Roger Hunt, Sr., 47, stood in front of a mirror at his home as he practiced talking to an audience. Hunt began doing this everyday recently to prepare for hosting “Who’s Next 2 Blow,” a new live performance TV show.
“I practice on my own. I get in front of the mirror. (As a TV host) I don’t have a script so I have to improv,” Hunt said. “When I’m at home, I’ll actually practice my walk.”
Hunt is the host and associate producer for the show, which will focus on spoken word perfromaces. It will launch in St. Louis on March 1, then travel to seven other cities.
“Why not show the world that St. Louis has great talent here? A lot of times your big shows start in New Jersey, Atlanta, LA, New York, but you’ve got great talent right here in our Midwest city,” Hunt said. “We figured, let’s do the show in St. Louis, in our own backyard.”
After the launch in St. Louis, the show will visit seven other cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Atlanta and finish back in St. Louis.
Hunt said he is excited about the opportunity the show provides for artists.
“Allowing (the spoken word artists) a national platform to present their craft, their art,” Hunt said. “To spotlight them to the world in hopes that someone will discover them to get them a contract, to get them an opportunity to expand their art.”
Hunt auditioned for the hosting position through Midwest Flawless Entertainment Company last spring after seeing the position listed on Craigslist.
Hunt was a sales account representative for Direct Mail Firm. He sold Direct Mail advertising for 15 years.
“With being downsized in corporate American three times in 10 years, I decided to try my hand in modeling and acting,” Hunt said.
Hunt decided he wanted to model and act at age 45. He said he was told he couldn’t do it.
“I was too old, I was too fat,” Hunt said. “It was like, so what? It’s not your dream. Understanding your dream and what your vision is helps you obtain and achieve your goal.”
In March 2011, Hunt signed up under Azalea Talent Agency. In April 2011, he was selected for the hosting position. He also signed a contract for a locally produced film, “26.2,” in May 2011. Hunt is co-starring in the film, which has already begun filming. He has also done commercials for General Motors, Lumière and Schnucks in the past year.
Hunt said presenting and acting isn’t something he enjoyed doing growing up, although he did have practice. Hunt has been doing announcements once a month at his church since he was 13 years old. He continues to do announcements today. Hunt said he has become close with his pastor, Richard L. Pearson.
“He’s been a good spiritual brother for me, advisor,” Hunt said.
Hunt said his mother and wife have been supportive of his career shift.
He said he is grateful for his upbringing and education. Hunt transferred to Webster after attending Rockhurst University for a semester, University of Missouri-St. Louis for a year and St. Louis Community College-Forest Park for a year. Hunt studied at Webster for a year and a half before graduating. Hunt graduated from Webster with a BA in marketing and a minor in media communications in December 1987. He graduated from Fontbonne in 2000 with his master’s in management.
“What I learned here at Webster really reflects what I do now, as far as getting specific camera angles and specific shots,” Hunt said.
Hunt said his education in management and communications is a good combination for his role as host and associate producer.
“(It’s important,) being able to put all that (his education) into play; from the marketing to management to producing, having the right mix of all those ingredients to make any project successful.” Hunt said
“Who’s Next 2 Blow” will have auditions on Friday, March 1, and will be recorded live on March 3, at the Mad Art Gallery.
The Midwest Flawless Entertainment Company will do a spinoff reality show. The reality show will include segments of contestants from the spoken word edition of “Who’s Next 2 Blow” and will air on a local network. “Who’s Next 2 Blow” has plans for several spinoffs such as R&B, hip hop editions, as well as “Who’s Next 2 Praise Him,” a gospel music edition.
“Who’s Next 2 Blow” has been approached by a major network with whom they are still in negotiations. The show will air this coming fall.
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