Matthew Creed
Encyclopedia
Matthew-Michael Lynford Creed (born October 15, 1981) is a disc Jockey and voice actor. He is best known for his DJ work as "Surge" on KCHZ Channel Z95.7 FM
, for which he holds the record of being the youngest paid on-air DJ in a Top-30 Nielsen Rated
market, being only 14 years old when he did his first broadcast in 1996.
, the son of Judy (née
Cady) and Jerry Creed, a retired Marine Corps Colonel
. His father is of French
, English
and Choctaw
and Cherokee
Native American descent, and his mother is of Irish
and German decent. He has two younger brothers, Nathan (born 1983) and Mitchell (born 1985).
suburb of Olathe, Kansas. When he was 10, he was discovered by Sandy Lopez, host of the KSMO 62 Kids Crew, and became an occasional co-host for the after-school television program.
. Howie invited Matthew into the KCHZ
studios on numerous occasions as an on-air guest over the following months. Eventually his presence on the 7pm-Midnight "All Request Party" show became a daily event, and he started to gain popularity as Howie D's sidekick, "Surge". Over the course of the next several months, Howie took Matthew under his wing and taught him the "how-to's" and behind-the-scenes work on a radio station and show. That Spring, Howie introduced Matthew to Mike "Austin" Bowen, whom was the Afternoon host and Program Director of KCHZ. Austin began to teach Matthew the mechanics and board-work in on-air performing, along with basic production skills and asked Matthew to become a daily after-school presence at the KCHZ Studios.
In June 1996, Mike and Howie offered him an on-air internship at KCHZ
Channel Z95.7. Howie taught him how to expand upon his vocal, acting, and improv skills along with vocal impersonations. On the morning of June 15, 1996, Matthew performed his first solo on-air shift from Midnight-2am, which at that time, gave him the title of the "Youngest On-Air Disc Jockey". Throughout the rest of 1996 and most of 1997, Matthew performed on-air with Mike Austin from 3pm-7pm, and with Howie "D" from 7pm-10pm, and during various times every Saturday and Sunday.
Matthew was hired by KCHZ
as an on-air performer in September 1997, and slowly started to transition from being a "co-host" and "sidekick" with Mike and Howie to hosting his own show. He was given the Monday-Saturday Overnight shift from Midnight – 5:30 am, which from Monday-Thursday was pre-recorded due to him attending Olathe East High School. Matthew became the live host of the Saturday night "Groove Nation" remix show in November 1997, and achieved the #1 Saturday Night rating in Kansas City from February 1998-August 1999.
KCHZ was sold to Syncom Radio in 1999, and due to personal and location conflicts separated from KCHZ in August 1999 to focus on his senior year in High School.
in Lawrence, Kansas to fill the full-time overnight shift, and performed under the name "Zac D" (which he later revealed in an interview with the Lawrence Journal that he chose to use "D" as his last name as a tribute to Howie "D" Nunnelly). Lazer 105.9 had recently flipped from its Alternative format to a Top-40/Contemporary format in an attempt to move in on the expanding Top 40 craze in the Kansas City market. Rob Meyer, Program Director for Lazer 105.9, offered Matthew his old Saturday night shift in an attempt to capture ratings from Mix 93.3
and 95.7 the Vibe
and listeners to the station, which was being chastised by its devoted listeners due to its sudden format flip from Alternative to Top 40. After several months of refusal and negotiations on Matthew's part, an agreement was made and Matthew took the reins and helped reformat the Lazer Saturday night show. Due to listener boycotts, online hatred towards the station's new format, and an extremely low working budget, the new Saturday night show never gained the popularity that was hoped for by the station.
In January 2004, Creed announced his retirement as an on-air disc jockey, and left KLZR.
, and has recently done some voice work for local Kansas City businesses. As of April 2011, he is an Air Traffic Controller
with the FAA.
Their first son, Gabriel-Maddox Creed was born February 22, 2011.
KCHZ
KCHZ , known as "95.7 The Vibe", is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area from Ottawa, Kansas. The Cumulus Broadcasting outlet operates at 95.7 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW. Its transmitter is located near Linwood, Kansas.-History:KCHZ began...
, for which he holds the record of being the youngest paid on-air DJ in a Top-30 Nielsen Rated
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
market, being only 14 years old when he did his first broadcast in 1996.
Early life
Matthew was born in Fredericksburg, VirginiaFredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, the son of Judy (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Cady) and Jerry Creed, a retired Marine Corps Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. His father is of French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
and Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Native American descent, and his mother is of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and German decent. He has two younger brothers, Nathan (born 1983) and Mitchell (born 1985).
Early career
After his parents separated, his mother relocated Matthew and his brothers to the Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
suburb of Olathe, Kansas. When he was 10, he was discovered by Sandy Lopez, host of the KSMO 62 Kids Crew, and became an occasional co-host for the after-school television program.
Professional Career at Channel Z95.7 FM – KCHZ
In February 1996, Matthew befriended Nighttime DJ Howie "D" Nunnelly of KCHZ Channel Z95.7KCHZ
KCHZ , known as "95.7 The Vibe", is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area from Ottawa, Kansas. The Cumulus Broadcasting outlet operates at 95.7 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW. Its transmitter is located near Linwood, Kansas.-History:KCHZ began...
. Howie invited Matthew into the KCHZ
KCHZ
KCHZ , known as "95.7 The Vibe", is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area from Ottawa, Kansas. The Cumulus Broadcasting outlet operates at 95.7 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW. Its transmitter is located near Linwood, Kansas.-History:KCHZ began...
studios on numerous occasions as an on-air guest over the following months. Eventually his presence on the 7pm-Midnight "All Request Party" show became a daily event, and he started to gain popularity as Howie D's sidekick, "Surge". Over the course of the next several months, Howie took Matthew under his wing and taught him the "how-to's" and behind-the-scenes work on a radio station and show. That Spring, Howie introduced Matthew to Mike "Austin" Bowen, whom was the Afternoon host and Program Director of KCHZ. Austin began to teach Matthew the mechanics and board-work in on-air performing, along with basic production skills and asked Matthew to become a daily after-school presence at the KCHZ Studios.
In June 1996, Mike and Howie offered him an on-air internship at KCHZ
KCHZ
KCHZ , known as "95.7 The Vibe", is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area from Ottawa, Kansas. The Cumulus Broadcasting outlet operates at 95.7 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW. Its transmitter is located near Linwood, Kansas.-History:KCHZ began...
Channel Z95.7. Howie taught him how to expand upon his vocal, acting, and improv skills along with vocal impersonations. On the morning of June 15, 1996, Matthew performed his first solo on-air shift from Midnight-2am, which at that time, gave him the title of the "Youngest On-Air Disc Jockey". Throughout the rest of 1996 and most of 1997, Matthew performed on-air with Mike Austin from 3pm-7pm, and with Howie "D" from 7pm-10pm, and during various times every Saturday and Sunday.
Matthew was hired by KCHZ
KCHZ
KCHZ , known as "95.7 The Vibe", is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area from Ottawa, Kansas. The Cumulus Broadcasting outlet operates at 95.7 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW. Its transmitter is located near Linwood, Kansas.-History:KCHZ began...
as an on-air performer in September 1997, and slowly started to transition from being a "co-host" and "sidekick" with Mike and Howie to hosting his own show. He was given the Monday-Saturday Overnight shift from Midnight – 5:30 am, which from Monday-Thursday was pre-recorded due to him attending Olathe East High School. Matthew became the live host of the Saturday night "Groove Nation" remix show in November 1997, and achieved the #1 Saturday Night rating in Kansas City from February 1998-August 1999.
KCHZ was sold to Syncom Radio in 1999, and due to personal and location conflicts separated from KCHZ in August 1999 to focus on his senior year in High School.
Professional career at Lazer 105.9 FM – KLZR
At the urging of friends and family, Creed sought out another position in radio. In March 2002, he was hired at Lazer 105.9KLZR
KLZR is a radio station in Lawrence, Kansas, broadcasting to the Topeka and Kansas City areas on 105.9 FM.KLZR-FM airs a hot adult contemporary music format branded as "Lazer 105.9".-History:...
in Lawrence, Kansas to fill the full-time overnight shift, and performed under the name "Zac D" (which he later revealed in an interview with the Lawrence Journal that he chose to use "D" as his last name as a tribute to Howie "D" Nunnelly). Lazer 105.9 had recently flipped from its Alternative format to a Top-40/Contemporary format in an attempt to move in on the expanding Top 40 craze in the Kansas City market. Rob Meyer, Program Director for Lazer 105.9, offered Matthew his old Saturday night shift in an attempt to capture ratings from Mix 93.3
KMXV
KMXV Mix 93.3 is a Top 40 station based in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The Wilks Broadcasting outlet operates at 93.3 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW. Its current slogan is "Kansas City's #1 Hit Music Station"...
and 95.7 the Vibe
KCHZ
KCHZ , known as "95.7 The Vibe", is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area from Ottawa, Kansas. The Cumulus Broadcasting outlet operates at 95.7 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW. Its transmitter is located near Linwood, Kansas.-History:KCHZ began...
and listeners to the station, which was being chastised by its devoted listeners due to its sudden format flip from Alternative to Top 40. After several months of refusal and negotiations on Matthew's part, an agreement was made and Matthew took the reins and helped reformat the Lazer Saturday night show. Due to listener boycotts, online hatred towards the station's new format, and an extremely low working budget, the new Saturday night show never gained the popularity that was hoped for by the station.
In January 2004, Creed announced his retirement as an on-air disc jockey, and left KLZR.
Career after Lazer 105.9 FM
Matthew was hired by Cumulus Radio in May 2009 to perform board operator work for 95.7 the VibeKCHZ
KCHZ , known as "95.7 The Vibe", is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area from Ottawa, Kansas. The Cumulus Broadcasting outlet operates at 95.7 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW. Its transmitter is located near Linwood, Kansas.-History:KCHZ began...
, and has recently done some voice work for local Kansas City businesses. As of April 2011, he is an Air Traffic Controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
with the FAA.
Personal life
Matthew met Nadia Martinez in October 2005, and they became engaged in December 2006. They married on October 4, 2008 in Kansas City, KS.Their first son, Gabriel-Maddox Creed was born February 22, 2011.