In summary

  • Swinburne alum Ryan Jon Dunn is the co-host of the popular Toni and Ryan Podcast
  • Ryan and Toni recently won the People’s Voice Award at the 2025 Webby Awards – one of the most prestigious honours in digital media
  • While his career trajectory has taken a different path from his Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree, he credits Swinburne for its enriching foundation and experiences. 

When Ryan Jon Dunn stepped into the Swinburne student radio studio for the first time, he had no idea that moment would shape his entire future.

He was a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) student at the time – an academic path with very little to do with the world of media and entertainment. 

Fast forward to today, and Ryan is the co-host of the Toni and Ryan Podcast, which recently won the People’s Voice Award at the 2025 Webby Awards – one of the most prestigious honours in digital media that celebrates the best of the internet in various categories. 

“A big shiny award is always great for the ego, isn’t it?” says Ryan.  

Beyond being an incredible personal achievement, Ryan says the Webby Award win has opened international doors for the Australian podcast. 

“Most of our sponsors have been Aussie brands. But since the Webby win and meeting a bunch of advertisers in New York, we’ve seen a real spike in international sponsorship interest—which has been awesome from a business perspective.” 

A radio star is born 

While Ryan acknowledges that his Bachelor of Commerce degree has almost nothing to do with what he does now, he credits Swinburne with giving him a broad and enriching foundation.  

Ryan spent a semester at Swinburne’s campus in Malaysia; an experience he says was “one of the most fun and eye-opening experiences” of his life. 

He also represented Swinburne at the University Games, winning gold in Beach Volleyball which took him to the World University Games in Serbia. 

And importantly, Swinburne was where his love of radio was born. 

“The first time I ever spoke into a microphone was in the Swinburne student radio studio. I loved it,” he says. 

Ryan was the MC at Swinburne’s most recent Alumni Impact Awards ceremony

Turning rejection into opportunity

Far from being planned, the Toni and Ryan Podcast came about from a moment of rejection. 

Ryan was working in commercial radio at the time alongside colleague Toni Lodge and agreed to help her record a demo for a radio show. 

“The radio station we worked for wouldn’t give us our own show—so we made our own instead,” he says.

What started as “two best friends talking about life” and uploading snippets on TikTok quickly gained momentum. 

The Toni and Ryan Podcast is now one of Australia’s most successful podcasts, with five episodes out every week and over a million downloads every month. 

Toni and Ryan have a dedicated fan base (known as ‘TARPers’) who have made their appreciation for the show known, with the duo claiming other accolades including the Listener’s Choice Award at the 2024 Australian Podcast Awards. 

Ryan believes the podcast’s success comes from their authenticity and relatability. 

“Toni and I don’t tell each other what we’re going to talk about so we can preserve our natural reactions,” he says.

Ryan is proud that the journey of starting their podcast has inspired hundreds of TARPers to take action in their own lives.

“They’ve started businesses, training programs, blogs – and changed their lives.”

“Considering we mostly talk about food and how the council bins aren’t big enough, it’s wild to think we’ve had such a positive impact,” he says.

Making it in the media

Of course, it isn’t always smooth sailing. 

“The biggest challenge in media is... having a career in media,” says Ryan. 

“There’s so much content competing for people’s attention, so getting someone to not only notice you but choose to spend time with you every day is tough.”

Still, the rewards far outweigh the challenges.

“What I love the most is being able to try things and implement ideas and not needing to convince a boss,” he says.

With plenty of opportunities coming their way, Ryan says staying focused is the key.

“One of the main reasons we’ve done okay is because we’ve been disciplined enough to say no to a lot, so we can keep our energy on the TARP community and make the best show we possibly can for them.”

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