Part of Super Bowl Commercial produced here!
There was so much talk after the Super Bowl about the commercials. Which were your favorites, least favorites. But the one that stood out the most, other than the "Little Darth Vader," was the Detroit/Chrysler commercial. It was 2 minutes in length, costing $9 Million Dollars of ad time. However, it may have been worth every penny, it had that much impact.
We had a hand in it too! Well, some West Michigan folks did, because part of it was produced here and I'm proud to say I know or have worked with both these gentlemen. They are true talents and a credit to West Michigan.
Rachael Recker of the Grand Rapids Press wrote a great story on the whole thing.
(Photo by Stuart Poltrock, Sound Post Recording Studios)
GRAND RAPIDS – Rockford resident Kevin Yon says he's his own worst critic, so it's hard watching his voiceover work like in the highly praised Chrysler 200 commercial that debuted during the third quarter of the Super Bowl.
“I really have a tough time listening to what I do,” the 59 year old said Monday of his gruff and weathered-sounding monologue. “But I did OK. I think I did OK. And I think that I found the character they were looking for. The image in my head when I was doing it is I saw Detroit and the people that live in Detroit -- how they tough things out. They're not going anywhere.”
Of course, it wasn't just a “character” he conjured. It included sentiments based on experience as a Michigan resident for the past 32 years.
Yon, a Pittsfield, Mass., native, moved to the Grand Rapids area in 1978, beginning a career in local theater in '81. He is now a freelancer who directs audio books at Brilliance Audio in Grand Haven, but also has been a local improv comedian, thespian, voiceover talent and producer at WLAV-FM for “The Kevin Matthews Show” in the mid- to late-2000s.
But even though a resident of the west side of the Mitten State, the happenings of Detroit on the east side have affected everyone, he said. As an actor who has auditioned and starred in various films in the city, he has seen Detroit's determination.
“I don't know the day-to-day living situation. But just from my experiences going over there and seeing how people are, I have a lot of respect for those people,” Yon said. “They're living in the trench, and they're not giving up. I think they're clever enough to get out of this thing.”
Yon woke up to texts and e-mails from “people I have no idea who they are” expressing their thanks, their feelings of pride or how the commercial made them “burst into tears.”
“It's hard to explain. It's just like boom, wow. It's affected a lot of people in a lot of positive ways, I think,” he said. “I think these guys went in, found an emotion and what was not being said and said it. It's much more than a car spot. … It's about people.”
As for Yon, he understated the importance of his voiceover to the entire spot that was created by Portland, Oreg.-based agency Wieden + Kennedy and a production company in Los Angeles, saying: “I think it helped drive the commercial a little bit.” No pun intended.
As for Yon, he's happy to have been a part of such a great commercial about a city in the state in which he's lived most of his life.
“I'm proud to say I'm from Michigan. How about that?” Yon said with audible pride.
Those feelings of pride didn't apparently come through during the first take, considering Yon recorded the monologue hundreds of times before the final cut was accepted last Saturday prior to Super Bowl weekend.
However, Cascade-based Sound Post Recording Studios owner Stuart Poltrock feels Yon nailed it with his first take.
HandoutStuart Poltrock of Cascade-based Sound Post Recording Studios“They had him do it about 200 more times,” said Poltrock, whose company at 6806 Old 28th St. SE provided Yon's voiceover to producers. “They directed him over and over and over again.”
Interestingly, the one line producers “drilled” Yon on more than others was ultimately replaced with Eminem's rendition, which are the only lines the rapper speaks during the spot.
“'This is the Motor City, and this is what we do' – it's the line that ends the spot. And they had (Yon) read it so many times,” Poltrock said. “And then we finally get to see the spot, it's not even in the spot. Eminem reads it.”
Yon read the script live via an I.S.D.N. link at the over 20-year-old music and audio production company for critiquing producers throughout the month of January.
In December, Poltrock had received a request from Bingham Farms-based The Talent Shop, a full-service talent management and SAG (Screen Actors Guild)-certified agency, to record a voice demo with Yon. Yon works with the Detroit-area agency.
Poltrock and Yon weren't told the monologue was going to be used for Chrysler's Super Bowl ad until just a few days before the big event on Sunday. Both thought it was going to be used for Detroit's Auto Show. Producers told Yon he “might want to watch some football game that's happening this weekend.”
Poltrock saw the final product Sunday night at advertising agency Hanon McKendry's Addy Party in downtown Grand Rapids, where local advertisers grabbed scorecards and rated the Super Bowl ads as they aired.
“The room was full of people – noisy people. And when that spot came on, the room got quiet,” Poltrock said. “ And everybody watched. And when it was done, everybody cheered. It was great.”
Of all of his projects and recordings for corporations or advertisements heard around the world, Poltrock said this recording is the most notable.
“It's giving people chills. I think it's a real impactful spot. So really happy that we played a part in it.”
E-mail Rachael Recker at rrecker@grpress.com or follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/rachaelrecker
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