Entertainment
When he’s not on the radio, Jayson Slade is on the field at Lambeau as ‘hype man’ for Packers games. It’s a gig as cool as it sounds.
GREEN BAY – Jayson Slade has long been recognizable for his voice on local radio, but he has also become a familiar face on the video boards at Lambeau Field.
As the Green Bay Packers’ on-field entertainment host, he gets his share of screen time in front of 80,000 fans on game days — not that he’s ever really noticed.
“You know, I just try not to look,” he said, laughing. “You’ve got to remember how big that thing is. That thing is giant and that thing is high quality … You can’t get caught up in whether you’ve got a pimple or something in your teeth or whatever, you just have to go.”
His is a side hustle heavy on the hustle. A game-day gig that means being at the top of his game. It’s a one-of-a-kind position that doesn’t come with an easy one-sentence job description. His duties cover a lot of ground.
Slade shows up on the video boards throughout the game for commercial breaks, sponsor giveaways, announcements and to fire up the crowd. While he works primarily from the sidelines, he sometimes also wades into the stands to mix it up with fans. One game he might do the honors of announcing Packers alumni to thunderous applause. The next he could be over in the end zone with giddy grown-ups taking their best shot for a Lambeau Leap contest.
“It’s all about crowd engagement, all the fun things that come in between the football game,” Slade said. “Basically my job is to just help keep the crowd engaged, help keep the crowd hyped up, along with (public address announcer) Bill Jartz, and just kind of connect the bridge for the in-between stuff with the football game.”
He’s both another voice for fans to help set the tone of excitement of the game and “a hype man,” said Kregg Shilbauer, director of broadcast, production and game presentation for the Packers.
“Jayson brings this element of energy with him. His outlook, his attitude, his presence from a voice standpoint is so much different from Bill, but it really has this excitement level,” he said.
It is Slade’s seventh year in the high-profile role, but his voice has been his calling card well before making the roster at Lambeau Field. He was on the air for nine years at WIXX-FM in Green Bay before leaving in February and later joining Woodward Community Media as creative services director and midday on-air personality at its Top 40 station, 95.9 KISS-FM.
Nobody was more surprised to be tapped for the Lambeau job than Slade. He had filled in a few times years ago for retired radio personality Jim Murphy as host of the Crunch Time Catch, a pregame contest in which a fan had a chance to catch a simulated punt to win a prize. But he really had no idea what the Packers had in mind when they invited him to 1265 Lombardi Ave. to discuss an opportunity.
He jokes that it was a little like an episode of “The Apprentice” with everyone gathered around a big, long table, and him at the far end by himself. He was offered the job before he left the building.
A guy known for taking things in stride, ”because you can lose it as fast as you can get it,” he didn’t realize how big that role was looked upon until he got back to the studio and told his colleagues.
“I think for everyone around me, they were even more excited than I was,” he said. “I don’t think it really, really, really hit me until honestly that first Family Night that I got there in August of 2018. That was our first official night at the stadium of the season.”
Keeping his head on a swivel and staying cool under pressure
There’s a lot to love about the job for a football fan like Slade, and it starts even before he walks into the stadium four hours before kickoff. There’s something special about arriving among the tailgating tents, cornhole boards and fans jawing about fantasy football.
“Everybody in that vicinity, they’ve woken up most likely in the best mood possible, because it’s game day in Green Bay. So when you pull up in the parking lot, as soon as I get out, I smell brats, I smell burgers … first thing on an empty stomach that early in the morning,” he said. “They’re pumped. That’s enough to perk you up right there.”
Preparation includes a half-hour pregame meeting with the production staff to go over a full rundown of the plan for the game. Slade, Jartz and Deysha Smith-Jenkins, a second game host brought in by the Packers a few years ago, each have their own scripts to walk through and customize with their own personalities.
Thirty minutes before kickoff, Slade is on his way down the sidelines with the other game-day staff, making sure to soak up the good vibes and energy of the fans.
“From there, it’s go time,” he said.
Slade, Jartz and Smith-Jenkins each have their own handler who is on a headset with the rest of the crew to relay information to them. They’re three of the approximately 57 people who are part of the Packers’ production and entertainment team.
“It’s almost like an orchestra that needs to be choreographed, and ultimately, Bill, Jayson and Deysha are kind of the voices of that orchestra in the sense of of where we’re going next and what we’re going to do,” Shilbauer said. “Sometimes based on what’s going on on the field, we’re switching what we’re doing or how we’re doing it, so all of that is very choreographed but very fluid.”
Slade spends 85% of his time on the Packers sideline, but there’s little time for standing around in awe of the 360-degree view of a full stadium or marveling at what it’s like to be so close to the action on the field.
“I think every game you’re pretty much just in the moment, because you’ve got to keep your head on a swivel. Things happen all the time. Even though we may have our meeting of what we plan to do, things can always change on the fly, and they do happen a lot more frequent than you would think, so you just have to be ready for it.”
That might include a turnover that suddenly means getting the crowd to get loud with the Packers on defense or bang bang plays that sometimes send players hurtling toward the sidelines.
“You just have to be aware enough and get out of the way so you’re not run over by guys that are in full pads and a helmet,” Slade said.
“You cant get too high and you can’t get too low,” Shilbauer said. “In the end, we’re all fans, right? We’re fans of what the team is doing and how the game is going, but there are times where his levelheadedness is really important, because we also have a job to do and you have to keep your cool under pressure.”
Layering up for cold-weather games and meeting Packers alumni
A sold-out NFL stadium is about as opposite as you can get from talking to radio listeners alone from a studio, but Slade, who also is in his second year as host at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix men’s and women’s basketball games, has never been nervous around big crowds. When he’s inside Lambeau, he’s a little like Kevin Costner’s Billy Chapel on the mound getting ready to throw a pitch in “For the Love of the Game” — his surroundings fade away and it’s just him.
“That’s kind of like how it is with me,” Slade said. “It’s just me and the mic.”
So sorry, no stories of Slade sweating profusely from nerves. It took a time or two to get used to the mic delay in a stadium, and he learned quickly that dressing comfortably, especially for cold-weather games, goes a long way in helping him sound his best.
“Just making sure I’m extra layered, because it really does affect how I sound on the mic,” he said. “If you’re not really that layered and you’re trying to talk, you’re going to be a little more timid with your words and pronunciation.”
What ultimately makes him so good is something fans can’t see, not even on a sprawling video board.
“I think the main thing about that gig is just understanding that it is not about you. You’re there to play a role. We have many people who are part of the game day crew who help make that thing go,” Slade said.
One of his most memorable moments is his first regular season game. It was the 2018 season opener against the Chicago Bears when quarterback Aaron Rodgers was injured in the first half only to return to lead the Packers to an epic comeback. How electric the crowd was that day was unforgettable.
His favorite time in the season is Fan Appreciation Day, typically the last home game of the season and packed with all kinds of fan giveaways. It’s a pleasure whenever he finds himself in the company of Packers alumni invited back for a game.
“I’m a small guy and all these guys are giants next to me,” he said.
A few years ago, it was his honor to call out the name of each former player who was down on the field for a reunion of the Super Bowl XXXI team.
“These guys have already made their mark for the organization, so my job is easy. I just make sure to put some extra emphasis on their names when I announce them to the crowd. The crowd goes nuts. Everybody’s happy,” he said.
Through his role as host at Lambeau and other community alumni events he’s been a part of, he’s gotten to know players past and present and been fortunate to become friends with a few, including Chris Jacke, Antonio Freeman, Ahman Green and Frank Winters.
Slade’s own local celebrity status means he frequently gets recognized when he’s out in public.
“It happens all the time, but honestly, I really do mean it, I’m just a regular person, just a regular guy. I do regular things.”
When someone stops him in CVS or at the grocery store after a game, he likes to take a few minutes to get to know them. If he finds out they’re going to be at the next Packers game, he’s been known to write down where they’re sitting. If it’s close enough to where he’ll be on the sidelines, he’ll find them before the game and say hello.
Slade never loses sight of how fortunate he is to have the position.
“As far as my role, I take pride in it and it’s a role I’m proud to have, but I also understand it’s not about me. It’s about those guys on the field and the way they make the crowd feel through their play. When we win, it’s a bonus. It makes my job even easier to get the crowd hyped up.”
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
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