Sometimes in life you get a second chance.
Such is the case for 53-year-old Ted Williams (not the baseball player), who rocketed to fame in a matter of days after a video of him was posted first on the website of the Columbus Dispatch (the publication which broke the story), and then on YouTube. Remarkable? His voice is as smooth and supple as buttered velvet--he sounds like any number of famous radio announcers of old. More remarkable? He was homeless. Holding a sign along an Interstate highway, he earned his money simply by talking in his "God-given" voice.
Someone took notice, and decided to record video of Williams and post it on YouTube. This was on January 3rd. The YouTube video had more than 7,000,000 views before it was taken down due to copyright restictions, but others have popped up with multiple hundreds of thousands of views. Then the real insanity started. Sites like Reddit posted his story. He started getting offers from individuals for work. He was invited on a radio show, then to a CBS affiliate to appear on a morning show. Then, the coup-de-grace: he was offered a job, and a house, by the Cleveland Cavaliers (an offer he's still considering), and was "busy Thursday doing a commercial for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (to air Sunday on ESPN), voiceover promos for MSNBC and an appearance on "The Jimmy Fallon Show."
An absolutely mind-boggling turn of events for a man whose life had admittedly been damaged by drug and alcohol abuse, but who has since been two years clean. It goes to show several things: that even if you mess up, you can redeem yourself (which is especially important given the current job market). Also, even the smallest act of recognition can change a person's life. Simply posting a video on YouTube has given someone their life back. The lessons: don't give up if you fail, and find ways to give back. Even the most unremarkable acts of kindness can do a world of good, given a little luck.
-Brandon
Photo taken from this photostream and used with permission of a Creative Commons license.
Post new comment