7?s With Chris Ryan

Trucks, beer, whiskey, motorcycles, and rock…all things American man…all things (voiced by) Chris Ryan. Known in the radio industry, and in life, as the “Modern Day Manly Man”, we took a minute and sat down with THE MAN to talk with him about his rockstar vo career and we definitely agree…he’s the man.

1. How did you get your start in voiceover?
From the moment I got into radio I was the imaging voice for stations. My first big one was KDGE in Dallas back in ’93, followed by KBPI-Denver and KDKB-Phoenix. After the ’90s, I got into the programming side of radio and put my VO career on the back burner, but I missed it too much. I’m so happy to be back in it, I love it!

2. What did it feel like the first time you heard your voice on the radio?
It’s a cool feeling and it still is. Back in the day (man that sounds old), you couldn’t listen to stations outside your market. Now I can tune into any of my stations online and hear how they’re using my voice. It really is helpful…and it still feels kick-ass.

3. What’s your favorite thing about working in the industry?
I love working with irreverent, over the top alt/rock stations. It’s natural for me to be a class clown and they let me do that. In fact, they encourage it! Stations like WROQ in Greenville and KRXO in Oklahoma City send me back (produced) some things they really like, the far out stuff. It sounds great! It really gives those stations an outlaw vibe. It’s the same thing we did at KEGL (Dallas) back in the ’90s…real creative.

4. How did you earn the title “Modern Day Manly Man?”
I don’t know if I ‘earned’ that title :); I bestowed it upon myself. It’s the best way I could come up with describing my voice to print. I have a deep voice, but it can be soft and caring. Like the dad who works in the factory all day, but then comes home and changes baby diapers.

5. Who’s manlier? You or the Dos Equis guy?
The Dos Equis guy by a long shot! I think I heard he’s retiring though, so maybe they’ll throw the Modern-Day Manly Man into that role.

6. Is voicing a video game as fun as it seems?
It is more fun than it seems. Most of the VO work I do is based on having fun and being creative and the video game and anime stuff is no different. The more you can let go of ‘the rules’ and have fun, the more success you’ll have. It’s a work in progress.

7. How has technology impacted the way you work?
Very much so, and continues to, usually in a good way. There’s so many ways to work in VO with the internet and home studios. I do VO for places all over the world for people I never even talk to. It’s quite amazing. I wouldn’t trade what I do now for anything!

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