Written by: Deanna McClary
Kristen Savik, whose better known as “La Gringa Mas Latina” is a passionate and versatile young woman. Her love for the Latin culture and music began at a young age, which lead her to spend time grasping the customs of the culture. She explains, “I discovered my love for radio after I had gone back to Minnesota after being in the Dominican Republic for 5 months. I looked up “bachata” concerts in Minnesota in google and went, which is where I met my first boss in radio.” Kristen Savik describes, “My daily goal when I go on-air is to show a difference in culture and to exemplify being a Caucasian living in a Latina world.”
Kristen Savik started her radio journey in 2005 as an intern at a radio station. As she grew as an intern, she got the opportunity to learn everything from sales, music directing, to management. Kristen decided to expand and grow her career by making the big move to Miami. She began working for several radio stations, but she got her big break through at iheart Radio with her boss, Enrique Santos on his new station TU94.9. Kristen describes her favorite aspect of working in radio by stating, “I love the opportunities that I am able to receive while being in the radio industry, the music industry and getting to learn the different styles of music and getting to grow as a person.”
When asked what she would tell her younger self, she states “Don’t settle for less than you deserve and always counter an offer. I’ve got this far in my career from being strong and persevering. People criticized me for my accent and wondered why my boss would give me this job because I’m not Latina, but that didn’t stop me from doing the job that I love. They finally realized that they couldn’t break me, which led them to love me.”
Kristen is a mother and a wife who displays how important it is to be a family oriented individual while working in the radio industry. She concludes our conversation by stating, “Moving forward, I’m excited about connecting more with my audience, expressing myself more on social media and using iheart Radio as an extra boost to get myself out there.”