Ted Williams is internationally known as “the man with the golden voice.”
But without modern-day social media and a chance encounter with a Columbus Dispatch videographer, Williams might still only be known as “the homeless man on Hudson Street” in northeast Columbus, Ohio.
Williams was plucked from obscurity and thrust into the limelight in January 2011, when the Dispatch’s Doral Chenoweth recorded an interview with him and posted it to the newspaper’s website. Once determined to become a radio personality, Williams, 53, had fallen victim to drugs, alcohol, criminal activity and apathy. Even though he was now clean of drugs and alcohol, he was left homeless, panhandling for change with a sign that claimed he had “a God given gift of voice.”
An anonymous user copied the video and posted it to YouTube, where it quickly went viral. (You can read the original Dispatch story and watch the video here.) The world was mesmerized by “the man with the golden voice” and his plea for a second chance. Williams soon received several job offers and donations while simultaneously garnering attention from mainstream media, bloggers and Twitter and Facebook users.
Williams ultimately landed a job with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena, who also offered him a home. He has also done other voice-over work on television including commercials for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. After getting a job and getting clean, he was reunited with his 90-year-old mother, whom he had lost contact with because of his addictions. You can learn more about his work and his story on his website.
Unfortunately, Williams’s story does have its setbacks. After achieving overwhelming popularity and success, he began drinking heavily again and lost his job with the Cavaliers. He is now clean of drugs and alcohol once again, thanks to the help of his girlfriend, a sober living coach and two trips to rehab.
Williams now works out of his home in Dublin, Ohio, a Columbus suburb, as the voice of New England Cable News. He also wrote a book about his struggles on the path to success, “A Golden Voice,” which debuted this May.
Without the assistance and receptivity of the Internet community, Williams would have probably been unable to get his life back on track and reunite with his family. In countless interviews he has said he is very grateful those who helped share his story. Williams’s story is a true tale of “social media success,” and it illustrates how much social media can change peoples’ lives for the better.
Tags: anonymous, Cleveland Cavaliers, job, social media, success story, Ted Williams, The Columbus Dispatch, viral, YouTube
7:23 pm - 10-21-2012
I remember following this story when Williams was discovered. I think putting his story on YouTube was a great way to get the attention of people who could help him. It’s unfortunate that he started his old habits after getting these opportunities. Nonetheless, this is how media should be used and its nice to see that someone can be given another chance because of it.
5:27 pm - 10-22-2012
An interesting twist to this story was how the Dispatch owned the rights to the video, yet were unable to capitalize directly on the millions of views that it gained when it was first copied and uploaded to YouTube. It wouldn’t have gone viral if it were for the YouTube outlet. The video was eventually taken down from that first YouTube link. Now the most viewed version of it, with 22.9 million, is through RussiaToday. The Dispatch’s official version on YouTube sits at merely 85,000 views.
5:27 pm - 10-22-2012
I remember this story when it happened a couple years ago. I also remember driving by that corner on Hudson street every time I visited Columbus. I never actually saw the man, but there’s always homeless at the exit with cardboard signage. It’s amazing that he was offered a job and is now living a great life.
6:20 pm - 10-22-2012
Mr. Williams’ story reminds me of another unlikely celebrity of this generation – Susan Boyle. Her American Idol audition went viral after it was on broadcast television, but Mr. Williams’ story didn’t need even to go through the TV lopp to gain popularity. Like it says in Groundswell, social media platforms like YouTube give us (the media audience) more control over what we consume as a culture. I think the popularity of the Williams video can be attributed to a) our cultural love affair with true rags-to-riches stories and b) our belief that by watching/sharing this video we were helping this man.
11:46 pm - 10-22-2012
Yes, Jon, you’re right, that’s definitely another interesting aspect to the story. While interning at the Dispatch this summer, we had weekly intern lunches where a guest from the staff would come speak. The web/social media staff representative talked about Ted Williams and the YouTube account and that’s how I got the idea for this post. Turns out, before the Ted Williams video went viral, the Dispatch didn’t even have a YouTube account. That incident prompted them to “get with the times,” you could say.
8:15 pm - 10-23-2012
I think everyone remembers this story. It is a great example of how awesome and helpful social media can be. Not only in the business world, but in personal lives. If it weren’t for youtube, this man might have never gotten back on his feet. I think the video really got people together and gave them a call to action so to speak. This is definitely a social media success story in more ways than one.