We all got our inspiration from somewhere. When I was a kid, my dad took me to several Minnesota Twins games at the old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. The public address announcer at the time was Bob Casey. He had a booming voice and was famous for putting a different amount of enthusiasm behind each player's name. He was most famous for his Kirby Puckett call, which started in the mid-80s. "Kirbyyyyyyyyyy Pucket!" It made him a household name! I told my father several times that I wanted that job! While I enjoyed baseball as a kid, I loved the games because of the announcer!
In the mid-70s, the first "Mr. Microphone" type mic came out. These were handheld, battery-operated wireless microphones for broadcasting over empty frequencies on FM radio. I had the Donny and Marie version that worked in the same fashion. It was your typical 70s microphone. Blue and white with a long antenna! I would put on concerts for the entire family, singing hit songs from the 70s. Everything from "Don't Give Up On Us" by David Soul to "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney and Wings! My poor family. Lol! I even made my own promotional posters and littered the house with them. There is nothing like using old-school typing paper and black magic markers to bring your artwork to life!
It's funny to think back to some of these stories where an influential voice or something as silly as a Mr. Microphone eventually led to a career voicing commercials, narrations and theme park promos.
For those of you who have been doing voiceovers for a long time or even if you're just starting out, what inspired you and who were some of your most significant influences? I would love to hear your stories!