I always wanted to be an actor, a writer or a singer. Not even wanted – had to be. But when it came time to go off to college, I thought, “If you really want to be an actor, now’s the time to move to the big city.” But the thought of picking up and moving to New York or Los Angeles was terrifying. “At least go to Wayne State University (in Detroit, the suburbs of which I’m from),” I thought, “where they have an excellent drama program.” But I just wanted to go to the University of Michigan and study English like the rest of my family. I figured that meant I must not want to be an actor enough.
So I went to U of M and studied English and creative writing and fancied myself a writer. After school I got a job at the U of M Press, a scholarly book publisher. That seemed like a good day job for a writer. It wasn’t enough, though; it didn’t scratch the itch. Writing was a passion, but it wasn’t the passion.
Now, the thing is, I was never much a fan of the sound of my own voice. I had a tendency to call out some of the usual daily pleasantries to my colleagues in a Mickey Mouse-esque way. People were always telling me, “You should do cartoon voices.” I’d nod and smile. Then one day this guy at the Press responded to my high-pitched “Mornin’ Barry” with, “You should do cartoon voices.” “Yeah, yeah,” I said. “No really,” he said, “you could make a demo, get an agent.” I nodded and smiled. “But that is what you’d do if you were going to do it,” I thought.
The idea festered. I started to poke around to see if I could get any information on “cartoon voices.” It took forever just to find the term “voiceover.” But a lot of people were super helpful and in time I got brave, moved to Los Angeles, got an agent, started working and became famous. Or something like that. Now here I sit, cozily ensconced in my California bungalow with my trusty wiener dog by my side. I still speak in irritating voices, but now I make a living at it.
I’ve done a bunch of stuff (check out my credits). For starters, I was the announcer on TV and radio ads for Albertsons Supermarkets (including Jewel, ACME, Shaw’s and Star Markets) during the Patricia Heaton campaign (“Albertsons – helping make your life easier”). I’ve also been the advertising voice of Cedar Point (my childhood amusement park), a Rugrat, a Barbie Doll, a rebel pilot and Nikki, one of Mattel’s Diva Starz interactive dolls. I’ve done promos for KABC-7 TV News in L.A. and scores of television and radio commercials, including spots for MacDonalds, Coke, Pizza Hut, Budweiser and Ford.
If you ache to know more, I’m a potter and a painter, and I helped create a charming e-zine called MASH magazine.