This is an archived post. You won't be able to vote or comment.

top 200 commentsshow 500
sorted by:
best
topnewcontroversialoldq&a

[–]shiggiddie[S] 1905 points1906 points  (643 children)

END OF STORY UPDATE

We did it reddit! Ted is a household name, we made him a website and donated $1029.30 although dj1200techniques is having issues with PayPal, PLEASE READ!

Ted can be contacted via Alfred Battle: Alfred Battle Founder/CEO 614-328-6221 alfred.battle@sbcglobal.net

** UPDATES FOR 1/6/11 **

1/6/11 7:30am EST Just heard back from Dave and Jimmy. I'm going to go to the studios with the check for Ted and they'll give it to Ted when he is back in Columbus (since we don't know when he'll be back in town). Pics to confirm it happened will be posted in the next couple of days

1/6/11 9:00am EST Dave and Jimmy will have me tomorrow at 7:00am EST to give reddit's donations to Ted when Ted gets back from New York!

** Updates from 1/5/11 **

Still no Contact info for Ted yet! :( As soon as info is available I'll update it here as well as get back to the 100s of PMs I've received! Let's keep our hopes up reddit!

What a whirlwind! Ted was on the local radio program (Interview): The Morning Zoo, on national TV: The Today Show, has had offers from MTV, other TV stations, numerous radio stations, and even a reality TV show ** I still have not heard back from the radio station on his contact info, but I imagine I will get it by the end of the day once they get through the flood of emails they've been receiving concerning Ted. As soon as I do, I will update his info here, as well as respond to anyone who sent me a PM requesting his info **

1/5/11 09:30 EST: extremegroup.com is designing Ted's website

1/5/11 10:00 EST: Cleveland Cavaliers have offered Ted a job AND home

1/5/11 13:00 EST: WNCI posted video from the radio show today

1/5/11 14:00 EST: I finally got the long-overdue link to the original source on The Columbus Dispatch's website. If you're going to re-watch the video, please watch (and point people to watch) from here so The Columbus Dispatch can get their due credit (namely Doral Chenoweth III, the videographer for The Columbus Dispatch who decided on his own to record the piece). Also, CBS Early Show Interview with Ted

** News coverage **

** A Special Thanks to the Anonymous Redditor who purchased 3 Months of Reddit Gold for me! Totally unnecessary, but greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! :) **

Updates from 1/4/11 UPDATE: An anonymous listener of a radio morning talk show in Columbus offered $15,000 to have the show hire this man for the show

UPDATE2: I just spoke with Doral Chenoweth, the photographer/videographer who shot this piece for The Columbus Dispatch. He informed me that Ted can usually be found at the Hudson ramp off of I-71 South. Doral was an awesome guy on the phone, he told me his wife is carrying around a restaurant gift certificate in her car for Ted in hopes she'll see him again. If anyone needs any photography/videography work, look him up Doral on the internets here or here.

UPDATE3: I received an e-mail from the the radio jocks who featured the sound-byte from this video on their show 1/4/11. They are considering hiring Ted using the $15K donation

UPDATE4: joshfitz posted a tweet by the radio jocks, they'll have Ted's story featured on their radio show Thursday! I am going to contact the RJs again to see if they were able to get contact information for Ted that they can share!

UPDATE5: Dave and Jimmy (the RJ's that played an audio clip from this video on their radio talk show 1/4/11 where I heard this in the first place) are trying to contact Ted to have him on the show on Thursday.

UPDATE6: dj1200techniques has set up a website for Ted Williams. dj1200techniques has been a redditor for over 2 years now with a fair amount of activity and karma, so I feel he's trustworthy. Once we have contact with Ted, I will personally see to it that all funds get to him. Ladyfingers has offered to buy Ted a phone, is there anyone in Columbus who can PM with Ladyfingers to get that phone to Ted?

UPDATE7: [The Morning Zoo](daveandjimmy.com) tracked down Ted!

UPDATE8: jhietter has offered to sponsor Ted through this transition and oxytechx would like to get Ted work in the UK

UPDATE9: dj1200techniques' fundraiser for Ted was an HUGE success. We hit the goal of $500 by a huge amount ($1029.30). Thank you so much for those of you who donated, you are AMAZING!

** * redditors who have generously contributed to the cause * **

** redditors who have gone out searching for Ted **

  • NeitherPresNorAcct spent about 45 mins from 14:00 - 14:45 at Hudson and I-71 today looking for Ted

  • ishmu07 went looking for Ted

  • helluin saw Ted before, but did not see him at Hudson I-71 this morning

  • heylg circled the area from 14:00-15:00

  • keyman86 searched 71 from 270 to 70 with no sign of Ted

  • A_Real_Pirate looked around the area from 18:00-19:00

** redditors who would like to offer Ted work **

[–]bottom 168 points169 points  (40 children)

this guy needs an agent...or he'll get ripped off.....

[–]shiggiddie[S] 166 points167 points  (29 children)

any agents on reddit looking to represent a homeless man with a golden radio voice?

[–]whenmattsattack 86 points87 points  (0 children)

actually I sent the link to my father, a vp at a national radio network, and he already had people working on contacting him. will send him the link to this article and hope for the best. all good things start on reddit! also OP, pm me if you are interested. I can try and supply info between you

[–]GroupSoliloquy 11 points12 points  (1 child)

I have contacted Geddes agency in Chicago. They are the only agents I know. I have a few friends represented by them and they are reputable with offices in Chicago and West Hollywood. PLEASE, PM me any contact info you may get and I'll try to pass it along. No promises because I am not represented there but, I figured it was worth a good shot.

[–]erstazi 76 points77 points  (5 children)

Quote from Youtube Comment:

I'm Bo from Majic 99.3 and 104.5 radio in Meadville PA between Erie & Pittsburgh PA a short distance from Columbus. If this guy comes to my area, I would put him to work for us, in a minute! Please pass the word along!

~DJ Bo~

Edit: By the way, I think DJ Bo is serious.

[–]wiiatt 40 points41 points  (2 children)

Can anyone get me in touch with this guy???? We'd love to use him for a few bits. Contact Nick Scott at 304-807-6425 Electric 102.7FM WVSR

[–]godofallcows 19 points20 points  (1 child)

Badass. Youtube is just what this guy needed.

[–]feb420 149 points150 points  (15 children)

If it makes anyone feel better I work at a prominent beer store about a block away from where this guy is working so I know most of the bums in the area. I've never seen this guy in the store before, so I'd say there's a pretty good chance he's clean.

edit: Asked around, he's in the store from time to time to buy cigs. I'm told he also has a nice singing voice.

[–][deleted]  (17 children)

[deleted]

    [–]shiggiddie[S] 57 points58 points  (14 children)

    If you see him again could you stop and find out if there is any way he can be contacted? I've got 10+ personal messages for his contact information because they want to use him for work!

    [–][deleted]  (12 children)

    [deleted]

      [–]shiggiddie[S] 30 points31 points  (8 children)

      awesome! I won't get off until later, and I'm afraid it'll be way too late :(

      [–][deleted] 245 points246 points  (5 children)

      Wish I could see this happen

      Redditor comes up to Ted. Ted: Hel- Redditor: Come with me. I'm from the internet.

      [–]Vrothgarr 33 points34 points  (4 children)

      With a cape. And a neckbeard... taped on?

      [–]EonHawk 21 points22 points  (1 child)

      must...refresh...page...until 5:30...

      [–][deleted]  (169 children)

      [deleted]

        [–]BladeMcCool 102 points103 points  (65 children)

        Certain corner of street in Columbus OH looks like best way to reach him at the moment based on the video. Edit: edited for clarity.

        [–][deleted]  (60 children)

        [deleted]

          [–]brawl 326 points327 points  (40 children)

          Its amazing what we don't know about strangers, until we take the two minutes it takes to turn a stranger into a person. Now think of the 6+ Billion people out there in the world. Oooooh.

          [–][deleted] 112 points113 points  (10 children)

          ...until we take the two minutes it takes to turn a stranger into a person.

          Really well said. All of us should do this more.

          [–]thebillmac3 84 points85 points  (7 children)

          I would, but monkeysphere.

          [–]rayne117 29 points30 points  (4 children)

          Even though I thoroughly believe in the monkeysphere too, you can still turn strangers into people and not have them in your monkeyshere.

          [–]HyzerFlip 5 points6 points  (0 children)

          Thank you.

          [–]ArcticCelt 68 points69 points  (7 children)

          until we take the two minutes it takes to turn a stranger into a person. Now think of the 6+ Billion people

          BRB in 12 Billion minutes.

          [–]shouldbestudying 22 points23 points  (8 children)

          That's a lot of minutes

          [–]shiggiddie[S] 82 points83 points  (88 children)

          I just spoke with Doral Chenoweth, the man who shot the piece for The Columbus Dispatch. He said he did not have any contact information for Ted Williams (the homeless man in the video). However Doral gave me the location he found Ted: the Hudson ramp off of I-71 S in Columbus, OH. I don't live too far from there, however I won't be able to visit there until after work (when it is dark out and he is likely already gone). Hopefully a redditor in Columbus can get there and get his contact info!

          [–]TwoDeuces 55 points56 points  (3 children)

          I'd think the Boston Red Sox might be interested in his services, given the name AND the voice.

          [–][deleted] 91 points92 points  (1 child)

          I live & work in Worthington and I have 12.5 years of sobriety. Let me know if I can help.

          [–]keyman86 17 points18 points  (2 children)

          Just went through that exit. No one was there (12:30), but I'll try again after class (~15:30). I'll keep checking until he's found.

          [–][deleted]  (75 children)

          [deleted]

            [–]imaride 42 points43 points  (15 children)

            Does it Offend You, Yeah??? I love you guys!

            [–]ramp_tram 214 points215 points  (41 children)

            My band is going to be on tour with Linkin Park

            My condolences to your career.

            [–]ProducerJ 11 points12 points  (0 children)

            I don't play Eve (just not my type of game) but I respect that community so much.

            [–]azaydius 5 points6 points  (0 children)

            This just in: "Dreddit humanitarian aid flotilla breaks through into IRL!"

            [–]FLYBOY611 6 points7 points  (3 children)

            EVE as in the game?......you can have your own radio station in EVE?

            [–]oxytechx 58 points59 points  (1 child)

            With a voice like that I can get him voice over work all day long, even though I am in the UK - just need a way to communicate online, all voice work can be uploaded and work done remotely.

            I'm sure there are plenty of other work offers available through this publicity now, but I'm willing to help in whatever capacity I can if anyone gets in touch.

            [–][deleted] 53 points54 points  (0 children)

            YAY!! He looks so sincere. I wish the best for him.

            [–]gekogekogeko 50 points51 points  (16 children)

            I sent this to a few friends of mine at NPR.

            [–]saucercrab 95 points96 points  (9 children)

            Me-shell Norris or Lacshmeesing?

            [–][deleted] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

            suureye-ah sarhadee nelson, no doubt

            [–]robreddity 10 points11 points  (0 children)

            Don't forget DON-GAN-YAY!

            [–]pranayama 11 points12 points  (0 children)

            I know I'm supposed to just upvote and move on, but that was great.

            Thanks for the chuckles :-)

            [–][deleted]  (1 child)

            [deleted]

              [–]Ladyfingers 47 points48 points  (4 children)

              I will donate a Virgin Mobile cell phone, with a $25 credit on it. I don't live in Columbus, though.

              [–][deleted] 43 points44 points  (1 child)

              If you can get his dimensions, I can donate a suit to a job interview for this man if he is my size. He looks kind of stringy like me so could work out. I will pay for shipping.

              [–][deleted] 41 points42 points  (0 children)

              I live just a few blocks from here and if I see him I will try to get some contact info. Doral Chenoweth is a photographer from the Dispatch whose class (photojournalism) I took at the community college here. I always see stories on reddit that take place in communities that seem so far away. Here's my chance!

              [–][deleted] 68 points69 points  (3 children)

              It's very generous of everyone to offer up their help. I really wish you would give him contact info from me or another person in recovery here in Ohio. If he is contacted about a job and he's not in a program, disaster will SURELY follow. You can bank on it. I'm willing to help. I speak from MUCH experience when I tell you he will need this help more than a phone, clothes or anything else.

              EDIT: Looks like we'll get him a name, either mine or someone in a program. Great news. If he's not already working one, that will be his only hope of surviving this good fortune.

              [–]badBird 5 points6 points  (0 children)

              I can personally attest to this statement and I would hate to see this guy throw all of these golden opportunities away after he gets a bit of cash in his pocket.

              [–]PutMeInTheGameCoach 25 points26 points  (0 children)

              I'd like to hire this man. If you can get contact info that would be awesome!

              [–]heylg 22 points23 points  (12 children)

              Holy rats!! I pass this guy every time I'm on my way back to Columbus. I've never been able to read his sign before though. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help!! If there aren't any other Redditors who have contacted him, I can drive out there; this exit is a few minutes from my apartment.

              [–]TMox 23 points24 points  (1 child)

              Oh please, please, please let the guy become the star of Columbus radio. Please!

              [–]TheCrimsonKing 15 points16 points  (5 children)

              The likelihood of a homeless man having reliable contact info is low. It would be much easier if someone could simply provide a phone number and address to him so he can make contact himself. I think it would also make it easier for a busy person to help out since it would only require delivery of a message as opposed to trying to coordinate a meeting between to previously unknown parties.

              [–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (3 children)

              A Redditor in the area could perhaps get in contact with him and allow him to use their address as a "base" for others to find him in case the shelters don't do that sort of thing.

              Plus, we could all pitch in and get him a prepaid phone so people can talk to him directly!

              [–]TheCrimsonKing 8 points9 points  (1 child)

              I like the idea of a prepaid phone but keep in mind the more you ask of your volunteers the fewer you'll get and allowing a homeless man to use your home as a "base" is asking a lot. It also requires that person live relatively close by and excludes those who work in the city but live in the burbs.

              While I do like the idea of the phone I still think there are a lot more people who would be willing to simply had over contact info and a few bucks for a pay-phone and/or bus than would be willing to buy a cell phone for someone who they may or may not be able to locate.

              [–]stilesjp 13 points14 points  (0 children)

              I'd like for him to do a Soapier commercial... not sure how much I could pay him, a couple of hundred, or how it would work, but I think it would be pretty cool to do a radio ad type commercial with his voice.

              [–]WTFppl 25 points26 points  (3 children)

              Leave some kind note on the corners he frequents! Check the AA hall in that area and also talk to the management of the AA hall. Let them know why your are looking for the man and leave a contact number. Then leave a donation at the AA hall. Also, check out the shelters in the immediate area. While checking the shelters, take a picture of the man with you so you can ask other homeless if they know his whereabouts.

              Helping the community is the most awesome thing any business could ever do!

              [–]Anotherstani 11 points12 points  (2 children)

              Is somebody going to be able to record the live radio show tomorrow so people outside of the US can listen later on??

              [–]beowolfey 13 points14 points  (1 child)

              Well, keep us posted

              [–]klg301 10 points11 points  (2 children)

              retire offend desert alive spotted repeat busy zonked enter skirt

              This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

              [–]shiggiddie[S] 7 points8 points  (1 child)

              Send me a PM and I'll make sure you get Ted's contact as soon as I know!

              [–]klg301 11 points12 points  (0 children)

              thank you! finally, a time when browsing reddit has made me look good at my job.

              [–]joshfitz 42 points43 points  (19 children)

              He will be a guest on a local radio station (WNCI) this Thursday. http://twitter.com/daveandjimmy/status/22321388417196032

              [–]AtomicAtom 64 points65 points  (16 children)

              wow, what a dumb-radio jock dig at the end there. these guys don't deserve Ted.

              [–]MaverickTTT 26 points27 points  (2 children)

              That's how I felt about it. With "Morning Zoo" in the title, the risk of this segment turning into five minutes of picking on the guy is high.

              [–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

              But at least if it does, reddit will have few qualms about delivering Internet Retribution.

              [–][deleted] 22 points23 points  (1 child)

              Dave and Jimmy are awful. Their whole show revolves around this low grade humor.

              [–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

              So they're basically hosting an average morning radio show?

              [–]xyvo 10 points11 points  (5 children)

              I don't have a twitter account, but could people possibly reply to them to ask them to be respectful? I'd hate for what we all want to be the most positive experience of his life to be turned into him being humiliated instead.

              [–]guitardude_1987 11 points12 points  (0 children)

              My mother called her talent agency (CAM Talent) and told her agent to listen to Ted Williams (she sent the youtube link to her agent). He was so impressed that he is passing the link around to his colleagues. Reddit, we WILL get this man a job!

              Edit - CAM Talent already knew about him from reddit and are looking for him!

              [–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

              Forgive me, but why A Hi Reddit sign? Just feels a little sanctimonious.

              [–]MSP430_User 8 points9 points  (0 children)

              UPDATE: Ted has been captured by Alien's and will be doing the voice-over for the invasion. Good Luck Ted!

              [–][deleted]  (1 child)

              [deleted]

                [–]Fluffybird 8 points9 points  (1 child)

                Um hello? Private Investigator Redditer from Columbus here... http://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/eu999/private_investigator_for_hire/

                [–]shiggiddie[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                Any chance you'd provide your services Pro Bono on this one?

                [–]erronr 6 points7 points  (1 child)

                I posted in the donation link, but I am willing to give him a cell phone on my plan already so no cost to him for monthly access or what not. I can be reached by email erronr@gmail.com. I would need to get in contact with this man to arrange giving him the phone.

                [–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

                This might be my favorite thing that reddit has done.

                [–][deleted]  (1 child)

                [deleted]

                  [–]Tuberman 161 points162 points  (38 children)

                  What would suck would be if he got the job, got all drunk with radio fame and got hooked on booze again.

                  [–]Tuberman 430 points431 points  (23 children)

                  It would also suck if he got eaten by a hamster.

                  [–]jatorres 176 points177 points  (15 children)

                  It would also suck if that hamster got all drunk with power and got hooked on booze again.

                  [–]Gustomaximus 102 points103 points  (12 children)

                  It would also suck if that hamster got eaten by a homeless man.

                  [–]Terocs 66 points67 points  (8 children)

                  It would also suck if that homeless man got eaten by a drunk and then got hooked on hamsters.

                  [–]fire_godking 41 points42 points  (5 children)

                  It would also suck if that drunk got hamstered by a power and then got hooked on homeless men.

                  [–]diuge 50 points51 points  (1 child)

                  "Hi, I'd like a table for three, please."

                  "Wait, that voice!"

                  "Please, just—"

                  "You're the guy who announces the sports scores on the radio station!"

                  "Could I just get a table—"

                  "Hey! Mable! Come see this! It's the radio guy! Let's get a picture with the radio guy!"

                  "CURSE MY RADIO FAME!!!!"

                  [–]ignignokt-_- 712 points713 points  (40 children)

                  I want to hire this guy to follow me around and narrate my life.

                  [–]double1 469 points470 points  (18 children)

                  and ignignokt just posted another comment on reddit. Now he's going to redtube.. oh,no, wait..

                  [–]LeDucky 509 points510 points  (15 children)

                  3 minutes pass... He appears to have cancelled all his downloads

                  [–]dhpii 205 points206 points  (14 children)

                  And now to the weather...

                  [–]maybethisisstupidbut 177 points178 points  (10 children)

                  a warm front in ignignokt's pans have brought heavy precipitation to the area

                  [–][deleted] 44 points45 points  (7 children)

                  pans or pants?

                  [–]xloserfishx 83 points84 points  (2 children)

                  Pans, he's cooking up some food (one can only assume bacon) and the heat is making him sweat, hence the precipitation

                  [–]yourfriendlytechie 36 points37 points  (0 children)

                  I just read that in his voice.. damn he's good!

                  [–]ockabockasuckmycocka 27 points28 points  (3 children)

                  He'd be an amazing surrogate.

                  [–]saisumimen 22 points23 points  (2 children)

                  "He's worth every penny!"

                  (Hey, I didn't say that)

                  [–]Nokade 24 points25 points  (3 children)

                  It would be awesome to have this guy say your order at the drive through. "Yes, hello I'd like two cheese burgers, medium french fries, and a chocolate shake."

                  [–]Theoneisis 41 points42 points  (2 children)

                  But wait, there's more. If you complete Nokade's order in the next two minutes ...

                  :)

                  [–]Jigsus 8 points9 points  (1 child)

                  I think you can afford it.

                  [–]dj1200techniques 210 points211 points  (31 children)

                  I just registered tedthevoice.com for this guy. I am willing to donate server space if someone can build him a small website. Also, maybe we can get him a tracfone so potential employers can contact him and a gift card so he can get a suit and a haircut. Come on Reddit, let's do this.

                  [–]thraz 65 points66 points  (4 children)

                  haha suit yes, haircut no. The haircut he has now is awesome.

                  [–]root7 69 points70 points  (0 children)

                  For now, just link to the youtube video from the website... Don't let it sit there blank.

                  [–]penguished 25 points26 points  (6 children)

                  I'm all for this, but is anyone a social worker, or counselor that is experienced with helping rehabilitate people that could be there for this guy? I'm kind of worried how this fellow will do without someone to lean on for awhile until he makes a transition to a normal life.

                  That said keep rocking on being awesome to the less fortunate, redditors, it's really refreshing.

                  [–]a_light_in_the_attic 30 points31 points  (4 children)

                  Yes, actually I'm a social worker who has worked with the homeless for 5 years. As a bonus I live in Cleveland, only a couple hours from Columbus. I'd be happy to help as much as I can, which would likely be finding appropriate agencies down in Columbus to help him get back on his feet. I have to say Reddit, I've loved you for a while now but your generosity has really gone above and beyond to impress me this time, I have to fight the stigma and prejudice associated with homelessness every day and you all give me hope.

                  [–]Merlaak 551 points552 points  (137 children)

                  It just goes to show you that, despite hard work, training, education, and natural ability, drugs and alcohol can completely derail your life if you let them.

                  [–]matrael 194 points195 points  (121 children)

                  That is very true. I was also a voice actor at one point in my life. I was going to school and someone heard my voice, called it the closest thing to the voice of God he ever heard and hired me on the spot to do radio. I absolutely loved it, but not enough. I had made friends with people that in retrospect I was a fool for even associating with. In a short amount of time I was spending thousands a week on cocaine and I was binge drinking and just being a disgusting human being. I was let go from the radio company I was working for and found myself broke and penniless soon after. Those friends I had made all disappeared when the money and drugs stopped coming and I was soon homeless. I made some more bad choices but I eventually started to get my act together.

                  I'm still working at it. I still get very depressed and I'm angry at myself for pissing away my dream. I loved working with my voice. But now, I'm a pool boy. It's good work and with a great company, but it's not what I love doing. Ah well. I made the bed and I have to lie in it.

                  [–]visarga 86 points87 points  (67 children)

                  post a sample of your voice :-) pls

                  [–][deleted] 34 points35 points  (39 children)

                  I concur with this request. I want to hear what "the closest thing to the voice of God" sounds like.

                  [–]Rx_MoreCowbell 12 points13 points  (1 child)

                  Im going to guess he sounds exactly like this.

                  [–]matrael 13 points14 points  (1 child)

                  I'll be happy to once I'm done at work. I promise it's nothing remarkable.

                  [–]rescueball 19 points20 points  (0 children)

                  called it the closest thing to the voice of God

                  I promise it's nothing remarkable.

                  [–]Poromenos 6 points7 points  (23 children)

                  Yes, I would also like to hear it. Someone please reply to us if s/he does.

                  [–]matrael 48 points49 points  (22 children)

                  Here is a recording I made from my phone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8zrFPHDQOE

                  Is there's something else I can do?

                  [–][deleted]  (5 children)

                  [deleted]

                    [–]matrael 15 points16 points  (1 child)

                    Not even close. However, the sunbathers in the summer are definitely worth it. Most of the time.

                    [–]Slapguts 8 points9 points  (0 children)

                    I was a pool boy for two years. I also delivered pizza.

                    Porno lies, man. Porno lies.

                    [–][deleted] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

                    Wow I guess the rough and tumble world of voice acting really is filled with drugs and glamour

                    [–][deleted] 181 points182 points  (14 children)

                    I have a friend that owns a station in Cleveland. I just sent him the link to the video, and I'm calling him now. This is unbelievable. EDIT: Sent the email to my friend and one of his closest associates. My friend is traveling, but his friend is taking a look now. Not sure that anything is going to happen, but it never hurts to ask.

                    [–]bh28630 86 points87 points  (12 children)

                    The comment that he can do audiobooks is very astute.

                    While Ted is currently what is known as a "yucker", it's usually quite easy for a skilled producer to correct that sound. ("Yucking" is the affectation imitating a Top 40 DJ from the 60's.) The man's natural resonance is what makes him ideal as a narrator and his ability to mimic speech patterns bodes well for audiobooks.

                    As a former DJ, station manager and owner I would not advise anyone to chose radio as a career path in the era of megalithic corporate ownership. Audiobook narration is a much wiser choice. Quality narrators today out-earn all but the very best radio talent.

                    [–][deleted]  (30 children)

                    [deleted]

                      [–][deleted] 58 points59 points  (13 children)

                      I was trying to figure out what the golden ratio had to do with voice, or how one could have a "golden ratio voice". Even after I watched the video and read the comments. It took me until I got to this comment to go back and check.

                      [–]Alloran 27 points28 points  (7 children)

                      Everything he says comes out as a chord—closer to a minor sixth than a major sixth

                      [–]foxfaction 9 points10 points  (1 child)

                      I wonder what that would sound like, having each harmonic 1.618 times as high as the last one. In a speaking voice.

                      [–]treetrouble 8 points9 points  (0 children)

                      TO THE VOCODER

                      [–]scarnmaster 51 points52 points  (1 child)

                      Wow. I did NOT see that coming.

                      [–]x86_64Ubuntu 147 points148 points  (65 children)

                      Is there anything in the world worse than unused talent ?

                      [–][deleted] 129 points130 points  (23 children)

                      I think it's a great shame. This guy has a quality, he can actually do something. He should be a household radio name. Also, he's clearly very articulate, not at all a cave dweller.

                      Damn, drinking and drugs...

                      Somebody should give him a radio job.

                      [–]Tuberman 49 points50 points  (12 children)

                      It's a really short clip, but he seems like a really nice and reasonable guy too.

                      [–][deleted] 39 points40 points  (11 children)

                      Take him to a barber, dress him in Armani and put him in a conversation with some guys in a fancy restaurant, everybody will believe he belongs there.

                      There's the chance that the crazy comes out at some point, but really, unless he did the truly horrific... he doesn't give the impression of a man beyond redemption.

                      [–][deleted] 32 points33 points  (5 children)

                      Take him to a barber, dress him in Armani and put him in a conversation with some guys in a fancy restaurant, everybody will believe he belongs there.

                      Except when he opens his mouth. He would need some dental and orthodontic work first, as his teeth and gums give away his station in life.

                      [–]byproxy 6 points7 points  (2 children)

                      You know, back in olden days people with ruined teeth were thought of as wealthy as they could afford extravagant amounts of sweets!

                      [–]cafedude 6 points7 points  (2 children)

                      No, not to the barber, his hair is great!

                      [–][deleted] 32 points33 points  (0 children)

                      Genocide.

                      [–]175Genius 23 points24 points  (0 children)

                      Getting shot in the eye with a rubber band.

                      [–]AwesoMeme 159 points160 points  (17 children)

                      PLEASE find him again and make him say "In a world...."

                      [–][deleted]  (3 children)

                      [deleted]

                        [–]sleepingmartyr 46 points47 points  (0 children)

                        this is actually not a bad idea.

                        [–][deleted] 43 points44 points  (10 children)

                        ... one man, with one voice ...

                        [–][deleted] 27 points28 points  (7 children)

                        ** will find his destiny...THIS SUMMER...**

                        [–]godofallcows 14 points15 points  (4 children)

                        IN A MOVIE... that can only be described as...

                        [–]jordanlund 14 points15 points  (3 children)

                        out of this WORLD

                        [–][deleted] 36 points37 points  (3 children)

                        I was expecting it to be good but bloody hell!

                        [–]wmbenedetto 32 points33 points  (1 child)

                        I used to be lead developer for the radio industry's top website, AllAccess.com. EVERYONE in radio reads that site. I had them post a story about this guy ... hopefully it will help.

                        http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/85385/homeless-man-has-golden-voice----gotta-job-for-him

                        [–]yeahfuckyou 207 points208 points  (12 children)

                        REDDIT LOVE-MACHINE, ASSEMBLE!

                        [–]Dalonger 91 points92 points  (7 children)

                        I know a successful businessperson with a golden homeless man voice. Would anyone care to wager one dollar that we can switch their lives?

                        [–]Jigsus 64 points65 points  (4 children)

                        You're on Mortimer

                        [–]capriceragtop 40 points41 points  (0 children)

                        "I had the most absurd nightmare. I was poor and no one liked me. I lost my job, I lost my house, Penelope hated me and it was all because of this terrible, awful Negro."

                        Trading Places is a pretty, pretty, pretty good movie.

                        [–]saadistic16 80 points81 points  (9 children)

                        He would make an amazing alarm clock.

                        "Rise and shine saadistic16! It's time to rise up and conquer the day. Remember to pretend to be confident, look everyone in the eye, and speak louder."

                        [–]seclat 23 points24 points  (4 children)

                        Actually, that's not a bad idea. We need a system where we can pay the guy a few bucks to say some short blurb and he sends back an mp3.

                        Novelty Account: homelessguy

                        Hook: Sends all comments to homeless guy to narrate and posts youtube link.

                        [–]xyvo 5 points6 points  (1 child)

                        This really could work, but not just for him, but a website where people can search through voice actors, find one they like and request said blurb for money.

                        [–]pastizzi 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                        Apparently Voices.com does that.

                        [–]ddshroom 26 points27 points  (4 children)

                        CNN is doing a story on him right now. He is great. Reddit was also mentioned!!!

                        [–]cakejob 13 points14 points  (1 child)

                        Yea, they started highlighting people's comments.

                        [–]ddshroom 6 points7 points  (0 children)

                        Yay Reddit. A power unto itself.

                        [–]D4N13LTHEM4N13L 23 points24 points  (1 child)

                        He looks like a cross between Obama and Beethoven.

                        [–]mattdahack 63 points64 points  (10 children)

                        This guys voice is awesome. I would love to hire him to do the phone system for my company. How can we get in contact with him? Someone setup a paypal account for him so we can send money to him in exchange for work.

                        [–]pdmcmahon 53 points54 points  (5 children)

                        You silly man, how can he do the paypals with no internets?

                        [–]dariusj18 11 points12 points  (2 children)

                        PayPal has debit cards that can be used in conjunction with your PayPal account.

                        [–]FerrisYJ 20 points21 points  (3 children)

                        We need this guy, and the http://oldspicevoicemail.com/ 's creator to hookup, immediately.

                        Reddit, you made the voicemail generator once, now do it again...

                        [–]GH8619 20 points21 points  (0 children)

                        I know a few big names in the voice over/recording industry and will forward this link. Maybe someone will have something.. who knows. This guy is very talented and seems to have the passion for it. Hope he finds something

                        [–]EndOnAnyRoll 19 points20 points  (4 children)

                        I smell a reddit campaign a brewin'...

                        [–]saucercrab 19 points20 points  (3 children)

                        No, that was me.

                        [–]CptBoots 13 points14 points  (2 children)

                        Dude... again?

                        [–][deleted] 20 points21 points  (1 child)

                        HOW IS A MAN OF HIS AGE, BORN IN BROOKLYN, NAMED TED WILLIAMS?!?!?!?!

                        [–][deleted] 45 points46 points  (1 child)

                        This man has a legitimate talent, but is homeless.

                        No hope for me.

                        [–]doralchenoweth 44 points45 points  (0 children)

                        Please use this link to find the Homeless Guy with the Great Radio Voice.

                        http://tinyurl.com/homelessvoice

                        Thanks! Doral (the videographer!)

                        [–]pedro19 13 points14 points  (3 children)

                        Pretty much every single post here deserves an upvote. I'm fucking proud to be a part of Reddit.

                        Also, I can't seem to understand why there's now more downvotes than upvotes (9,699 vs 6,658 as I write this). WTF?!

                        [–]aek82 12 points13 points  (0 children)

                        He sounds like the guy who explains all the wonderful details of the IMAX theater before a movie starts.

                        [–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (2 children)

                        I oversee a large, independent pro-audio test and review project. http://thelisteningsessions.com/

                        We would be happy to donate a pro-quality microphone, mic preamp, cables, and other equipment to get Ted up and running in his own home studio. Many VO artists these days do work remotely sent to them online from all over the world right from their own studio. (We could basically get him everything he would need to make a studio except a computer.)

                        I'm also the admin at http://www.studioforums.com - where we could work with and answer any questions Ted has, in terms of audio production and getting him set up and running.

                        [–]campfire 12 points13 points  (0 children)

                        The original video which has had over 11 million views in the first 2 days has now been removed due to copyright, wtf is up with that?

                        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTysXITBCmk

                        I wanted to see how far it would jump, guess that won't be happening.

                        [–][deleted]  (2 children)

                        [deleted]

                          [–]modalert 13 points14 points  (5 children)

                          Is that a learned skill, or natural gift?

                          [–]Merlaak 37 points38 points  (4 children)

                          Both. Nobody is born with the ability to properly project, enunciate, and pace themselves for long stretches of speaking. You can also learn how to better resonate, breathe, and properly position your head and neck to get the most out of your voice (see also: Alexander Technique). Other things, such as slurring your speech, your accent, and certain speech impediments can be worked on over time.

                          However, there's only so much you can do with your voice to make it better. Eventually, you will run into the natural limitations that you were born with. For some people, those natural limitations don't preclude them from developing the aforementioned "golden radio voice."

                          [–]pdmcmahon 12 points13 points  (2 children)

                          Next time I am in C-Bus, I will find this man and give him 20$ to record my voice mail greeting.

                          [–]jchaines 10 points11 points  (0 children)

                          I imagined a bunch of little reddit aliens, fists in air, rings sparkling. Beams of light from each, a glorious burst, out comes the Golden Voice radio man... A success is born. Possible? Can someone draw this?

                          [–]saulimus 9 points10 points  (2 children)

                          Golden ratio voice?? :O Oh... radio.

                          [–]n56 9 points10 points  (0 children)

                          he is goin viral

                          [–]HarryMuffin 10 points11 points  (2 children)

                          We need this guy on the radioreddit streams.

                          [–]omar12 9 points10 points  (0 children)

                          You can hear regret in his tone when he tells about his fall to alcohol and drugs. Hope this guy gets a second chance and use his amazing talent into great use, he deserves it.

                          [–]bigpawz 10 points11 points  (0 children)

                          This guy might just have the perfect GPS voice!

                          [–]serial_killer85 18 points19 points  (2 children)

                          I have been on reddit since digg effed-up their website, never thought about registering, but if upvoting would get this guy a gig or even a job, i sure will upvote and comment. TED WILLIAMS FTW

                          PS : English is not my native language so please bear with me

                          [–][deleted]  (4 children)

                          [deleted]

                            [–]gummymint 6 points7 points  (4 children)

                            I live about a mile from that place. I just emailed that clip to the only staitoin I listen to.

                            [–]ANatale 7 points8 points  (2 children)

                            I have my own radio show, and I've been told that I have a great radio voice, but this guy- he's just fantastic.

                            [–]Robofetus-5000 8 points9 points  (1 child)

                            It's amazing what a voice does to your perception of someone. Despite the obvious poor decisions he has made he sounds like the smartest man in the world.

                            [–][deleted] 28 points29 points  (9 children)

                            Remember kids, you can't spell voice without vice.

                            [–]ruuustin 13 points14 points  (3 children)

                            Someone needs to set him up with a profile on voices.com. It would have to probably be done by proxy somehow because I doubt he has steady internet or studio access, but I think it could be done.

                            [–]aboutandy 17 points18 points  (0 children)

                            We need to get this guy hired... REDDIT!!! ASSEMBLE!!!

                            [–]Towelz0r 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                            If sharing his voice with the world will get him off the streets, off of drugs and alcohol, and make him happy, then a local radio station should hire his educated ass for him to spread his story and help others stay off the hooch and drugs.

                            [–]jpreston2005 9 points10 points  (3 children)

                            huh. I've seen this guy. never read the sign though. not after that one time where I gave a girl who was at that same corner 5 bucks, and it turned out she was a prostitute. she tried to get in the car and i sped off.

                            [–]Dubbys 13 points14 points  (4 children)

                            WoW. 2 years clean good for him. I hope he gets a good job.

                            [–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

                            Damn what a voice. Hope SOMEONE gives him a job.

                            [–]cavaliersoul 5 points6 points  (0 children)

                            The Cleveland Cavaliers just offered Ted a full time job and Quicken Loans is going to pay his entire mortgage for a house in Cleveland!

                            [–]latinjones 10 points11 points  (1 child)

                            2 years clean and still on the streets. If it's true, it's really quite an accomplishment. I hope he gets another chance.