Hello! I’m Jolene James – a radio broadcaster and one half of the local breakfast show on The Breeze Tauranga 95.8FM. I’m also an MC, a voice-over artist and Funeral Celebrant. I’m also a rusty singer, a pianist, I took drama classes growing up and last year I modelled in the Tarnished Frocks and Divas show –  other than that, it’s been a long long time since I performed in public.

Born in Stratford, I spent half of my childhood living under Mount Taranaki before moving to the big smoke of New Plymouth. Music was a big part of my upbringing – I learned the piano and singing for many years with exams and competitions taking up a lot of time. I performed in school musicals and was a member of the National Youth Choir in my late teens.

The opportunity to work in radio popped up just after I left school and this quickly took over from music as a performance outlet for me. Radio brought me to Tauranga in 1997 and in recent years I’ve been able to expand my interest in arts and culture, most recently as a member of the Tauranga Creative Communities Scheme Committee and before that as a trustee for The Incubator Charitable Trust.

I’ve MCed and hosted many local events and am available on a freelance basis as well as through The Breeze. Three years ago I began acting as a Funeral Celebrant and feel it’s an absolute privilege to work with and support local families as they farewell a loved one. I’m a very experienced voice-over artist – not just of radio commercials but also corporate videos and TVCs.

I’m a big fan of collaboration and have formed many valuable relationships in the creative sector. Please feel free to contact me if you feel there’s potential to collaborate with The Breeze or if you’d like to discuss me providing any other services eg. Funeral Celebrant, Voice-over Artist or MC.