The first time Edmonton journalist and talk show host Ryan Jespersen came to Jasper, he had somewhat of an epiphany.

Despite growing up in Alberta and loving the mountains, it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that Jespo, as he’s known, finally bypassed Banff and made the trek to the Athabasca Valley. The way he tells it today, it was love at first sight.

“From the very first visit I just connected with it,” the Calgary native said. “I felt that Jasper was more representative than Banff of what I endeavoured to have my mountain experience bring out in me.”

Today, Jespersen is building on his Jasper mountain experience, thanks—in part, anyway—to his talk show’s fruitful relationship with Tourism Jasper.

Real Talk, Jespersen’s podcast/live YouTube broadcast is only 11 months old, but as a result of the show’s willingness to engage in important conversations, its ability to book heavy-hitting guests and Jespersen’s indisputable talent as a fearless, engaging and thoughtful broadcaster, Real Talk has rocketed into political and cultural relevance across the country. Just ask iconic CBC anchor Ian Hanomansing, who sang the show’s praises while he was a Real Talk guest on October 27.

“That was totally surreal,” Jespersen said. “That meant a lot.”

A year ago, Jespersen couldn’t have imagined those kind of accolades being rained down on his nascent show. Neither would he have figured the show would be profitable after only its second month on air, or that they’d be upgrading their studio, or hiring more staff, or negotiating contracts for similar formats in other cities, as they’re doing now.

After Jespersen was fired from the Corus radio network after what’s now widely regarded as a political hit job by an influential (former) Edmonton municipal councillor, Jespersen made a seamless pivot to the digital space, racking up audience members and advertisers as diverse as his guest list. It’s his commitment to the conversational grey areas and holding space for nuance that not only informs his featured topics, but his approach to journalism in general.

“I describe myself as a talk show host but I think we do good journalism,” he says. “I think it’s a good thing if a host has strong opinions…but I want to ensure different perspectives are represented or at least respected on the show.”

Jespersen himself isn’t exactly easy to pigeonhole. He jokes that he “shoots left from the right wing,” a hockey reference that gets to the idea that his values are sprinkled all over the traditional political spectrum. He might agree with a conservative position that governments should be business friendly, for example, but he’s not saying environmental standards should be compromised. A conventionally “left wing” belief of his is that drugs should be legalized and governments need to follow the science and support supervised safe consumption sites.

“When it comes to issues, for me it’s less about politics and more about people. I’m always trying to think of who is impacted or affected by certain approaches to policy decisions,” he said.

Which is why, long before it was legalized, Jespersen was pro-cannabis. When he revealed as much on-air this year he said he wanted to address and help remove the stigma attached to cannabis use. Shaming those who use marijuana—for cancer therapy, to treat anxiety, or even for recreational use—interferes with people’s understanding of the product’s very real benefits, he said.

“It’s not for everybody but I know what it does for me, which is allow my brain to relax, to enter into a productive and creative space,” he said. “To be perceived as somewhat of a voice on the topic is something that is not lost on me.”

Neither is the privilege of interviewing a diverse roster of experts, influencers, celebrities, culture-makers and politicians throughout his career. Of all of the thousands of interviews he’s conducted, his recent conversation with retired news mogul Peter Mansbridge sticks out as special, he said, simply because of the revered status Mansbridge held for Jespersen as a young broadcaster.

Additionally, he was transfixed by author and alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra and said painting the town red with Saturday Night Live comedian Kevin Nealon was “one of the greatest memories of my life” (perhaps right up there with “run-away nights at the Atha-B”).

However, almost every week Jespersen has an interview with a guest that is significant to him. As Jespo continues to surf the wave of cultural relevance and Canadians from coast to coast tune into the important discourse the Real Talk team is pushing forward, the father of a six-year-old and husband to fellow media personality Kari Skelton is looking forward to the next time he can get out to Jasper, where he can tap into his inner John Muir.

“You can get that fresh air and feel that sense of calm, even in the townsite,” he said. “I’m home when I return to the mountains.”

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com