Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick McCain, Brenda McCain.
Rick and Brenda, please share your story with us.
We have been married for 24 years and are hosts of “Let’s Stay Together Talk!” Our love journey started at church. We began dating in 1992 and got married within two years which took our relationship, love, and ministry to the next level. From a vision given to Rick by God, we started our talk radio show, LSTT four years ago. Our motto is “To Know God’s Glory; We Must Share Our Backstory!”
Within our 24 years of marriage and close to two decades of teaching about marriage relationships, we saw that people were crying out to be heard but feel as though no one is listening. We started our journey on the radio in January 2014, due to our love of working with the “Marriage Ministry.”
However, Let’s Stay Together Talk quickly came to realize that our platform should be “ALL RELATIONSHIPS” which deserve the same attention as marriages to flourish. Within a short period, we reached people from all around the globe, and we continue to grow due to our relatable, open and honest approach. Our approach has left a lasting imprint on our first guest Tracy Brown Howard; who is now a part of “The McCain Train” weekly show as our co-host.
We began our radio journey on WYCA 102.3 in Chicago; however, we were looking to extend to a broader audience. With a brief stop at another internet company, we started on September 5th, 2017, broadcasting our two-hour radio show Soar Radio; 2017 and 2018 Stellar Award winner for best internet company of the year.
Our goal is to be a trusted source that will provide relationship encouragement, guidance, and knowledge to our listeners. To leave a memorable impression, a laugh, a solution, an insight that our listeners will remember strongly enough so that they will continue to ride “The McCain Train” on a weekly basis.
During one of our interviews, we were asked if we ever thought about reviewing theatrical plays. This person who is now like a mentor to us felt that our electrifying personality and loving demeanor, we would be a great addition to the theater world. We were skeptical at first, but since both Brenda and I have written a book; we decided to see if it would be something we would enjoy.
After enjoying the event, we decided to become contributing writers and formed an LLC called Let’s Play. We secured an agreement to write for Chicago’s oldest African-American newspaper called The Chicago Defender. We also write for ChicagoNow and our articles are featured in Theater in Chicago. Under the name of Let’s Play, Brenda and I see more than 200 plays annually with hundreds of plays we have to decline; which we felt needed to be seen and reviewed. Due to these missed performances, we are now in the process of bringing in additional African-American into LPI as Supportive Contributing Writers. We are honored to include our names with theaters such as Goodman, Lookingglass, Steppenwolf, Drury Lane, Northlight, Writers, Court, American Blues and many other theaters.
Let’s Play (LPI) goal is to infuse a culture of young African-American journalists into the theater world to encourage them to freely and strongly express their views as an SCW and to aid them in developing network relationships to advance their career objectives.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our road any been anything but smooth. We have gone through periods of unemployment, foreclosures, financial hardships, a significant change in our church affiliation and the loss of loved ones. Other struggles have been finding and trusting people to help develop our brand and dependable radio stations that are willing to help with that development without seeking a sizeable financial commitment. One consistent has been our love for each other and more importantly, God’s love for us.
Let’s Stay Together Talk Show / Let’s Play Review Host – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Let’s Stay Together Talk is our internet radio business where we talk about things that are taboo to the church but a part of our everyday, real life. Let’s Play Inc is our business where we review plays within the Chicagoland area. Brenda and I are one of the only husband and wife team doing play reviews, and our radio show specializes in marriage and relationship issues.
We are proud of our overall ability to reach different generations through our radio show and play reviews and that we continuously bring love, laughter, wisdom, and joy to those that we reach through our venues.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We were doing a show on Let’s Stay Together about prostate cancer, and the doctor that was going to call us had an emergency surgery scheduled but need felt it was important to call into our show to speak on the topic. We had to cut the interview short, but it gave us the feeling that what we were doing for marriage and relationships through our radio show is indeed essential and necessary.
With regards to Let’s Play, we recently had the opportunity to review Chuck Smith, a pioneer in the theatrical industry. We recently saw him at a play, and he thanked us for doing a great job in the interview and write up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.letsstaytogehtertalkshow.com
- Phone: 708-362-7751
- Email: letsstaytogethertalkshow@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letsstaytogethertalk/?ref=hl
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LetsStayTogeth3
- Other: letsplayreviewhost.com
Image Credit:
Tracy Brown Howard
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