Millburn-Short Hills Magazine Spring 2020 | Page 23

High School, Dillon attended Seton
Hall University, where she “fell in
love with broadcasting” on the school
radio station, 89.5 FM WSOU. After
paying her dues in production as a
freshman, she worked her way up to
news anchor and DJ under the handle
“Malibu Kelly” — a name that came
courtesy of the station’s program
director “because I was told I sound-
ed like I was from California, and I
resembled a Barbie Doll,” she says.
The name caught on with listeners,
so it stuck.
“At WSOU, you have to work your
way up to getting an on air shift,”
says Dillon. “So you start out as a
producer, where you help out the
DJs, handle giveaways, answer the
phones and take song requests from
the listeners.”
Dillon's initial goal was to serve
as a news anchor, a role to which
she wanted to bring empathy, which
she found lacking in conventional
coverage. “It is something I practice
to this day, whether I’m reporting a
traffic story or interviewing someone
on my podcast,” she says. “I want the
audience to know I am empathetic if,
say, there is a 20 mile backup on the
Garden State Parkway. I know what
that feels like because I have been
there myself.”
Once she was comfortable as a
news anchor, though, she decided to
transition to being a DJ. Besides gain-
ing a new appreciation for the sta-
tion’s music format of hard rock and
heavy metal, chats with callers on the
request line impressed her with her
listeners’ dedication. “It made me
realize how my eventual role as an on
air talent on this cherished radio sta-
tion with immense history would be
such an important one, which to this
day I highly value,” she says.
Dillon hosted a Tuesday morning
show, and developed a love of inter-
viewing. “DJ and musician Skrillex
was my first professional interview,”
she says. “I interviewed so many
amazing bands including From
Autumn to Ashes, The Academy Is,
and Mudvayne.”
NOW HEAR THIS Dillon’s career began at 89.5 FM WSOU began in production, then evolved
to include news anchoring and interviewing.
Her first job out of college was as
a DJ and traffic and entertainment
reporter in Sussex County on 102.3
WSUS, 103.7 WNNJ, and Max
106.3. Five years later, she moved
to 1010 WINS in New York as a traf-
fic reporter; she also worked for the
new 102.7, Alt 92.3 and WFAN,
where she did traffic reporting on
Mike Francesca’s show.
Dillon's status as a social-media
influencer grew out of her passion
for beauty and fashion, her website
kellydillon.com, and her more than
100,000 Instagram followers. A
range of companies — cosmetics,
fashion, entertainment and even dat-
ing apps — pay her to promote their
product in an Instagram story or
post. Working with the company’s
public relations teams, she plans a
theme, costume and backdrop, then
hires a photographer to “create a
beautiful image to post.” Her pay can
be in products, perks and/or cash.
For example, one year Century 21
hired her to model a different item of
clothing, such as a designer handbag
or faux fur coat, each month, and
post a photo on Instagram.
Afterward, she could keep the outfit.
“I got to pick it out myself; it was so
much fun to go shopping every
month,” she says.
Dillon says all sponsored
Instagram posts must be marked with
a hashtag #ad. “Everything is com-
pletely transparent,” she says. “It’s
also organic. I would never promote
something that I wouldn't actually
use in real life.”
Recently, she got a call asking for
help promoting the release of the
DVD of the Downton Abbey
movie. “I was so over the moon, I
would’ve done it for free, I am such a
fan,” she says. With the movie's pub-
lic relations team, she came up with a
plan to stage a release “costume tea
party” with the movie playing in the
background.
Dillon has an eye for beautiful
backdrops. Recently, she used the
sun-room in her parents’ center hall
colonial to film a Christmas gift-
wrapping shoot for Papyrus. And she
often stages shoots in Montclair;
favorite locations are Van Vleck
House and Gardens, and downtown,
especially on Church Street.
“The lighting there is fantastic, and
you can't beat all those amazing brick
buildings,” she says. “There's just a
great vibe to it.” ■
MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE SPRING 2020
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