Mandye 4-13-14by Bob Anthony, Spectrio Creative Consultant

Though most all of us have said we “break our back” to do our job at one time or another, Mandye Thomas, Voice Talent and Creative Consultant for Spectrio/Phone On-Hold, took the phrase literally, as her future career came as a result of a tweaked back.

“I began treatment with a chiropractor who, for some reason, was intrigued with the fact that I was a DJ at a local roller rink. She mentioned that a local radio personality was a patient of hers and offered to introduce me—She thought that spinning records at a roller rink gave me street cred and experience to work at a radio station—Not!!” It turned out to be true, though, as Ms. Thomas, a native Californian, shelved a potential career as a nurse to begin an internship at Fresno’s KMGX/X-104 FM, which evolved into a regular shift and, eventually, two decades behind the microphone at KZOZ 93.3 in San Luis Obispo, KCAQ/Q105 in Oxnard-Ventura (where she did morning drive and was news director), a residency in the ‘Morning Nut Hut’ at KIOC 106.7 in Beaumont, TX, and a return to the Golden State and several jobs up and down the dial and the coast, most notably as Program Director at KKBE 105.5 Oxnard-Ventura and at KRUZ 103.3/97.5 in Santa Barbara.

With the loss of live, local radio to conglomerates and syndication, Ms. Thomas moved into the on-hold world, becoming a Voice Talent and Studio Engineer with Los Angeles-based Phone On-Hold Marketing Systems, which would eventually merge with Spectrio in 2013. After a brief return to radio proved to be too much of a juggling act, Ms. Thomas has found a home for her many talents. “Production came easy for me at Phone on Hold because I did a lot of it while I was in radio. I’ve always loved to write and have been good at it since I was in college. Also, the sales people were much harder to deal with in radio than they are in this business. I work very well with everyone!” And she keeps the ‘dulcet tones’ coming as one of Spectrio’s most in-demand voice talents, with a somewhat different approach than in her radio days; “I give a much more natural read. You can’t be over-the-top or you’ll scare the customers on hold!”

When away from the microphone, studio and computer, Mandye Thomas keeps busy in other ways; preparing for her upcoming wedding, listening to classic and alternative rock (favorite band: Matchbox 20) and indulging her love of cats and dogs—two of each…After all, you can’t have ‘Mandye’ without ‘many!’

Take a listen to Mandye’s voice sample by clicking her name below, and if her style fits with your company’s brand image, be sure to request her for your next on-hold production!

Mandye Thomas