If you think that TV commercials are just fillers to be sorted out from the “real” programs, then maybe you should think about it again. A recent string of commercials for GEICO have proven to be such a hit that they have been viewed by thousands of Youtube.com and MySpace.com visitors over and over again during the past few months.
The commercials feature voice-over artist D.C. Douglas introducing "real people" alongside celebrities such as Little Richard, Burt Bacharach, Verne Troyer (Mini Me), Peter Graves and Charo.
Douglas, a voice-over artist, has been deluged with requests to do more commercials following the success of the current string of GEICO ads. A seasoned professional, providing voice-over services to small, medium and large-scale advertisers alike, Douglas is awed by the response. “It really does just blow my mind,” he said.
But D.C. Douglas didn’t really need the GEICO commercials to be heard or seen. In addition to his voice-over work, he has a career as an actor in TV and movies which stretches back 20 years. He has been featured in guest star spots on several hit shows from "Beverly Hills: 90210" to "Las Vegas" to "What About Brian" and has appeared in films such as “Under Siege II,” “The Commission” and “Totally Blonde.”
In addition to his work as a character actor and voice-over artist, Douglas is also a successful writer and film producer. He has written and produced several award winning films. He does everything in these films: produces, writes, direct, acts, edits, animates and of course promotes them as well.
In 2005, Douglas's film short, "Duck, Duck, Goose!” played over 20 festivals around the world and received several awards, including Best Short from the Seattle True Independent Film Festival and Best Actor from the Trenton Film Festival.
However, Douglas is not resting on his laurels and has a number of film projects lined up for this coming year, 2007. D.C. will be in five films, including “Deadwater” with Lance Henriksen and “Universal Remote: The Movie” with Charles Q. Murphy; the Hallmark Channel TV movie “Final Approach” with Lea Thompson and Anthony Michael Hall; and his own film short, "The Crooked Eye" starring opposite Fay Masterson.
Despite his current “voice over icon” status and increased profile brought about by the GEICO campaign, Douglas remains approachable and indeed available for anyone who needs a voice added to an advertisement. He jokingly says, “you can get national voice over talent with a click of your mouse.” His website www.myvoiceoverguy.com handles requests for smaller companies who cannot afford to go union. His union offers are handled by his Los Angeles agent Abrams Artists Agency. Not only can you find out about hiring Douglas on his site, you can also hear sound clips of those now famous GEICO commercials.