A few days ago, Ted Williams was another homeless man on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. But a chance meeting on the freeway exit ramp off Interstate 71 with a reporter from the Columbus Dispatch has instantly catapulted Williams into the world spotlight.
Williams - An Overnight Sensation
Videographer and web producer Doral Chenoweth III, spotted Williams holding his hand-scribbled sign which mentioned his golden radio voice. Curious, Chenoweth asked the 53-year-old Williams for a sample of his God-given “gift of a great voice” and filmed the encounter.
Chenoweth actually held onto the video for several weeks. But during a “slow news day” on Monday, January 3rd, Chenoweth posted the video to Dispatch.com. And the rest, as they say, is history. Once the video hit YouTube, the video went viral and donations and offers came pouring in. News organizations including NBC, CBS, MSNBC and CNN, ran Williams' story. ExtremeGroup designed the “Ted Williams – The Man with the Golden Voice” website. Williams even has his own Facebook page.
Ted Williams – The Man with the Golden Voice
A recovering alcoholic and drug addict with a criminal history, the former radio announcer has been clean for two years. After the video took the world by storm, Williams was reunited with his elderly mother, Julia, in a hotel in New York City. The two had not seen each other for years.
A Golden Future for Williams?
In the first feel-good story of 2011, interest and offers continue to roll in for Williams. Besides various stints on morning television shows and an appearance on late night’s Jimmy Fallon Show, the Cleveland Cavaliers has reportedly offered Williams a job and a home. NFL Films has also shown interest in Williams. His first television voice-over commercial for Kraft Foods, which Williams described as quite lucrative, will air during the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on ESPN on Sunday, January 9, 2011.
YouTube Fame
While YouTube is a great resource for online entertainment, YouTube has also been instrumental in launching the careers of worldwide superstars as well. Previously unknown talents, including teen heart-throbs Justin Bieber and Greyson Chance as well as Susan Boyle, became Internet sensations due in large part to the popularity of their viral videos.
Due to a chance meeting between videographer and a homeless man on the side of a street, the power of viral videos and the Internet, the future looks bright for the soft-spoken man with the golden baritone voice.
Sources:
Columbus Dispatch, “Behind the Story.” Last accessed January 8, 2011.
Cleveland Leader, Justin Meiser. “Cleveland Cavaliers Hire Homeless Man with Golden Radio Voice.”
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway - +JaceShoemaker-Galloway is more than passionate about online safety awareness. She has devoted and dedicated over five years to Internet ...
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