About Steve Stripling

Big Alaska Show’s big kahuna, Steve Stripling, has 35 years in advertising and radio. He co-produces and hosts the weekly radio show, and generally runs the thing. And he’s a Barbershop Harmony singer, to boot!

Steve Stripling (aka Uncle Steve)

With over 35 years’ experience in the marketing/advertising/PR industry, Steve Stripling has worked in a variety of capacities. Large agencies, small agencies, TV and radio stations and owning his own company, Steve, has a broad background working with large and small companies, for-profit and non-profit, assisting customers with their marketing needs.

Steve majored in English and History at the University of Texas in Austin but took a hiatus to work on the Alaska Oil Pipeline. All the while he continued taking college courses and even played on the first University of Alaska Anchorage basketball team! Steve eventually received his Bachelor of Arts at San Francisco State University in their prestigious Creative Arts Department.

Hired to return to Anchorage just in time for Alaska’s economic crash in 1986, Steve managed a video/film post-production house for a year before it sold in 1987. Over the next few years during tough economic times, Steve worked with a number of broadcast properties, all that were in Chapter 11, except KTVA 11, a CBS affiliate! Steve sold air time, wrote and produced commercials and produced several news talk radio shows on the side … like the Big Alaska Show!

Steve has also appeared in numerous TV and radio commercials. In the early 90’s Steve appeared in a popular TV commercial series for Carr’s Supermarket (now owned by Safeway) playing a character “Uncle Steve”. This lighthearted campaign featured an uncle having to baby sit his nephew where he tried to make grocery shopping fun and entertaining for his nephew. Watch on YouTube

It was during this time, Steve’s older brother, Scott Stripling, was diagnosed with cancer. Steve would send the commercials to share a smile with Scott and his wife, Victoria and their two children, Carolyn Anne and Matthew. Today Steve keeps the name “Uncle Steve” in memory of his brother Scott. Steve also co-MC’s the Polar Bear Jump Off in Seward, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society held in January each year in memory of his brother. Watch on YouTube

Steve and his wife, Amy, are a cappella barbershop geeks! Steve is a 29 year member of the Barbershop Harmony Society and can be seen hanging around street corners with his quartet, The Frozen Pipes. He is a member with the Internationally acclaimed Vocal Majority Chorus out of Dallas, TX and won a gold medal in 2014 at the International BHS competition in Las Vegas. He has also been a member of the Anchorage Midnight Sons Chorus.

Amy has an extensive background with the Sweet Adeline International and has performed and competed on the International stage. As Steve points out, “Amy is a better musician!”