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Story: The Epic Homeless Guy Conspiracy


Schwa.

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....and then....

CLEVELAND -- A homeless man in Ohio with a deep, gifted voice, has been offered a job by the Cleveland Cavaliers and is being sought by NFL Films for possible work, as well.

Ted Williams, whose rich baritone and plight have made him an online video sensation, was first contacted Wednesday by the Cavaliers. Team spokesman Tad Carper said details are still being worked out on a possible position for Williams.

Carper said any job could include working in Quicken Loans Arena, the NBA team's downtown arena. It is not yet known if Williams has accepted the team's offer.

Williams' compelling tale has also drawn interest from NFL Films, which has chronicled pro football for nearly 50 years and wants to contact Williams.

"It's that voice," said Kevin McLoughlin, director of post-production films for the NFL told The Associated Press. "When I heard him tell his story, I said, 'That's what we do. This guy can tell a story.' Somehow, some way, I need to get a demo with him."

Williams was spotted by The Columbus Dispatch standing near an exit ramp off Interstate 71. In a video interview, Williams -- holding a cardboard sign that asks motorists for help and says, "I'm an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times" -- explains in his smooth, bottomless voice that he grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y.. and that he was drawn to radio at the age of 14.

Williams described in the video that he went to school for his voice, but that his life was later affected by alcohol and drugs. Williams claims to have been sober for two years.

"The man deserves a second chance," said McLoughlin, who has not yet been able to contact Williams.

Other offers could soon be rolling in for Williams.

In Cleveland, any publicity is good publicity, perhaps, for the Cavaliers, who are 8-26 and in last place in the Central Division. They play Toronto tonight at home.

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What's so special about him? His voice isn't any more remarkable than any other announcer. I thought that it was a neat story until I saw the idiotic cooing from the CBS news guy "I just wanna hear THAT voice!"

Now it just feels like the viral mob effect.

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what's special about him is that one day he's begging for change on the side of the road and the next he's working for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I also don't necessarily buy that. That could easily have been setup by a viral marketing firm. Don't believe every viral video you see. Cleveland Cavaliers are getting lots of free publicity out of this 'home video'.

Don't you think that there is tons of voice talent out there, if they were looking? How about this scenario?

Let's get a guy with a voice, setup a video to look like we found him on the side of the road. Let the video trickle out on the internet and have it submitted to every social networking site out there and just as it's about to go viral, drop a press release that we've hired him.

BAM! Free publicity.

In Cleveland, any publicity is good publicity, perhaps, for the Cavaliers, who are 8-26 and in last place in the Central Division. They play Toronto tonight at home.
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what's special about him is that one day he's begging for change on the side of the road and the next he's working for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I also don't necessarily buy that. That could easily have been setup by a viral marketing firm. Don't believe every viral video you see. Cleveland Cavaliers are getting lots of free publicity out of this 'home video'.

Don't you think that there is tons of voice talent out there' date=' if they were looking? How about this scenario?

Let's get a guy with a voice, setup a video to look like we found him on the side of the road. Let the video trickle out on the internet and have it submitted to every social networking site out there and just as it's about to go viral, drop a press release that we've hired him.

BAM! Free publicity.

In Cleveland, any publicity is good publicity, perhaps, for the Cavaliers, who are 8-26 and in last place in the Central Division. They play Toronto tonight at home.

From a marketing standpoint, just about the only thing the Cavs have going for them is the sympathy from getting burned by LeBron. I would find it very hard to believe that they would be willing to pull a dick move like that and risk getting exposed for it when goodwill is their only currency.

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what's special about him is that one day he's begging for change on the side of the road and the next he's working for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I also don't necessarily buy that. That could easily have been setup by a viral marketing firm. Don't believe every viral video you see. Cleveland Cavaliers are getting lots of free publicity out of this 'home video'.

Don't you think that there is tons of voice talent out there' date=' if they were looking? How about this scenario?

Let's get a guy with a voice, setup a video to look like we found him on the side of the road. Let the video trickle out on the internet and have it submitted to every social networking site out there and just as it's about to go viral, drop a press release that we've hired him.

BAM! Free publicity.

In Cleveland, any publicity is good publicity, perhaps, for the Cavaliers, who are 8-26 and in last place in the Central Division. They play Toronto tonight at home.

Nobody knows what will go viral until it goes viral.

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Nobody knows what will go viral until it goes viral.

Nobody...except for viral marketing specialists. They have networks of people and access to groups and accounts on every social network that will nearly ensure virility. I don't know how they work in terms of payout, but there's probably a smaller bill if what they concoct doesn't go viral within X number of weeks.

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Nobody knows what will go viral until it goes viral.

Nobody...except for viral marketing specialists. They have networks of people and access to groups and accounts on every social network that will nearly ensure virility. I don't know how they work in terms of payout' date=' but there's probably a smaller bill if what they concoct doesn't go viral within X number of weeks.

[/quote']

Bullshit. We are way too fickle a culture for anyone or anything to be able to "nearly ensure virility." I would have a very hard time believing that a few marketing interns with multiple Facebook accounts can easily parlay a clip of a homeless dude with a deep voice into something that has had millions of hits. Sure, people try to make things "go viral" and there are marketers behind much of what takes off online, but you cannot be serious when you say that viral marketing specialists can make it a slam dunk. If that were the case then we would all be laughing at Microsoft videos on YouTube and nobody would have ever seen Antoine Dodson.

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Nobody knows what will go viral until it goes viral.

Nobody...except for viral marketing specialists. They have networks of people and access to groups and accounts on every social network that will nearly ensure virility. I don't know how they work in terms of payout' date=' but there's probably a smaller bill if what they concoct doesn't go viral within X number of weeks.

[/quote']

Bullshit. We are way too fickle a culture for anyone or anything to be able to "nearly ensure virility." I would have a very hard time believing that a few marketing interns with multiple Facebook accounts can easily parlay a clip of a homeless dude with a deep voice into something that has had millions of hits. Sure, people try to make things "go viral" and there are marketers behind much of what takes off online, but you cannot be serious when you say that viral marketing specialists can make it a slam dunk. If that were the case then we would all be laughing at Microsoft videos on YouTube and nobody would have ever seen Antoine Dodson.

Exactly what I couldn't be bothered saying.

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Nobody knows what will go viral until it goes viral.

Nobody...except for viral marketing specialists. They have networks of people and access to groups and accounts on every social network that will nearly ensure virility. I don't know how they work in terms of payout' date=' but there's probably a smaller bill if what they concoct doesn't go viral within X number of weeks.

[/quote']

Bullshit. We are way too fickle a culture for anyone or anything to be able to "nearly ensure virility." I would have a very hard time believing that a few marketing interns with multiple Facebook accounts can easily parlay a clip of a homeless dude with a deep voice into something that has had millions of hits. Sure, people try to make things "go viral" and there are marketers behind much of what takes off online, but you cannot be serious when you say that viral marketing specialists can make it a slam dunk. If that were the case then we would all be laughing at Microsoft videos on YouTube and nobody would have ever seen Antoine Dodson.

Exactly what I couldn't be bothered saying.

Call it bullshit if you will, but there are companies out there that can seed into the social network and with multiplier effects, get results.

Likely the story of the smelly and homeless protegé of Don LaFontaine is genuine, but I'm going to stay skeptical over stories like this because there really is no way to know for sure unless you truly want to believe everything that is presented to you online.

this article went viral in only a couple of days, but was quickly revealed to be a hoax.

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