Ryan S. - Alumni Spotlight

Ryan S, 2011 graduate of OIART’s music and audio production school, has been working for CBC Radio since the spring of 2013 as a Broadcast Technician / Associate Producer. He explained, “It’s somewhat of a varied role. Day in, day out I do live audio for an audience of thousands…. none of which I ever get to see. First and foremost, it’s up to me to make sure our show gets on air, and that all content sounds as good as possible when it leaves my Studer OnAir 2000 board.

“Not only do I get to tech live radio, but I also get opportunities to mix live bands from time to time, do location recording and even produce my own content for the show. I’ve had a lot of opportunity to refine my ‘radio voice.’ Every so often friends come up to me and say ‘Hey Ryan, I think I heard you doing the weather forecast on Radio 2 this morning.’ Yup, that was me. I even get to pick what music we play on our show. As such, I stay tight with bands and publicists from all over Canada in order to keep my finger on the pulse of good Canadian indie music. I guess you could add the word ‘DJ’ in to my title as well.

“Working in broadcast is an extremely precise and fast-paced environment. Our radio shows are literally timed to the second. Being that it’s live radio, things can go south really quick. A broadcast audio tech needs to roll with the punches when things don’t work out, or if there is some sort of catastrophic technical meltdown. Being cool under pressure, as well as quick and efficient troubleshooter is vital in this role.



“So how did I get here? Well this is where OIART really shines. The amount of post-graduate support offered by the school is, in my opinion, unrivaled by any other school. I snagged this job as a direct result of the close-knit network between former graduates and OIART faculty. The school really cares about keeping former students connected to audio opportunities from all over the country and beyond. Without that valuable support, I would not have this amazing job that I have now.”