News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By LeRae Haynes

Jason Ryll has been a familiar voice in the Cariboo for many years. On local radio, he announced weather, entertained, made announcements, produced commercials, and was the smooth-voiced DJ whom people associated with their favourite songs. He also helped with community events as Master of Ceremonies, taking the stage and the microphone and lending his professional skills, his warmth and his humour to help make the event a success.

His new business, Front Row Voiceovers, has both a global market and a local impact, providing his clients the voice they need to successfully promote their business.

A voice-over service provider, Jason provides the voice for commercials on radio or TV, for narrations, promotional videos and documentaries. “Anything you need a voice for, I can do,” he said.

“My passion is in broadcasting on radio, TV, and the Web, and that represents the largest portion of my business,” he continued. “I do full-service radio spot production, and we can shoot and direct promotional videos for businesses and community events. Other areas include movie trailers, documentaries, as well as the current explosion of e-learning, web videos and online courses.”

Jason said that his market is global---anywhere people speak English. He is currently doing voice work for radio stations and TV stations across Canada and the US.
“Anywhere you go in the world you will find top-40 radio stations in English. I’m on the air right now in places like Syria and Jordan and also work for a London-based company,” he explained.

Front Row Voiceovers also welcomes small businesses as clients. “I can produce a radio ad for a client, as well as do on-hold messaging. Instead of listening to the radio, where they can hear advertising for your competition, they can listen to information about your business and learn a little more about it while they’re waiting,” he said. “This kind of messaging lets you speak directly with your customers while they’re on hold.”

He said that he chose ‘Front Row Voiceovers’ as a name for his business for two reasons: one because ‘front row’ is his position as a rugby player, and the other because a front row seat is the best seat in the house. “When you’re in the front row, it’s personal,” he said. “I like all my clients to feel like they’re ‘front row.’”

Jason worked 15 years in radio before starting his new business. “That led me to the point that, if I wanted to be successful as a radio DJ, I would need to move to a bigger centre,” he said. “I had gone as far as I could go with the local radio station, and it was time for me to take control of my own future.

“I’ve been working toward this since 2003, did other side projects along the way, including building my own home studio and taking voice training and workshops,” he said. “I knew that this was the direction I wanted to go.”

Jason said that he got into radio in the first place purely by accident. “In high school I was in a class with a guy named Blaine Leroy, who worked as a night-shift announcer on local radio. I was working at Sight and Sound, and when he came into the store, I started asking him questions. He said, ‘if you’re serious, come into the studio and meet the station manager: I’ll put in a good word for you.’

“I showed up three days later, without a resume, and talked with the program director. He sat me down and had me read a newscast as a recorded audition. I looked over the newscast, and seemed to have a feeling for what it should sound like.  I read it, and got hired on the spot,” he continued.

“I spent every waking moment at the radio station before I did my first live broadcast, learning everything I could. The first time I was live, it was 11:30 at night. The other guy in the station sat behind me and said he could actually see me shaking. It was addictive: I loved the constant activity of the job,” he said. “It was old-school radio, and you were busy every moment. If you weren’t playing a record or CD you were getting the next one ready, you were preparing your commercials or answering phones.”

At Front Row Voiceovers, Jason’s philosophy of customer service is that the customer is always the most important person in any business. “If the customer isn’t satisfied, you won’t be in business for long,” he explained. “My goal is to provide them with a great sounding product, but also let them know how important it is to have a professional voice be part of their business.

“I want to help businesses capitalize on their unique expertise, and what makes them different from the guy down the road,” he said. “If I can do that, I’ve been a success.”

For more information about Front Row Voiceovers, phone Jason at 250-267-7955 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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