Ryan Riccetti, 20
Home: San Francisco
Major: Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts
Favorite Artists: Jack’s Mannequin and Vampire Weekend
“Although it isn’t necessarily an earth-shattering change for the young singer, Boyfriend is still a pretty substantial leap forward into a more mature sound. In fact, the song is quite risky for such a high profile star. Rather than releasing a song full of textbook pop hooks, Justin has opted for a more urban-acoustic sound that will stand out on the airwaves, but could potentially divide his fanbase.” (Pop Now: Justin Bieber Grows Up) -Ryan Riccetti
This is just a little taste of Ryan Riccetti’s Pop Now weekly music blog about new, and upcoming artists and other pop music news for 99.7 Now radio.
Riccetti, a junior at San Francisco State, started his internship at 99.7 in January then began blogging for the radio station in March. As an intern, which is a “dream come true,” he says, Riccetti learns hands on experience with radio and is responsible for editing audio for the show’s daily podcast, answering listener calls, tabulating requests, brainstorming for daily shop topics and of course writing blogs, which is his main focus.
“It’s really rewarding and I love the people I’m working with! I’ve always had a passion for sharing music, so I see this as a great opportunity to combine all of that with my writing,” he said.
Riccetti didn’t grow up around music and only really began to discover it during high school and participated in theatre. His taste in music was influenced by his best friends and the theater work he did through his high school years. He starred in nine plays and musicals in high school and called himself a “theater nerd” at the time.
“My overall passion for music is probably what has inspired me to be in this industry,” he said. “Anyone who knows me knows that I love listening to, sharing, analyzing, writing about, and discovering all types of music.”
As a marketing minor, he’s also interested in public relations work and hopes to get himself out there in the world and get recognized for his work.
After graduation, he sees himself writing about pop music because it “brings everyone together” and because he loves all pop music equally. He hopes to continue “climbing the ladder in the music and entertainment industries.”
“In the long-term, I would like to eventually own a music and entertainment website, or a social media firm, or even maybe a record label. That’s really far in the future though, so I want to keep my options open and see where everything leads me now,” he said.
In addition to keeping up a 4.0 GPA and repeatedly named on the Dean’s list, Riccetti has two other jobs; social media manager for Big City Montessori and sales associate at Hollister.
“Knowing that all of my hard work will hopefully pay off one day and allow me to make a living doing what I love is probably the thing that keeps me most focused. Having three jobs and school seems like a lot, but I’ve been really fortunate to surround myself with amazing people at all of these places, which has ultimately helped me grow as a person and learn more about what I really want for myself,” he said in an e-mail.
Serious stuff aside, Riccetti is single. His ideal companion is someone who is “outgoing, adventurous, genuine, down to earth because I’m the opposite of that,” he said.
His ideal date: “Dinner and a movie, then back to my house to hang out. I’m kind of known for that,” he said with a laugh.
In one word, Riccetti describes himself as a “realist”. He tries to accomplish his goals and works hard to get where he wants to be.
His advice to students seeking an internship: “Network as much as possible! Do whatever you can and don’t stop ‘til you get what you want.”
In the meantime, make sure to check out his blog (new post every Wednesday morning)
http://997now.cbslocal.com/tag/pop–now/
and follow him on Twitter for his latest updates @rricetti.