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.