“With the Taylors, you’re not only getting two incredible hosts, but there is simply nothing I haven’t heard or seen them be able to do.
Simply put, they rock!”
- Funky Pit Productions, London
Christopher John Taylor – ON-AIR/USVR Founder
Chris originates from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In 1991 he began his journey in the entertainment industry after a symposium on film & television production that he attended put on by his soon to be mentor, Louie D. Lawless.
After Chris had completed an Acting for Film & Television two-year course, he began his four year course in Production for Film & Television.
In Chris' third year of the production courses, he started his own film & television production company called 5150 Productions. By the time he had completed the fourth year of Louie's film making course, he had already had two completed film credits with Louie's company, LDL Films Ltd.
Chris continued his work with Louie with a two-year internship with LDL Films while running 5150 with a staff of 8 full time and 22 part-time employees.
5150 Productions, by this time, was well on its way to the company’s five-year goal of producing a Hollywood feature film. Specializing in Wedding and Event coverage, as well as location remotes for TV news, they had also successfully broken into Independent film work, music videos, and television commercial work.
By 1995, Chris and 5150 partner David Robinson, knew well the entertainment industry affectionately known as "Hollywood North" and recognized the need for a major studio for the Vancouver area to service the U.S. Studios. They noted the demand for studio work and space on an already overloaded Canadian industry and began to concept and create Pacific Studios (later to be known as “Lionsgate Studios”).
Chris' five-year business plan, along with his secured building site, land use study, economic impact analysis, architect plans and models, as well as his long list of Government and Private Sector support, was ultimately pitched to David Black and Frank Guistra. Recognizing the incredible opportunity presented to them, the company was formed on July 10, 1997, in Vancouver, British Columbia and the studio groundbreaking began shortly after.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation (Lionsgate) went on to meet or exceed every milestone Chris had projected for the company in its first 5 years and has ultimately ended up controlling over 40% of the film & television marketplace globally.
Chris' next goal was to launch his own media representation and acquisition company in conjunction with his ongoing work through 5150. In the production company’s fourth year 5150 and her crews had subcontracted and worked on well over 100 feature films, 35 mainstream documentaries, countless music videos for Canada's MUCH Music channel, and enjoyed regular network television commercial work.
VineHill Entertainment was formed in the spring of 2001 and began to market independent film & television product to national and international acquisition & distribution companies with their biggest clients being Alliance Atlantis, Universal and Warner Bros Video Distribution.
Kate Taylor is the frontal and administrative force of the Taylor Media legacy.
Coming from a film and television family background, as well as a musical one, she became a talent in the entertainment industry in her own right before entering primary school. Beginning with commercial modeling and voice-over work in New York City at age three and culminating as a professional singer, musician, and performer through her early twenties.
Kate is both left and right brained and seeking a satisfaction in the imbalance decided to return to school to pursue academic achievement. She became an EMT and worked on call in the emergency room of Hackensack Medical Center before pursuing a medical education herself.
Having more of a fascination with “why” people operate than “how” she left a position in Pathology and Microbiology, also at Hackensack Medical Center (now known as Hackensack University Hospital), to gravitate toward Sociology and Psychology.
During this time, she found herself also administrating Medical/Legal adjunct computerized processes for attorneys in New Jersey, as prior to an interest in Medicine she studied for the LSAT.
This intensive study culminated in an undergrad in Behavioral Statistics and a Masters in Psychology, with a concentration in Early Childhood development, in 2005.
The years of academia stagnated Kate’s need for creative expression and in 2007 she enrolled in The Art Institute of Pittsburgh to study Interior Architecture and Design, which she did for three years. Just prior to completion of that BFA she realized that we all go home to our roots and transferred to The Academy of Art University in San Francisco to study Film and Television.
The birth of the Taylor’s son, Tristan, in 2012 saw Kate taking a hiatus from the pursuit of that degree, one she will resume in the future as time permits, to continue the development of HTLA Radio One through 2016.
Since marrying, Chris and Kate wanted to begin something which would allow them both (as is their nature) to continue to create high-quality entertainment media product while building a strong home example for their family, friends and fans.
Since Chris' union affiliations and professional associations costs to transfer to the eastern United States were out of reach, they decided to break into the new frontier that was internet radio.
In November of 2010, they formed HTLA Radio 1 New York. Not just a podcast show, but an entire internet-based radio station. Formatting and modeling themselves after mainstream traditional radio and vowing to comply with FCC guidelines, they separated themselves from the hobbied "podcasters" to become professional broadcasters.
HTLA went on in its first two years to not only attract A-List celebrities but to have their content re-broadcast to 22 other internet-based radio stations as well as self-syndicating themselves on three traditional bricks & mortar stations located in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, and Dallas.
In addition to their (all original, utterly entertaining, talk show formats and highly appealing husband and wife chemistry) twelve well accepted and long-running radio shows at the station, by 2015 they had been invited to make the crossover back into television by FOX 11 Reno, to appear on the "What's Trending Now" daily panel segment of their morning show. Also, around that time, Kate was asked to be a regular commentator on TMZ's morning segments as well, which she declined.
Now, after seven-years of critical success with HTLA Radio 1 New York, “Crash” and “The Sintellectual kateTaylor” have relocated to just outside Charlotte, NC.
Realizing the HTLA brand would not be viable to this region of the United States, they have rebranded HTLA to ON-AIR Radio.
Strongly conservative and patriotic, with every generation of Kate’s family having served and still serving, they recognized a need to address serious and important issues pertaining to our soldiers. This was made current via talks with their network of U.S. Military family, friends and those relationships built over the years at HTLA.
Having interviewed a number of Veterans, they felt the need to do something about it any way they could. Noting that cost factors were essentially going to be the same to launch two stations, they also decided to launch U.S. Veterans Radio concurrently with ON-AIR Radio.
U.S. Veterans Radio, with the tagline "Giving a voice to those who gave all", is a testament to the Taylors and their firm commitment to those men and women who do and deserve so much.
Chris concepted the station in 2016, but the influx of internet-media product by lesser entities, as well as the Taylor’s personal obligations, delayed finding the right formula for the station.
Now, in 2018, they have the formula.
By utilizing not only their own talent, skills and experience to build content for the station, they are also going to infuse the talent of veterans who want to learn to host and produce their own shows for USVR. We will provide equipment, training, imaging and branding for those Vets that come on board, as well.
In addition to this original and innovative programming, we will be the host re-broadcast for other mainstream syndicated talk entertainment, including huge draws like Alex Jones, Dana Loesch, and Laura Ingram. This will provide the perfect long-standing platform to appeal to current and former U.S. military, as well as new listeners and patriots alike.
The future is bright for this couple and their endeavors. This, combined with their ease in dealing professionally with advertisers and sponsors, as well as having the ability to create some great corporate alliances, ensures these stations will have the same bright future.