Since the birth of MTV, television has played an undeniably large role in developing popular youth culture. More likely than not, your generation remembers watching MTV or MUCH everyday after school, hoping that your favorite video would be played. And usually it was the Video Jockey that seemed to make it all happen. They were the ones that were at the forefront bringing you new music from bands you had never heard before. The more memorable of those TV personalities would invite you into their world, making you wish you could be just like them. Now, Lauren Toyota is doing what many of us had only once dreamed about. In the last year and a half, Lauren has relocated her self from Mississauga, Ontario to Vancouver, British Columbia to pursue her dream of being a VJ. This year she has been working on RAZER's flagship show called "969", and has already been nominated as personality of the year by TV Guide. Not only that, Lauren has interviewed such acts as Alexisonfire, Snoop Dogg, Moneen, Wolf Mother and many others. Not bad at all for what she describes as "Just being myself".

Success in the Making

What makes Lauren so succesful is indeed her personality. Citing such influences as Sook-Yin Lee and George Stroumboulopoulos, Lauren was drawn to the confidence and authenticity her peers would express while on camera. Lauren admits, "I have probably learned more about myself doing this job, than I have in my entire life." she says. "I guess it comes with the territory. You're completely exposed, you have to let go of everything. You can't care about what people think you look like or other peoples perception of you. You really have to have confidence in who you are, and if people don't like that, you have to be ready to accept that." Of course it's not easy to get your interviewees to accept you right away either. When asked how Lauren gets her interviewees to open up, she says "I think it's just a vibe thing. It's just a feeling thing." And she admits, "There's just a different dynamic that happens with my personal demeanor versus someone else's. I think women can get away with a lot more since most of my interviews are with male musicians. I find that interviewing a woman is super hard in comparison." Personal demeanor is indeed the "je ne sais quoi" that makes one instantly comfortable with Lauren.

Getting the Gig

How did Lauren begin working at her dream job? Well it all starts with a passionate love affair with music that started when she was a young girl. Having to deal with common issues such as being shy and getting picked on in school, music became a sanctuary for Lauren. But her love for music really ignited when she was old enough to start going to local shows. Lauren says, "When I met musicians, they gave me so much inspiration to go out and do what I wanted to do no matter what that was." When asked what got her excited about a career in television, she says. "Part of me thought: What a cool job, you get to meet all of those bands! But it was bigger than that. You know how some people are attracted to something for the wrong reasons, while some for the right reasons, even if you don't know what those are yet?" She concludes that in addition to her intuition she wanted to do it for music's sake rather than for the perks.

After high-school, Lauren went on to take a two year course at a nearby college in entertainment administration; Which is basically music industry business. From there, She did what she could by applying to the MUCH Music VJ search 3 years in a row. Later, after auditioning for a role on YTV, she was brought in for numerous interviews before she found out she didn't get the postition. Though it didn't work out then, she knew someone saw something in her so she kept looking. She knew that persistence would eventually pay off. In february of 2005, she found a small posting for a hosting gig for a new show. The MTV Canada (now RAZER) program was called "969". Lauren quickly put a video together, and mailed it away. Soon enough, she was flown down to Vancouver for an interview and she got the job. She would be working once a week producing fashion segments. Although she knew this meant there was little money to be made and that she would have to get another job, she knew there would be a future there. As of this October, she's now working full time as the music producer at "969." She says, "It was meant to be."

Lauren's Influences

"When I was in high school, I had this art teacher. She would always tell me that I was going to be big when I certainly didn't feel that way. A lot of other teachers thought she was kind of crazy because she wouldn't do things the normal way, but that's why I liked her. She would always assure me that I'd be fine and say, "I can't wait to see what you'll be doing." These people were reinforcing me while most of my other teachers were teaching a lot of negativity. "

Future Challenges

What's next for Lauren Toyota? "Well, not too sure. I have a co-host now, so that brings a new dynamic into play. I love what I do at 969, but I can't do it forever obviously. I'm building a local presence with another show on City TV. I know I want to be bigger than local at some point. I'm not really thinking too much about it now. I'm trying to be more in the moment and see where I'm taken!"