Super year for 'Chrysler guy' Kevin Yon

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A Super Bowl ad can help change the fortunes of a company. Apple set the standard with its "1984" ad. And in 2011, Chrysler knocked it out of the park with its two-minute "Imported from Detroit" spot.

Chrysler, though, imported the voice from Grand Rapids.

Kevin Yon has made a living doing voice work, but becoming the voice of Chrysler made him an overnight success -- after "32 (years), I think."

Since the spot debuted in Super Bowl 45, Yon has added Wendy's, Molson and ESPN to his growing list of clients. He's spending a lot more time in the sound booth at Sound Post Studios.

" Stuart (Poltrock) built a wing for me, right here," Yon joked. "I have a little apartment out back."

The voice work pays the bills, but his first love is acting.

"Yeah, I really like (acting), like I'm doing with you right now. Because I'm really not this at all."

He's not a rabbi either, but he'll play one in the upcoming movie "Five Year Engagement" starring Jason Segal and Emily Blunt. It hits the theaters in April.

"I haven't seen a ton of it," he told 24 Hour News 8, "but from what I've seen and what the trailer shows , it's going to be some pretty funny stuff."

Yon isn't sure if his voice will be heard on Sunday during the Super Bowl between the Patriots and the Giants. "I haven't heard a thing, seriously."

But he didn't find out last year about his Super Bowl spot until four days before the game. That will be tough to top, he said.

"You know what's funny, here we are a year later and it's still talked about every day. Everyday somebody says something, somehow, that's connected with that Chrysler thing," he said. "People see me in the store. They don't know. They don't know I did it. But it's been funny. I checked out at Costco one time and the guy said, 'You're the Chrysler guy, right?' Oh, yeah. I'm the Chrysler guy."