SV Chat: Former Bay Area DJ is now working for Metallica

Several music fans remember Renee Richardson for her two-decade-plus career on the Bay Area radio waves which included a -year run on the late great KFOG station Since however Richardson has been working with another legendary Bay Area institution Metallica Related Articles How Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham went from lovers to bandmates and back again Famed drummer s work in music law inspires Bay Area-set rock novel San Jose honoring retiring CMT Artistic Director Kevin Hauge Summer Road Trip Playlist great Bay Area songs to fuel your travels Hardly Strictly Bluegrass announces artists for th anniversary festival She s the director of philanthropy for the heavy metal outfit s All Within My Hands Foundation a non-profit charitable organization that was created by the four band members drummer Lars Ulrich lead guitarist Kirk Hammett bassist Robert Trujillo and vocalist-guitarist James Hetfield in I just now had the chance to catch up with the Richardson who at the moment resides in Pawley Island South Carolina but was back home in the Bay Area to catch Metallica perform two nights at Levi s Stadium in Santa Clara earlier this summer Q What s the mission of All Within My Hands A All Within My Hands AWMH was established in by the members and management of Metallica and is dedicated to creating sustainable communities through workforce guidance the fight against hunger and other critical local services That s the official mission message We also like people to know that Metallica created the foundation to give back to the communities that have supported the band throughout the years Another fun fact that we feel key for folks to know is that Metallica covers all administrative costs for the foundation When people give a financial gift to AWMH percent goes to the nonprofit organizations we patronage Q Tell me about your job at the foundation A My fancy title is director of philanthropy My role is diverse I am more like a evolution director I help cultivate new partnerships while maintaining strong relationships with the donors who aid our work I am fortunate to work closely with our executive director Pete Delgrosso His is a volunteer position by the way but you wouldn t know it by his passion and the amount of work he puts in Our goal is to execute the vision for the foundation that the band members and the management group have set forth We also help guide grant-making to ensure we stay within the intent of AWMH s mission Thankfully we benefit from outstanding leadership in the band management our executive director emeritus Dr Ed Frank and a tremendous and supportive board and advisory board Q What s it like working with the biggest metal band on the planet A I mean right It s pretty mind-blowing at times but at other times it feels routine and mundane While my bosses are a force greater part certainly they are also four incredibly thoughtful and well-intended humans who have very high expectations Q How involved are the actual band members in the organization A These guys are more involved than the bulk people might think They are one of the biggest bands in the world so they are kinda busy but they have a major voice in everything the foundation does They want details on our initiatives and our progress and spend time directly interacting with our Metallica Scholars and the schools on Zoom calls and in person I remember my first board meeting I had not expected purposeful input and insightful questions from the band members I kept thinking How can they be so engaged with this when they have eight million other things going on It comes down to the kind of people they are and the gang they ve built and thankfully we all know to come prepared Q What are chosen of the AWMH events that you re majority proud of A I am proud of everything we do because we are having a important impact Plus everyone works so hard for the foundation From the road crew to the digital club it s incredible I have had the privilege of working on the biannual Helping Hands Concert and Auctions These are amazing events because we all get to work on them together from the show planning to the sponsor engagement and the auction to the honorees It s a labor of love where the fans get quite a show while the fundraising is mind-blowing Then there s the volunteer activations With Metallica on the road with its M World Tour we try to create a volunteer event at each tour stop because the fans want to give back Those events have a lot of meaning because we roll up our sleeves and work side by side at a local food bank and we walk away knowing we did a good thing for people who need help in the city in which we all came together for the mighty Metallica Then there s the Metallica Scholars Initiative a very special part of what we do all year This project is helping to aid trades-people across the country shining a light on the great careers essential to our everyday lives We are truly celebrating the level of skill and perseverance it takes to provide for your family and we tell these stories via our social channels through MetallicaScholarsMonday We want our donors to see the outcome of their donations That s the other thing I think we are all super proud of our storytelling The AWMH communications led by Amanda Jones have helped find new AWMH converts Q And you ve got certain news to share about the Metallica Scholars Initiative right A Yes Super exciting We just declared Year of the Metallica Scholars Initiative MSI In a six short years we went from district colleges and M invested in helping -plus students to our largest grant to date million This fall we will bring the project into schools and it is expected that in total students of all ages will receive financial patronage This is all happening through our partnership with the American Association of Society Colleges Q Where do see opportunities for AWMH to grow in the years to come A I am going to quote Lars Ulrich on this one We are just getting started We see opportunities around every corner Clearly the Metallica Scholars Initiative is showing the preponderance return on our venture because we are able to glean figures from the schools about job placement and success rates We are eager to continue to grow the initiative and hopefully to bring this model to other countries Bringing help for the skilled trades abroad is on the list As an internationally touring band we definitely want to extend the foundation s reach beyond the U S The other development area is in our partnerships Over the years we ve worked on MSI with excellent partners like Carhartt Lowe s Foundation Upstaging Lighting Transportation and Wolverine Boots and Apparel We have had unwavering general encouragement from our friends at ESP Guitars Live Nation locals Another Planet and Meyer Sound plus too multiple incredible individuals to mention So partnership advancement is definitely top of mind And completely volunteer opportunities I d like to personally turn every metal head into a do-gooder numerous of them already are But I want the world to see and share in it Our contemporary partnership with the American Red Cross was a pretty incredible indication of the power of this group Metallica Fans who gave blood while enjoying the M World Tour far exceeded Red Cross donation goals in every city along the way pretty expletive epic Q Locals certainly remember you from your time on KFOG and before that Live How did you go from working the airwaves to working for Metallica A Yeah good times Renee Rotten on Live for a sparse years in the mid- s before I landed the highly coveted position to join the KFOG Morning Show with Dave Morey Peter Finch and Irish Greg McQuaid as Renee Richardson I spent -plus years on the airwaves in the S F Bay Area I was also a traffic reporter on a bunch of stations before our phones could do the job As a familiar voice on local radio I often used my skills to aid local nonprofit organizations I would volunteer my time to emcee or play auctioneer for a charity fundraiser it was a hobby at first Then as the radio business was getting gross and greedy I joined the board of trustees for Blue Bear School of Music The executive director Steve Savage along with the board chair at the time Maria Cardamone saw something of a advancement director in me They took a chance on me and hired me at Blue Bear where I was on a fast track to learn everything I could about helping to run a c My nonprofit learning was happening at the same time Metallica was forming its foundation I ve had a relationship with a scarce folks on the crew over the years just by being in the S F Bay Area music business and when Vickie Strate let me know it looked like AWMH was going to be doing big things I longed in Q What are particular of the favorite Bay Area radio memories A Let s say it together KaBoom Nothing will top the years when KFOG put on a free annual concert and fireworks show for everyone in the S F Bay Area to enjoy Those were chosen good times The was also pretty special I had the good fortune of hosting it for a hot minute and my radio sister Annalisa carried the torch beautifully for a spell but hands down the Dave Morey days were legendary Q Besides Metallica who are a few of your all-time favorite artists A Ooof I like a lot of artists David Bowie to the Beastie Boys Green Day to the Grateful Dead The Replacements to Pearl Jam Joan Jett and Janis Joplin I didn t think I was a Limp Bizkit fan until their fresh run with Metallica Fred Durst is an incredible performer My current playlist has a lot of Body Count Faith No More and Rage Against the Machine I should maybe also mention all those years in radio have brought me full circle because I have the honor of co-hosting the official Metallica podcast The Metallica Account with Steffan Chirazi It s the cherry on top of a really rewarding work-life Q How did you end up in Pawley Island South Carolina A We left the Bay Area to take care of my dad when my mom died in from cancer We don t particularly feel at home here as I m originally from New York and my hubby is from Boston The Bay Area is truly our home and we look forward to coming back RENEE RICHARDSON Title Director of Philanthropy for Metallica s foundation All Within My Hands Previous occupations Growth Director for Blue Bear School of Music on-air radio host at KFOG formerly located on your radio dial at FM Residence Pawleys Island South Carolina But she says she left her heart in Fairfax CA Hometown Rockland County N Y Family Husband Mike and -year-old chihuahua terrier Rocco keep her sane She says her -year-old father whom they live with and care for has the opposite effect adding a LOL Renee Richardson Things Renee has seen great heights in SF The largest part thrilling was rappelling floors off the Hilton San Francisco Union Square to assistance Outward Bound California It was the biggest jolt of adrenaline I have ever felt and I fleetly overcame my fears But I also raced to the bottom I wish I had taken more time to take in the view She finds ecstasy in swimming Any day that affords me a free hour you will find me in the pool I discovered that swimming helps me dilemma solve destress and meditate I am not fast but I am consistent She shipped her Vespa to South Carolina when she moved from the Bay Area For over years my mode of transportation in the Bay Area was my Vespa I usually drove with a pink boa wrapped around the luggage rack so people would see me but also forgive me for my shenanigans I decided to ship it to South Carolina and it s been great having it to get around though the bug situation in the south is no joke We don t ride at dusk One of the nicest people on the planet is Wolverine Hugh Jackman stopped by KFOG once when I was hosting the morning show I think everyone was on vacation and I came to work with laryngitis As I remember it he commented he was glad to learn that I didn t look how I sounded If not this bartending Specific of my favorite memories come from my short time bartending at the Armadillo on Fillmore I think it s a cafe now but working there in the mid- s-early s introduced me to particular of the the greater part engaging people I ve ever met