The Voice of Santa

A brief visit from Santa–er, Scooter as the Voice of Santa Claus.

Giving Thanks

As we in America head into our Thanksgiving weekend, I want to express my thanks to God for family, friends and the talent He bestowed upon me.

America’s Thanksgiving is a tradition that began with the father of our country, George Washington.  Here are the words of President Washington that started it all:

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.”

Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you God for all of our blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!

Where Were You?

Where have I been lately? Extremely busy and somewhat under the weather. The one thing a voice-over talent tries hardest to avoid is a cold, because it can bring business to a standstill. Ugh.

One thing I have been able to continue is my podcast. If you're not aware of it, here's the breakdown. It's a weekday podcast full of nostalgia. Each episode, I take you back to that date in a particular year, and we relive it as if we are there. Not quite like Walter Cronkite used to do with "You Are There," but it's still a lot of fun. We look at that day's headlines, pop culture, movies... what was on TV that night, and one of the hot new songs on the radio... and sometimes little things like what a gallon of gas or a loaf of bread cost us. The podcast is called "Where Were You?" Here's where you can find it:

http://audioboo.fm/scottfortney

And please join my Facebook page to get the latest episode each morning:

http://www.facebook.com/ScottFortneyVO

And now back to sickbay. Be well, my friends.

A Day in the Life Of

I'm a sound nut. No, I don't mean that I'm a "perfect loon." I mean I love audio, especially sound effects. So not long ago, I put together this story using sound effects only. See if you can follow along with this "day in the life of" an ordinary guy.