Rob Wagman “When The Angels Encamped Around Jeremy”
It was June 22, 2014 and Jeremy Camp was playing Fish Fest in Anaheim. I was the PM Drive talent at the time. I had replaced Big Wave Dave, who had been in that position from the time the station launched until the time I was hired.
What blew my mind about Dave, from my first day there, until my last, was how incredibly humble, talented, helpful, available and how eager he was to give 95.9 The Fish his all, even as he transitioned into a new role as Production Director for the cluster.
One of the benefits of being the PM Drive talent was that at Fish Fest, I had the privilege of broadcasting live just before show time, and as I started talking with Jeremy Camp, Big Wave Dave grabbed a mic and said, “I’m so sorry but I have talk to Jeremy.”
I am so incredibly happy today that in that millisecond, no part of me was combative, but instead, I just went with the flow of Dave’s inner need to take this opportunity and run with it, because it was in Dave’s nostalgia that a Holy Spirit moment was created later when Jeremy Camp would take the stage.
God’s Camp
KFSH, Fish Fest and Jeremy Camp had history; as it turned out Jeremy had played Fish Fest many times, one of the times early in his career, when he was barely known, where he played one of the other outlying and smaller stages. It was an incredible history to relive with both Camp and the onlookers, who were able to witness Jeremy’s humility as he took in, in this one moment, just how big of a stage God had given him, and a reminder of the weary road traveled in those times where making it to this level seemed impossible.
When you’re working Fish Fest, introducing bands or helping concert goers to their seats, you don’t necessarily experience the show the way the audience does, but that night, I began hearing whispers from the people as the show was winding down that there was something, intensely powerful, spirit driven that occurred when Jeremy Camp was on stage.
That Monday, back on the air, listeners called in to share how incredible the entire line up was, and the show from start to finish, but like the whispers; the calls started coming in about Jeremy Camp and how God moved while he performed.
As I aired the calls, one gentleman claimed he took a picture and you could visibly see an angel in the shot. He said he didn’t see it with the naked eye, but when he was going through the pictures, he saw it clear as day.
Blessed Are Those Who Believe Yet Have Not Seen
Like the doubting Thomas, I told the man that I would believe it when I saw it, so without delay, he sent me the picture. I posted it on Facebook and then others started looking through their photos, and some thought they saw angels too. The most amazing thing was that different people with pictures had evidence that angels were present, or in this case, at least, the same angel, as it was the same angel in different parts of the stage.
I saw Jeremy Camp in September of that year in Orlando Florida and I asked him if anyone had told him about the angels that were on stage with him back in June, and while he didn’t visibly see angels, he admitted that he did hear, later of the angels and saw some of the pictures online.
“THAT night was an incredibly special one,” Jeremy said, “I was in a rare, raw place that night, like never before and God’s presence was thick.”
He spoke of people wondering if the lighting crew displayed some special effects to make a mirage appear and disclosed the laughter that followed from that crew when he shared what people were surmising.
Making Angels in the Show
And it would be laughable, especially since nobody claimed to visibly see angels that night, except after the fact in pictures.
What I witnessed in that moment when Big Wave Dave took the mic, was one man reminding another man from whence he came and I believe strongly that it was that moment that put Jeremy’s grateful heart in such a state that when he spoke and shared the greatness of God in word and song, that the Holy Spirit ministered to the crowd and the angels came and gladly made themselves known.
Since 1991, Rob Wagman has been known first by his faith, and then by his skills in the secular side of this Industry, and now is known by his versatility, having succeeded in both radio and records in multiple formats from Christian Contemporary, Rock, Alternative, Top 40, Rhythm, Urban and Hot AC, in various roles from On Air to Programming to Marketing and Promotions.
Wagman has worked in all of the Top 3 markets, LA, NYC and Chicago, and returned to LA in 2012 as his entry way into CCM, in PM Drive at KFSH, 95.9 The Fish before becoming the Network PD for WAY-FM.
In 2013, Wagman launched Straight Path Media + Entertainment, a consulting firm which hyper focuses on talent and each station’s greatest need for growth, supplying a la cart programming services for branding, from music strategies, promotional and marketing think tank brain storming, promo and imaging creative, talent coaching and airchecking. Wagman presently coaches 27 air talents, consults 13 stations plus 4 clusters.
Contact Rob Wagman at StraightPathMandE@gmail.com
