SouthFlorida.com | City Link Magazine

Mike Sherman is not your average stockbroker. He blasts 50 Cent from his Mercedes, wears Sean John and hosts his own hip-hop TV talk show. Born in the Bronx, N.Y., and raised in Boca Raton, Sherman conceived The Mike Sherman Show two years ago, after some of his celebrity clients encouraged him to get involved in the Miami music scene.

"I jet-setted a lot, going to parties in L.A., New York and Miami," Sherman explains. "And I saw a lot of things changing here in South Florida in the music and fashion scenes. More and more clubs started moving away from techno and getting more into hip-hop, and I noticed more urban-clothing stores opening up."

Sherman researched starting up an urban talk show and discovered it was the perfect time to do so. "I took a TV class and went out and bought all the equipment to film the show," he says.

The half-hour program airs 2:30 a.m. Saturdays and noon Sundays on WBFS (UPN 33) and can be viewed 24/7 at www.mikeshermanshow.com. Broadcasting from Deerfield Beach to the Keys, Sherman says the show has about 300,000 weekly viewers, but his ultimate goal is national syndication.

"My dream is to be the Dick Clark of the new millennium," he says. "I want to put Miami on the map as the next major music scene."

Sherman has interviewed hip-hop stars from Russell Simmons to Fat Joe, but he admits Dr. Dre and Eminem are on his list of dream interviews. His latest on-air endeavor will involve a hip-hop competition. "We're going to be having a hip-hop talent contest to sign the best local artists," he says. "Florida has so much untapped talent, and the biggest obstacle is getting radioplay today. I want to change all that." Through the talent search, Sherman plans to sign artists to his Mike Sherman Productions record label and land them distribution deals. "It's time for the Davids to be on the stage with the Goliaths," he asserts.

Sherman also hopes to break down some of the stereotypes associated with rap and hip-hop. "I'm a white Jewish kid from Boca. I am what I am, and I'm not trying to be someone I'm not," he says. "I'm not your typical hip-hop guy, but I want this music to be listened to by everyone."

-- Joanie Cox