We lost a great one this past weekend with the passing of voice talent Bill Thomas.

Bill was a throwback, a character, a curmudgeon, as well as a true professional, and if you ever had the chance to get to know him you probably have a story or two to tell. To honor Bill, I’d like to share some of those stories, along with some of the incredible work that Bill did behind the mic.

Bill will always be remembered for his big voice. As fellow voice talent Joe Van Riper said the other day, ‘God must have needed a better voice’. And that’s saying something, coming from a guy like Joe.

He was such a staple at the ProComm studios that it’s hard to imagine him not being around. Before the days when everyone had a home studio you could usually find Bill in the ProComm talent lounge talking politics (As Bill would say, he was ‘somewhere right of Atilla the Hun’ in his political views), sharing stories and arcane trivia, or just dozing on the couch between sessions, with Mike Burke, the studio cat napping on top of him.

I remember one session years ago working with Bill and Lindsay Ayliffe on a spot for Chili’s. Given a short piece of country music and a few lyrics Bill and Lindsay brought to life this classic scenario of overbearing boss and quirky employee, sitting around the campfire… in the office. It was Bill’s idea to have the boss join in the sing along.

Bill Thomas and Lindsay Ayliffe for Chilis

btw, that’s Bob Morgan, another great talent from the old days as the announcer. I imagine Bob and Bill are up there in heaven right now riffing on Bugs Bunny characters.

Another favorite of mine comes from the ‘Welcome to Procomm’ skits that we sent to clients as promotional material. George Olsen was the writer on this piece. It still makes me laugh today. James K Flynn is our spokesperson, Harry Resonance, and Bill is the memorable Herb Glottle.

Welcome to ProComm – Herb Glottle

Here’s how ProComm producer and voice talent Dan Friedman remembers Bill…

From a whisper to a scream Bill Thomas could do it all. There are few voices that are as big and booming and yet still as versatile as was the voice of Bill Thomas. There are even fewer people left in this industry who have the knowledge, perspective and technical skill that Bill possessed.

While Bill was often cantankerous and opinionated outside of the booth, he was also supportive and caring of those around him. He could drive people crazy and even make a person angry when he expressed his personal views and thoughts about the world. However, he never said a bad word about anyone personally. In fact, whether you agreed with him or not, he would still treat you with genuine respect, care and concern.

He was always at his best when he was in front of the microphone. I will remember him most fondly for being incredibly diverse, remarkably charming and exceptionally talented. His comedic timing, microphone technique and copy interpretation were all pure perfection. He was generous with compliments to the talent around him, including the writers, directors and engineers. He had a great ear and never complained about doing more takes if needed. He generously offered to work “until the point of diminishing returns” as we would frequently say. It was as though he never wanted to leave the mic.

I will miss working with you Bill. I will end with the same words with which you often ended your recording sessions, “It was an honor and a pleasure.”

Dan Friedman

Dan put together some of Bill’s best material in this audio collage. It reminds me just how versatile he was.

Bill Thomas – voice collection

A lot will be said about Bill the voice talent. Here’s a note from fellow voice talent Anne Lalley about Bill the man.

I always told Bill that I loved him in every session. Bill was not only a great talent with an amazing voice, but more importantly, a true blue friend. I loved working with him. He was always so supportive in and out of the studio. Once when my car had broken down and I was worried about the expense, Bill stepped outside on the old ProComm front porch, opened his wallet and said, “Take what you need.” And he meant it, no strings attached. I’ll never forget his kindness.

Anne Lalley

That was Bill Thomas. A great talent, and a great guy.

So what do you remember most about Bill?

***updated***

Fellow producer and voice talent Zak Miller passed along this note:

I was going through my archives and found a Disney Tower of Terror tool kit from ’03 (hence the ‘wxyz’ ref) and thought I would let you guys hear some magic from Bill that you may have never heard.

He had such a range and a gift for this craft.   I always told him that when I grow up I want to be your voice!

Bill Thomas – Tower of Terror

One of my favorite TV promos is the one currently airing for Fox Saturday Baseball, featuring Joe Buck and Tim McCarver:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlx258D7OJY

Pretty cute.

But if you look closely, you’ll see that not all the characters were together in one place. Stop the video at :07, or take a look at this screenshot:

I guess I’ve watched enough baseball to recognize Buck and McCarver, even from the back.

That ain’t them.

Go a couple seconds later and you’ll see the back shots of the two other actors don’t quite match (although they did  great job mimicking their movements). It should go without saying that the background of Angel’s Stadium is a green screen projection.

Yes, technology is our friend, and we put it to use everyday at ProComm Voices. Here is a recently produced spot featuring Emilie Brown and Dan Friedman, “together” in a car:

ECCU GarageSale Radio

They were recorded together, with a client directing on the phone. Yet Dan was in Asheville while Emilie came to us live from Utah.

Or check out this crowd:

Fred’s Party Supplies Radio

The crowd in that commercial came to us from six different places, recorded separately at different times. And there were no more than two persons recording at each location.

By the way, with all the technological innovations in video, it’s still easier (and more budget-friendly) to successfully pull off illusions on the radio;  note how you were able to stop & inspect the YouTube video.

As a Procomm engineer, it’s fun to help you create the magic that comes from your imagination.

Corky Coreson has a big voice! He is an accomplished voice talent, producer and musician. We talked to Corky about his career and his experiences in the voiceover industry. Here is what he had to say:

How long have you been in the voiceover business and what got you
started?

35 years. A friend who was a voice talent discovered he was booked for a session and was also the voice of a competitor so he passed the agency to me. The agency liked my voice so they called me for another spot later. The second spot I did was a national TV. In 1976 I got paid $700 to say “See your local Chevy dealer” …. adjusting for inflation you can see why I was hooked!

How would you characterize your style, sound, or signature read?

“Regular guy with a big announcer voice” Sounds like a conflict in terms but that’s what it seems like to me. I can order lunch and the waitress/waiter will say “You sound like someone on the radio.”
I’m often hired to be the big announcery guy or the “cheesy-50′s voice” or the movie trailer style but what I LIKE to do is the serious gentle hospital commercial type reads or even better … the documentary PBS style narrations. I don’t see my “announcery” voice to be a disqualification as being a “regular guy”  … I really sound like this.

Have you had any interesting, unique, funny or scary experiences
while voicing that you can recall?

Oh man. Where do I start?
I was once hired to do a script for a product called “The Toot Trapper”. Basically you could pass gas into this cushion without fouling the air. I was not at my most professional during that session, I couldn’t stop laughing.

Did a session with fellow voice talent Ike Willis (bassist for Frank Zappas band) for a speech therapist who wanted to help people pronounce l’s and r’s so we did lines like “Larry Logan longs to linger with his friend Ronnie Rogers at Lonnies Rib Roast Inn.”

Do you have any heroes, mentors or others in the business that you
look up to or have influenced you?

Everyone looks up to the great Don Lafontaine, master of the movie trailer. I’m no exception there. I’ve tried to emulate the style of some of the more powerful speakers I’ve heard without considering them as voice talent. Just effective speakers. High on that list are Orson Welles who does a great job of making us low register guys sound good without sounding like an announcer. One other person I’ve always admired the speaking style of is Rod Serling. Instead of projecting into your face, he sort of draws you up close to him. I love how he is subtle and yet powerful, its a magical quality that he had.

What is the best advice you can offer people who are just getting
started?

1- Read Dan Friedman’s book “Sound Advice – Voiceover From an Audio Engineer’s Perspective“.
2- Set realistic expectations. You can’t start ANY business and expect great success while you wait for the phone to ring.You have to work at this.
3- Read the Don Lafontaine chapter in “Secrets Of Voice Over Success“. He explains how important it is to understand that you are not the star, the clients wishes are the star. AND, the fact that they may become frustrated when you give them a great read in the first 5 minutes of the session. They know what they are paying you and they just can’t believe its that simple. Its a wonderful read for talent, engineers, agencies, and clients. His experience is worth consideration.

What would you be doing if you were not a voiceover talent?

I’d be playing music in bars at night (Which I already do) and I’d probably still be a DJ even though I gave that up 22 years ago.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned since you started in
this industry?

Doing great work is a part of a good life but it is not life. Nothing around our work is important enough to get upset about. Either you do a great job or you are not right for the job. It isn’t personal. Family and friends are personal. Being asked for a couple more takes isn’t.

Is there anything you would like to add?

The only thing better than the Procomm concept of creating great audio, is the Procomm staff itself. What a great group of people. I feel like all of them are friends even though I’ve only seen them in person once! My admiration for John Brooks and his ability to create not just a product but a life for all these wonderful people is immeasurable. The staff, the voice talent, the clients …. everybody wins!

Congrats to ProComm voice talent Lynn Llewelyn on the launch of her new company, 6 Pence Productions. She’s taking her years of theater, film and voice acting experience and applying them to producing children’s theatre “for kids, by kids”. She’s produced her first CD, ‘The Fairytale Collection‘, which you can purchase online and at some select retailers. It will soon be available on Amazon and iTunes as well.

Lynn frequently brings a class of young voice actors from the Flatrock Playhouse in to the ProComm voice over studios. Her inspiration came after recording a script for the end of one of her class sessions with Jim Knuth. Lynn popped the audio in her car for her 3 year old twins to listen to. When she heard “play it again Mommy” for about the 6th time … Lynn realized there’s got to be more to this, and so the lightbulb flickered on!! Audio Children’s Theatre, for kids, but more importantly – BY KIDS!!

The concept is pretty simple… I realized through my own children that kids love to listen to other kids, and wouldn’t it be great to make children’s theatre an auditory experience?

-Lynn L.

The classic children’s tales were produced at ProComm, where Lynn worked extensively with ProComm Producer Dan Friedman who engineered, mixed, directed and co-produced. You’ll hear many of ProComm’s teen and child voice talent on the tracks as well, including Heath Wines, Eleanor Palmer, Molly Penny, Cori Patrick, Chandler Smith, and Ben Hunter.

Check out a sample here —->      6 Pence Players – Cinderella