As I’m writing this story, it is January 6th, 2011.
If you happen to read this story four or five years from now, will you still remember Ted Williams?
And if you do, will you be thinking of that great hitter from the golden age of baseball or of the homeless man with the golden pipes with the same name?
Only a week ago, some of us were watching retrospectives of the year that was. To me, those programs are a wake-up call because they always remind me of how little I remember of the year’s most notable events and newsworthy personalities.
Here today. Gone tomorrow.
Ted’s remarkable story had me thinking. It brought up questions about the unfair randomness of reporting; about self-serving charity and even about the foundations of faith.
THE VIRAL VIDEO
What would have happened if that videographer for the Columbus Dispatch who shot the video that went viral, had done what thousands and thousands of drivers did for years: ignore that unkept panhandler begging for some change, or have him do a trick for a dollar without a video camera ready?
Would Mr. “Goldenvoice” be the internet sensation he is today? Of course not. He’d still be roaming the streets, together with over 3 million other homeless people in this Land of Plenty.
By nature, news focuses on the extraordinary and the exceptional. It is selective, it is simplistic and often sensational. Increasingly, news media emphasize non-news items such as stories about the irrelevant lives of celebrities. Objective, in-depth reporting has been replaced by shallow, subjective entertainment.
More importantly, the medium started to dictate the message: if we can capture it on camera, it’s news. No cameras, no news! What we don’t see does not exist. A few days ago, tossed-by-the-road Ted Williams did not exist.
There’s another reason why Mr. William’s story captured the hearts of many news editors. As we all know, most news is bad news, and to offset that daily dose of misery, newsrooms comb the wires for the perfect feel-good story with a fairytale ending. Well, last Monday was their lucky day.
“Talented helpless homeless man finds redemption on the highway.
We’ll be right back after these words from our sponsors.”
TWO SIDES OF THE COIN
Please understand that I am very happy for Ted. I was one of the first people to watch his video and I immediately joined the Facebook group “Help Get Ted Williams a Voiceover Job.” I did what I could to alert my voice-over community, and I wrote to the new Oprah Winfrey Network suggesting that they should hire Mr. Williams.
At the same time, I felt ashamed that I live in one of the richest nations on earth where people’s fate may depend on random encounters with reporters and networks, rather than on solid support from a caring society.
Yes, it’s great that a deserving family receives a million dollar Extreme Home Makeover. Yes, it’s nice that an undercover boss donates five grand to a working minimum wage earning mother so she can give her daughter the medication she needs. But it’s time to get real.
Let’s remember that these so-called “reality shows” provide tear-jerking, rating boosting entertainment that single a few lucky individuals out, often ignoring the underlying issues that have lead to these people’s problems. Let’s see if we can relieve some symptoms instead of dealing with the cause. As long as the numbers from the Nielsen rating agency are up, our sponsors will be satisfied!
There is a not so fine line between offering alleviation and engaging in exploitation. Today we’ll eat you up. Tomorrow we will spit you out.
OMG
The righteous religious have their own theory. Instead of random acts of reporters, they detect Divine Intervention. Ted Williams prayed to God and God answered by sending him Doral Chenoweth III from the Columbus Dispatch. “This time around I have a God of understanding in my life,” Williams told the Today Show.
I am not a theologian, but I consider myself to be a spiritual person. Here’s what I struggle with. Millions of God’s children are without a home today. In the United States, families make up 40% of the homeless population. In fact, it’s the fastest growing segment.
No matter where these people come from or who they are, I strongly believe that each individual living on the streets and off the streets is born with a God-given talent. I also believe that each and every one deserves a break and a shot at success.
I don’t believe in a God who would single some people out for redemption and some for a life of suffering. I believe in a benevolent God; not in a sadist. I also believe that God has given us hands that can either help or hurt and a conscience to do what is right. The choice is ours.
Baseball star Ted Williams once said: “God gets you to the plate, but once you’re there, you’re on your own.”
SWEET CHARITY
As soon as the Goldenvoice video went viral and Ted Williams was scheduled to appear on the radio, lucrative voice-over offers started rolling in. The part of me that was rooting for Ted was absolutely thrilled. Another part of me was stunned.
In these challenging economic times, some voice-over colleagues with as much talent as Mr. Williams are forced to sell their equipment and find other employment. Even for people with a proven voice-over track record it’s harder and harder to get the attention of major players. On certain voice casting sites, producers are generously offering up to $250 for a TV commercial.
Meanwhile, Ted landed a $10.000 contract from the Ohio Credit Union and was hired by Kraft and MSNBC, and he was groomed by the Cleveland Cavaliers… AOL NEWS even spoke of “a thousand job offers.”
Most of us in the industry do not begrudge Ted’s sudden success. However, some of us are looking at these generous companies saying: “Where were you when we knocked on your door?”
I’ll go even further than that and ask these companies:
When was the last time you helped the homeless? Why are you just now jumping on the bandwagon? Are you really motivated by altruism or are you hoping to get something out of giving something? In other words: was your gift a selfless act or rather self-serving? And if you were giving in order to gain, was it really a gift?
Maimonides was a 12th century Jewish scholar. He wrote a code of law based on the Rabbinic oral tradition. He organized different levels of charity into a list from the least to the most honorable. Here they are:
- Giving begrudgingly
- Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully.
- Giving after being asked
- Giving before being asked
- Giving when you do not know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient knows your identity
- Giving when you know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient doesn’t know your identity
- Giving when neither party knows the other’s identity
- Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant
Hopefully, a year or even six months from now, Ted Williams will be completely self-reliant.
Hopefully, we’ll all still know him as the man who gave the homeless a voice.
A golden voice.
PS Be sweet: please retweet!
Another great post, Paul! I had never seen Maimonides code of law before. I like it!
Excellent!
Wonderful insights into an amazing situation, Paul. TV is a great media medium, but I tend to wonder about “The Rest of the Story, as radio commentator Paul Harvey would say. My hope is that Ted will become successful and use his voice to help others in need, perhaps in a cause like homelessness.
Right now, Ted is in the midst of a media circus and asked to perform his tricks on command. Not much has changed, only the setting, the exposure and I heard the pay is much better.
I am excited for Ted’s success. I pray that he’ll be able to stay clean and sober for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, many addicts cannot. This, to me, is where Ted will have the chance to really prove himself. If he can stay away from the elements that put him on the street in the first place, I’ll be so proud for him!
I agree with Paul’s comments. The reaction from voice seekers seems to be a “look at us, we hired the homeless guy” mentality, which is very annoying to me. I’m not a fan of exploitation. I must say, it’s completely expected though. The reaction is completely unsurprising to me. We’ll see how it all plays out.
For sure, even as exciting as it is, I wouldn’t want to change places with Ted Williams. His struggle, his downfall, his decade spent homeless wouldn’t at all be worth all the riches in the world. Some may disagree. I wouln’t want to bear the brunt of being the thrown out person of society, even for a short time. I’d also expect that if Ted were told that he could have great riches if he endured a decade of eating out of garbage cans, begging for food or money, and using rocks for pillows, he likely would have refused too.
My earlier exploitation comments EXCLUDE Randy Thomas and Joe Cipriano’s invitation to be on their new show. Ted’s story is perfect for it. He’s a shoe-in as far as I’m concerned. And that begs the question…”Who in the world would go on the show knowing that Ted Williams was a competitor?” Not me. Perhaps I’ll wait until the next season! What about you? Anyone?
Not only will Ted get the sympathy vote, his voice alone will make him a top contender. I applaud Randy and Joe for including Mr. Williams, but I’m not so sure that it’s a good move for the show. It does take the wind out of the competition, doesn’t it?
“What we don’t see does not exist.” True. Like the thousands of radio professionals who worked honestly and ethically for most of their lives who were let go by the media corporations in the last 3 years, to find a dead end in the radio business. We know life isn’t fair most of the time, and I wish Mr. Williams only the best and hope he takes full advantage of the situation and stays true to his family and to himself. But I hope he can afford what he is being given because nothing is free. Too bad the “business” of media can’t find compassion for the thousands of experienced professionals who are out there still looking for that “corner” where they too, might be noticed.
Brilliant and thoughtful post, Paul. I, too, have been concerned that Mr. Williams may not be emotionally prepared to handle all the attention he is receiving right now. It’s akin to those who win the lottery. Many of them are back on the streets a year later because they didn’t have the support system to deal with the emotional roller coaster that comes from all that fame. AND they don’t have a belief system that supports them being that wealthy. In other words, their darkest deepest thought about themselves is they don’t deserve it, (I’m not good enough, smart enough, lovable enough, etc.) so they unconsciously create ways to lose it.
One thing I can say for Ted Williams that makes him a stand-out in my book. He had a dilemma: homelessness. He had an idea: How do I get money? Panhandle. And he had a plan: Use my gift, which is my voice, and step on out there with this crazy idea. After all, what did he have to lose? And most importantly, he had the belief that someone, somewhere would see him and hire him. He kept on keeping on until it worked.
I think that’s the difference between Ted and some us. Many aren’t willing to pay their dues and keep on keeping on until they get that big break. Too many in our business seem to feel entitled for one reason or another. Entitlement does not get you jobs. Belief, Idea, Plan, Action, rinse and repeat. THAT’S what creates success in this business or any business, in my experience. And the next biggest step after that is Pay it Forward. Demonstrate to the Universe that you are grateful by helping others, giving of your tithes and talents to demonstrate your belief in an abundant Universe.
I don’t believe in a Zeus or Santa Claus God who holds court over us. I believe we all have it within ourselves, using our Highest Consciousness, which some call God, or our God-Selves, to create what we want on this earth. Ted created perfectly what he desired through working his plan and taking action and believing in an abundant Universe even when he didn’t see one. How many of us are willing to lay it on the line for our success and happiness? What is your deep down darkest belief about yourself, because that is what you ultimately create. Do what Ted did and change that thought! Believe you are worth it and the results will follow!
Okay! Sermon’s over! These are just my thoughts and it is not my intention to offend anyone else with different beliefs. There is room for all of us!
Namaste’, Ya’ll!
Donna
Thank you so much for that, Donna. Here’s a story that’s in the public domain. That’s why I feel free to pass it on:
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist.
Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty?
Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Paul,
I’m happy for Mr. William’s success too but, how does a regular voice actor get the exposure needed to land lucrative gigs? What I got from Ted’s story is that effective marketing (a marker and a piece of cardboard) and repetiveness can land quality voice over work. The trick is being exposed to the right people.
This saga is definitely a tribute to the power of the internet. In a way, Mr. William’s story reminds me of the book “The Soloist” by Steve Lopez and the movie starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. Here’s what’s hopeful: it only takes one caring individual to make all the difference. So often people wonder: “It’s just me. It doesn’t matter what I do. Nothing will ever change.” Imagine what the world would be like, if all of us would open our eyes and reach out to someone in need? Not because it would look good on our resume or in the eyes of our shareholders. Just because we care.
Without a doubt a very compelling story but one so difficult to write about. Your thinking resonated with me and was very thought provoking. In the end, we have to all answer the questions you pose for ourselves-as do the business organizations involved in the story. Best & Thanks BG
Thanks, Bill. We all have to dig deep and search for answers ourselves. What is it that I choose to focus on? What does this story mean to me? What can we learn from it? What steps can and will I take as a result of it? What can we do as a society, to make sure that no one is without a warm home?
Hello Paul,
Ted Williams was recognized for his golden pipes, to me, it is your words that are “golden”!!!
Your article rang humbly true on all imaginable levels, and what I have learned is the internet is an amazingly powerful tool that can “make” you or “break” you, who needs agents? It is up to you to promote “you”. Merci beaucoup, Paul….Genius!
My writings are but a spark in the dark. And if that spark happens to light your candle, it’s up to you to keep it burning!
I am humbled by your appreciation, but please don’t put me on a pedestal. There’s only one way to get off of it: that way is… down.
Another great piece, Paul, however, I think this is a bit of a stretch: “…none of us in the industry begrudge Ted’s sudden success…” Maybe you haven’t seen the posts oozing with envy elsewhere.
As a practical matter, this man’s challenge will be to stay straight. If he manages that he deserves ever one of the accolades being showered on him now.
…but today, I see him as an unproven guy with a great voice, a 20 year criminal record and a beef for theft just last May.
I do hope he makes it.
These envious folks should walk in Mr. Williams’s homeless shoes for 30 days and sell that booming baritone for a buck or two on the highway, as if it were some kind of party trick. Let’s see how jealous they would be after that.
No doubt there’s a lot of pressure on Ted Williams, and some of it is coming from his own mother. It is his own responsibility to stay clean, sober and law-abiding. I sincerely hope he is surrounded by supportive people that give him strong shoulders to lean on and a soft place to fall. Isn’t that what all of us need?
Well, it might seem that Mr. Williams didn’t simply support himself through clever panhandling. It seems that the man has a long rap sheet and had as recently as a week prior been stopped for shoplifting. It also appears that he may have been pimping out a young woman.
I’m not a big fan of the human interest story. It tends to act like a panacea or simply one more shake of the pom poms for a society that prefers to be cheerleaders than actually get in the game.
It also tends to put a nice bow on things that shouldn’t be quite closed up. The festering sores of homelessness, alcoholism and perhaps the slightly worse perils of many in radio and broadcast who themselves are close to homelessness, will all lie in a tightly sealed package, under the good feelings of new media sensation Ted WIlliams.
That is until Ted manages to really disappoint or somehow the positive spin grows uglier than it already seems to be getting.
Along the way, this will impact thousands of individuals who may never have considered voice over careers. Individuals who don’t have a love or passion for voice over, but are simply tired of the rat race and may have simply had a few people tell them they have great voices and should be on the radio. Among them many who are unemployed and heavily in debt. And these people will suffer too as they are completely taken in by the ease and complete positive spin given to this story by the major media.
Another 20,000 or so people who will piss in a pool already difficult to swim in. Yes, this will have an effect on the voiceover world, whixh is already seeing massive overcrowding and inability of most of its participants to earn anything even close to poverty wages.
And regardless of what people who call themselves “top pros” wish to say about it having almost no effect on them, I actually know that the profession as a whole from top to bottom is suffering. Whether it’s as much from the economy or the way that people have been reacting to the economy, is hard to say. The commercial v.o. biz was shaken severely by the impact of the 2000 SAG commercial contracts strike. And anybody who says there was ever any type of recovery from that is completely mistaken. The numbers don’t lie.
Just look at the multitides of top actors who are suddenly selling products, doing deep marketing or are teaching voice over in earnest.
As for the man that the CNN hackwriter likened to the “Good Semaritan”. He only took this video after having already seen Ted. He is a multimedia producer and he took the video becuase he thought it would make a good story. He actually sat on the footage for 5 weeks before he hit a deadline and was forced to use it.
Sorry folks. I don’t mean to shoot any of your unicorns or wrench the cotton candy from your hands, but this is business and a big part of the blindsiding of America.
I agree, this “sweet charity” leaves a bitter taste once you hold the story up to the light. Mr. Williams cannot undo the past, and it’s up to him to make the most of what the future has to offer. We’ll see if, six month from now, his name still rings a baritone bell, and we all start salivating at the thought of Mac & Cheese.
As for the voice-over industry, if this whole thing doesn’t work out for me, I’ll just keep on writing… It seems to me that we need a darn good filter to clean that yellow talent pool you’re referring to!
More on Ted’s past and modern day philanthropy in this article: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/01/06/ted-williams-story-obscures-true-plight-faced-by-homeless
You summed up my feelings exactly, Paul!
Once again we find ourselves on the same page. Remind me of the name of the book, will you?!
Great article about Mr. Williams and the concepts of charity and how it seems lacking in our world. I say “seems lacking” because there’s a lot that goes on that none of us will ever see. However, we could all use some more charity. Some giving and others receiving.
I believe that this new decade will see some remarkable, fundamental changes in our (American) society. The events of the last few years, most notably the Great Recession, has caused many to reevaluate their lives. I count myself in that number. I see a return to values that might have seemed quaint or old fashioned a few years ago. I see this happening because the material goals that many of us sought turned out to be transitory and disappeared when the times got tough.
Many now are looking outside of themselves to others in their families and communities. Many are also exploring their faith more deeply because the foundations that their lives were built upon weren’t that solid and they seek something more substantial. More eternal.
We may see more like Ted Williams in the coming years. We may not see them all on YouTube or the TV news. Some will be seen in person and only by a single person with a desire to help or make a difference somehow. I think that’s the lesson here. If we all keep our eyes open to the needs of those around us we can make a difference. As more of us do this we can change the world.
We must add our light to the sum of light.
Wonderful words, Richard! Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”
If we indeed recognize these stipulations as universal human rights, no one should have to depend on charity to enjoy the actualization of these rights.
You can never fail when you quote the Rambam!
Moses ben Maimon was a wise man indeed. Did you notice the difference between the article on my blog, and the version on VoiceOverXtra?
You mean I have to read both? Gee whiz!
:-3)
Cheese whiz! I’m just trying to make you come back for another helping, just like Kraft’s Mac & Cheese. But seriously, you’ll discover that the religious paragraph of my article has been edited for the kind readers of VoiceOverXtra (with my permission).
I try not to be cynical, but my first thought when this story broke was “Who will profit most from their support of Ted ‘the homeless voice guy’?
My thought too Keith! When I heard Kraft hired him to voice their commercial my gut reaction was that someone in their marketing department jumped on it…knowing it would help their “brand go viral.”
I’m thrilled for Ted and how this is an answer to his spiritual prayer. I truly hope he’ll stay clean and continue to be a positive influence.
What a world we live in. One minute you’re out there pan-handlin’ and the next you’re Susan Boyle.
Double Rainbow Ted!!
If you heard the Kraft tag, you know that he’s no Susan Boyle.
We’re all familiar with Mac & Cheese: Here today, gone tomorrow. The cheese is fake and the nutritional value is questionable. Like the Ted Williams story, it is comfort food for mass consumption. Let’s see how quickly the media will move on to another dish of the day…
You’re right: not everything is what it seems to be. These days, charity is part of a corporate marketing strategy and Ted Williams’ Road to Redemption is a golden opportunity to exploit his golden pipes.
Awesome insight, Paul. You hit it right on the head.
This is a really great article and I appreciate you posting it. I know there must have been a moment of hesitation when you realized, “America’s feeling rather good about itself right now, is there going to be backlash for raining on their parade?” I’m glad you posted it anyway, because you pretty much said it all.
The only thing I wonder is has Ted Williams really given a voice to the homeless? With all my heart I wish it were so, but I fear that America is fickle and shallow. We found our one success story, we heard about his mistakes, we took comfort in his new found faith in God and we applaud his salvation at our hands or rather our fingers which clicked on the YouTube video. The real question is what will we do now to help those less fortunately than ourselves. I realize that when things are hard for middle class America, it becomes hard to see other people, but there’s always someone less fortunate than ourselves and no matter how bad things are, they aren’t really all that bad (even if you have to include the word “yet”). For most Americans things simply aren’t as good as they used to be and we’ve had to make adjustments, which we have. Most of us still have our internet and cable. Most of us streamed or viewed the story of Ted on TV from the comfort of our homes and helped from the comfort of our homes. I hope though that the voice of Ted won’t just soothe our ears, but will actually agitate them – that his voice will disturb us enough to realize that we have thrown talent, and most importantly people away and we need to go find them and retrieve them.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Jayne!
It’s up to Ted to use his new-found fame to become an advocate for those that have no shelter.
It’s up to the corporations to show that they not only care about lining their own pockets by using Ted’s voice, but that they’re willing to donate money and resources to fight homelessness, even when there’s no camera crew in sight.
It’s up to our politicians to do something about homelessness, in a time where government is urged to “step back” and “let the market forces take care of things”.
And finally, it’s up to us to reach out to those who are forced to camp out in the cold, night after night.
The humanity of a society can be measured by the way we deal with the most vulnerable people in our midst.
We might not have Ted’s golden pipes, but all of us were born with unique talents. Like Ted Williams, we have to step up to the plate and use them to help others.
Otherwise, our good intentions are nothing but lip service.
Paul, I think you’ve summed this up quite well.
Thanks for injecting some fair perspective into all this.
Thanks, Andy. I realize that my perspective is just one subjective way of analyzing reality. I’m thrilled to be able to share my interpretation of events with so many readers.
From Homeless to Hollywood in a matter of days.
When John Taylor and George Whittam stood on the side of the road to collect donations for a LA charity that serves the hungry homeless, the “Bentleys, Beamers, Benzes, Jags, Audis and Range Rovers and Rolls Royces kept their windows up and their aloof eyes straight ahead.”
Meanwhile, Ted Williams can’t go anywhere without being followed by camera crews, hungry reporters and gossip magazines chasing old news. Celebrities want an audience with Ted; Talk show hosts want to milk him to the max and business tycoons get dollar signs in their eyes as soon as Ted opens his mouth.
Doors that remain hermetically closed for mere mortals, have magically opened for the YouTube sensation. The King of panhandling is one step closer to becoming Hollywood royalty. The man deserves a star on the walk of fame.
Right now, the media circus is using Ted Williams as much as the companies that “selfishly” hired the homeless man with the golden pipes. In a big, bad world, Ted’s rags to riches story is a welcome distraction from the real problems.
Ted’s newfound fame and fortune offers no hope for the homeless. He was lucky. On the highways of Hollywood, nothing has changed.
That’s why we should put Ted to bed. Ted was a convenient distraction. Ted was an excuse to show the world that “anything is possible in America”. No, it isn’t.
One homeless person has found a home.
Over 3 million to go…
On May 7th, 2011, the News-Herald reported:
Sounds like Ted Williams is doing better now after rehab, though. Here’s a link to an article with an Entertainment Tonight interview from earlier this year: http://voicecoaches.com/blog/2012/01/whatever-happened-to-the-man-with-the-golden-voice/
Normally, I don’t turn to Entertainment Tonight for objective reporting, but it was good to see Ted surrounded by supportive friends and colleagues. ET could not resist the temptation to use Ted to toot its own horn. That’s something I still find slightly distasteful.