VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Mike Harrison

I caught an episode of 'Frontline' last night and was again impressed with Will Lyman's narration. Who wouldn't be? But as I don't watch the show often, and having missed the closing credits, I couldn't remember his name to save my life.

So I just Googled 'narrator of Frontline,' and among the results was this blog post - and subsequent comments - which shows the public's varied perception of voice talent.

Wow.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Philip Banks · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 10:21 am Post subject:

1 man with a thought expressed 5 years ago on the WWW. This prompted less than 20 comments.

Voiceoverists - Read n weep! Most people don't give a flying f*** about you n me. As is right and proper.

Michael Schoen · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:24 pm Post subject:

Will Lyman -- I love the guy -- and he complimented me on one of my film narrations so I love him more.

The guy has to make a living and these people think he's selling out because he does commercials?

He also does the Dos Equis commercial for the most interesting man in the world
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http://MichaelSchoen.com

Don G. · King's Row Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 1071 Location: MA

I've had the great pleasure of working with Will quite a bit over the years. He is class and he'd have to do an infomercial for the Bass-O-Matic for me to think any less of him. And he's a hell of an actor.

Mike Harrison · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 8:17 pm Post subject:

Lee Gordon · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:37 am Post subject:

First, I'd venture that the reason none of those wankers drives a BMW is not because Will Lyman does their commercials.

Second, this really speaks to the power of voice over. If someone such as Brian Williams or Scott Pelley or, in the olden days, David Brinkley or Walter Cronkite had lent his voice to a commercial, Cranky (the blogger) might have had a valid point. Hawking products is inappropriate behavior for journalists. But Lyman is merely the narrator, yet in the minds of many viewers he has been transformed into the role of "journalist" because he so eloquently serves as the vessel for the words of the actual journalists who research and write the stories he tells.

Oh, and it appears Mr. Lyman has not quite achieved the status of Morgan Freeman, James Earl Jones, Mike Rowe, Dennis Leary, or the late Don LaFontaine. People ask us to ape those gentlemen by name. When they want us to sound like Lyman, they still ask for the "announcer in the 'most interesting man' commercials."
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

Mike Harrison · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 6:35 am Post subject:

I'm waiting for the audition notice requesting those submitting sound like Ted Williams.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Michael Schoen · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 8:22 am Post subject:

Mike, I saw a couple of those when Ted Williams was hot -- not since.
I did get sound like Will Lyman some time ago as well.
Certainly not as much as Earl Jones, Freeman, Leary and Geo Clooney and lately lots of Jeff Bridges.
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http://MichaelSchoen.com

Lee Gordon · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:42 pm Post subject:

Like Michael, I saw one or two requests for Ted Williams sound-alikes back during Ted's 15 minutes of fame. But those, like his career, have pretty much dried up.
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

Mike Harrison · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 3:14 pm Post subject:

Holy cow... I was only kidding. The world is more tabloid than I thought! (I didn't follow the Ted Williams story for just that reason.)
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.