The Mantz and Mitchell radio partnership has evolved over the years just like the format of the show and the topics they cover. In March of 2007, they opened the microphone for the first time with a program on Tuesdays at noon called Give and Take with Gary Mantz. The show topics revolved around negotiations and conflict resolution, discussing how to get the best deals and how to work toward solutions in adversarial situations. Through a series of events, Gary co-hosted another show in that timeslot and looked for the opportunity to get his own show on the weekends.
The Gary Mantz Show, subtitled Mastery and Mystery, began in October 2008 on Sunday nights from 10 p.m. to midnight along with their first website. The topics ranged from the transformational to the paranormal. Suzanne Mitchell became show producer and joined Gary on the air each week only briefly. When Gary and Suzanne decided that they just didn’t have enough listeners so late in the evening, they moved up their Sunday evening show to 7p.m. and found they had many more listeners as evidenced by the number of callers.
In January 2011, the show moved from Sunday night to Saturday morning and a third hour was added. The 10 a.m. hour was the new Mantz & Mitchell in the Morning followed by two hours of The Gary Mantz Show. Also, in the middle of the year, Gary and Suzanne moved from Bothell, Washington to Sarasota, Florida and set up a home studio in order to continue broadcasting. In 2012, they tried an early morning Monday through Friday show that lasted for four months and The Gary Mantz Show ceased being a separate show at that point.
They really preferred being a Saturday morning show but also found a Friday morning slot available, so they moved to one hour on Friday and two hours on Saturday where they continue to this day.
Along the way, some of their guests became interested in hosting their own shows, so Gary and Suzanne encouraged them with guest hosting opportunities, summer replacement programming, and limited time special series.
Gary pursued his lifelong dream of being a radio talk show host in a mid-life career change. Having grown up in Orange County, California, he graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in religious studies and an enthusiasm for a wide range of topics from politics to UFOs. He lived in Las Vegas for five years where he studied Mass Media at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and resided in the Seattle area for twenty-two years until 2011.
Suzanne is a native of Chicago who graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in English Literature and a background in public relations and corporate communications. She lived in Sarasota, Florida for fifteen years before moving to Seattle in 2001. She met Gary at the Center for Spiritual Living Seattle when he was president of the board; she sang in the Choir of Light for nine years.
The Mantz and Mitchell radio partnership has evolved over the years just like the format of the show and the topics they cover. In March of 2007, they opened the microphone for the first time with a program on Tuesdays at noon called Give and Take with Gary Mantz. The show topics revolved around negotiations and conflict resolution, discussing how to get the best deals and how to work toward solutions in adversarial situations. Through a series of events, Gary co-hosted another show in that timeslot and looked for the opportunity to get his own show on the weekends.
They really preferred being a Saturday morning show but also found a Friday morning slot available, so they moved to one hour on Friday and two hours on Saturday where they continue to this day.
