radio station since he was a kid listening to 99.5 with his dad in Fort Worth, and when he learned about this opportunity with KTSW to do just that, he couldn’t pass it up. When he graduates, he doesn’t plan to end his producing career; he aspires to work for Audiotree Live, KEXP, or NPR Music doing similar jobs as to what he has done as the Studio C producer. We are definitely all cheering him on!

Holland left me with a bit of surprise information (Studio C has big things in store, so stay tuned) and the sentiment that he has an amazing support staff through the  Program/Multimedia/Sound departments that enable the quality work we see from Studio C. He made sure to include that nothing would be possible without them, and I couldn’t help but think that a good leader recognizes the excellent talent that surrounds them.

Featured image courtesy of KTSW Social Media.