HungryPeople

An Interview With Jay Moonah

In this interesting interview with Jay Moonah, he shares with us valuable insights into the art of living and working around your true passion. Read on to learn more about what a Wild Apricot means.

If Moonah is a word, what does it mean?

I'm not completely sure. It's a name that my grandfather in Trinidad picked for himself when he converted to Christianity. I was once told by an east Indian guy that 'choti moona' is a term that means 'little man,' which does make sense because my grandfather was youngest of his siblings, so it might have been a nickname they used for him. But to be honest, I don't really know!

What's the story behind Wild Apricot?

Wild Apricot is web software for small nonprofits and associations to manage their webiste, members, events and fundraising. It evolved as product about 3 1/2 years ago from work being done by Bonasource, a web development company with offices in Toronto (where I am) and in Moscow. Wild Apricot has been so successful that it's now our only business - we're strictly a product company, developing and servicing Wild Apricot.

The idea of the product is to provide something extremely low cost that is very usable, so volunteer or small staff organizations without a lot of budget can get in and create a good-looking, functional website immediately. We encourage people to try the software by going to http://www.wildapricot.com/ and signing up for a free trial. There's no obligation - we won't call you on the phone and you don't have to provide a credit card number.

YOU are the Noisy Apricot of Wild Apricot, is there a Quiet Apricot? Or does an Apricot need to be Noisy?

I joined the company early this year to run marketing. Everyone has an 'apricot' title that suits their role -- for example, Dmitry Buterin who is our founder and CEO is 'Chief Apricot', our head blogger Rebecca Leaman is 'Curious Apricot,' and so on. I thought 'noisy' worked well for a few reasons -- it matches with the idea of being the marketing guy and loudly proclaiming that we have a GREAT product, and also it fits with my background as a musician. And, as anyone who has been in a room with me will attest, I do have a pretty loud voice. :-)

How did YOU get involved in digital communications and music at the same time? Where does the two converge?

I've been playing in bands for more than 20 years, starting back in high school. I was always interested in computers although I actually studied broadcasting in university, which ended up nicely spanning my interest in both technology and media, including music production. I'd been a BBS geek in the 80s and early 90s, and when the web started to come to prominence in the mid-90s it was a natural thing for me to get involved with. One of my earliest jobs after I graduated was helping create an online archive of audio interviews with Canadian broadcasting pioneers. This was like 1995, and there weren't a lot of people putting audio online at that point, so I was sort of in on the ground floor with that. At the same time I was still playing music, and so I started creating web pages for the bands I was involved with, both my own and those of my friends. Once things like MP3.com and later MySpace and the like came along, I was kind of established as 'go-to' guy among certain people when it came to that stuff.

If YOU are given the chance to perform YOUR music anywhere in the world, where would YOU want to hold it? Why?

Wow, that's a tough one. I could probably think of dozens of answers to this, but if I could do anything I'd go back in time and play on the stage at the old Ontario Place Forum, which is on the Toronto waterfront. The original rotating stage there was torn down in the mid-90s and replaced with a larger traditional concert set-up, but I loved that original stage and spent a lot of my formative years going to see shows there -- everybody from Jerry Lee Lewis to Mike + The Mechanics to Barenaked Ladies to former Triumph guitarist Ric Emmett. I even saw Donny and Marie there when I was kid!

We asked this question before to another musician but YOU might have a different take, how can a musician change the world?

Another tough one. There are obviously high profile folks like Bono who use their celebrity to influence people at the highest levels to do big things. I think anyone with an audience can have an impact. Maybe it's at the local level, supporting a cause or a politician you believe in. I'm honestly not that proactive in this area, but I've played at local benefit shows for things like the Green Party or to raise money to support school music programs. Small things can make a difference too.

What's the best thing that happened to music after the Internet emerged in the 1990s (we're looking here from the consumers' perspective)?

Obviously the ability to download and share music so easily has had a huge impact on the way we listen to music, and its place in our lives and our society. I often think of music as being a sort of 'canary in the coalmine' of media -- music trends evolve so quickly and music has always been the most pirated of media, going back to cassettes. The trends in music four or five years ago are what industries like film, TV and news are facing now -- de-centralized distribution, peer creation and sharing, etc. It's something the music industry is still coming to grips with too, but I think things are evolving around niche music genres, where there might be fewer big superstars but lots more people who can be heard and can ultimately make a living playing music. I think in the long run it will be positive for both consumers and musicians.

How can podcasting help businesses and non-profits?

Podcasting is a great way to build a dedicated niche audience, assuming you have something of value to say. Blogging is probably better in terms of building a broader audience, and for people finding you through search engines and links, but there's an intimacy about podcasting that I don't think you can beat. You might not build as big an audience for a podcast by the numbers, but the people you get are literially inviting you inside of their head through the magic of audio and video. I've always believed in the power of recorded media, and podcasting is a great way for anyone to take advantage of that power.

Who are YOUR personal heroes? Why?

My parents. About 10 years ago my Mom was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, in her mid-50s. It's a devastating disease, but her and my dad basically just went on with their lives, they've never let it stop them from doing the things they wanted to do. At this point Mom basically can't communicate coherently at all, although she's still physically quite capable of getting around. Dad kept her at home with him until just this year, and he still spends just about every day with her, taking her out for walks or to our place to visit our daughter. He can be a bit stubborn about taking advice on how to cope with Mom, but what he's done for her amazes me. I don't know if I have that kind of strength, but I certainly aspire to it.

What are YOU hungry for?

Hmmm... what motivates me is doing good work. I like to know that I've been able to have an impact, whether it's big or small. One of the reasons I love working at Wild Apricot is that we're serving communities of people who are making a difference in their own ways. We do serve some businesses, but for most of customers they are motivated by things beyond money, but rather by making some kind of difference in the world. I like that. I guess that ties to playing music too. When you finish playing a song, hopefully people are a little bit happier than when you started. That's the thing for me.

About Jay Moonah

Jay is in charge of marketing for Wild Apricot. Prior to joining the team, he worked at the digital marketing agency 58Ninety as well as at Sun Media, CBC, the University of Toronto and Ryerson University.

He has been active in the Canadian independent music scene for more than 20 years, and currently plays with the bands The McFlies and Uncle Seth.

Jay is excited by the emerging universe of digital social media, but is also very conscious that providing value is what is important regardless of the tool or platform. He believes strongly in the need to create real connections with customers, as well as the need to respect their time and attention.

Jay lives in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough with his wife, daughter and two very fat cats.

For links to Wild Apricot, Jay's blog, music sites and social media profiles, check out his website at http://jaymoonah.com/