Rockin’ Workspace

Shadow Williams has a deep love of music, and it's evident with one look around her office.

1. The black guitar is from the first concert Williams ever threw by herself front to back. The show was Rock Before Christmas 2013, with performances by Sick Puppies, Devour The Day, Eve To Adam and Super Bob. “That’s one of my proudest moments,” she says. Now it serves as a reminder of how stressed she was for six months, she says with a smile. The gold guitar is from the third concert Williams threw, the Toys for Tickets show in December 2015. Williams chose Least of These in Nixa as the charity to benefit from the show. On the stage were Trapt, T.R.O.Y., Like A Storm and Stitched Up Heart, and attendees had to donate at least one toy to be admitted. The show sold out, and Williams donated more than 325 toys to Least of These.
 

2.  Radio Contraband is a community of rock radio stations across the country. The stations get together once a year to network and share ideas. Q102 has been nominated for awards every year. Two of the most meaningful nominations to Williams are for Small Market PD/MD of the Year and Small Market Station of the Year. “It’s an honor to just have your name mentioned with some of the best in the business,” Williams says. This collection of plaques was awarded to her from Radio Contraband.

3. The first things to adorn her new office’s walls were these posters for Metallica, Awolnation, MUSE and Sick Puppies. The previous program director, Kristen Bergman, had kept a bunch of memorabilia and items from shows and promotions. 

4. The Ahman Green jersey is technically owned by Midwest Family Broadcasting, but Williams keeps it in her office because she’s a huge Green Bay Packers fan. The company is based out of Wisconsin, which means sometimes employees move from the Madison market to the Springfield market. That’s what happened to Williams. Another Green Bay piece, a Brett Favre–autographed football (seen in photo on p. 64), was a gift from one of Williams’s former co-workers as a thank you for getting him a job at the station. Williams says it’s her favorite piece (even if the signature isn’t authentic).

5. One of her favorite pieces is the thank you poster signed by members of Blue October. “They’re one of my all-time favorite bands,” she says. Williams was trying to get the lead singer, Justin Furstenfeld, to do an interview on her show. She got no response and assumed he didn’t agree to it. One day while she was on the air, he walked into the studio and surprised her. She did an impromptu interview and got him to play “Calling You” on acoustic guitar.

6. Some of Williams’s desk trinkets were made by her son, Jaxson. Jaxson has a special relationship with his mom’s co-workers and says he wants her to display his gifts on her desk so the boys at the office can see them. Jaxson is quite crafty with art supplies, and one of his specialties is miniature animals with googly eyes.

7.  When Williams was 6 months pregnant with her son Jaxson, she was hosting a concert and the headlining band, Saliva, cancelled just hours before the doors opened. Halestorm was playing a show in Kansas City, and right after they finished on stage, they loaded up their equipment and drove down to Springfield just in time to become the new headliner at the show. Williams took this photo with the band, and she calls it Jaxson’s first official rock star photo.