All the Voices in My Head
Ok, so you've read the title, and I might have confused you. If you are looking for a biography about Sybil, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. The title was my lame attempt at being clever. This story is a fairytale of sorts. It doesn't start with "Once upon a time....," but it has a happy ending, or at least a good message.
This story started when a large baby girl was born on November 21st. She had as many rolls as the Michelin Man, but had very tiny (and black from lack of oxygen) feet. As if this innocent infant didn't already know, the kind Cajun delivery doctor had to remind her. He told everybody, "Look at that big 'ol baby with them little bitty feets!" Thanks, Captain Obvious! This bouncing baby girl overcame the humiliation, and grew into a toddler.
Unfortunately, the baby fat was a little stubborn. In honor of this glandular condition, Amy earned the nickname "Chucky." Is it a coincidence that it's eerily similar to "chunky?" I think not! Despite her body mass, everyone said what a happy baby Amy was. She discovered at a young age that she was quite the linguist... and the impressionist it turns out. At a mere six months old, Amy babbled her first words of "Hi, Chucky." You can imagine her parents' surprise! It's not known when she said her second words, but I digress. This young communicator was also known to have a heart of gold. Her grandfather, who died when she was two, said she was the most kind and considerate baby ever. Once, someone gave her cookies, and before she even slobbered on her first morsel, she offered the cookie to her Paw Paw. Apparently, that was the moment that she became his favorite grandchild. How many two-year-olds even do that?!
Amy always felt like there was a performer inside of her, waiting to get out. All throughout grade school, she was rather shy. Instead of going outside to play with other normal kids, she found comfort... in her mirror. No, she was not vain. She would sit for hours in front of the mirror, and pretend to be "Annie," belting out "The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow...." She would switch gears, and mimic people like Cyndi Lauper, Edith from "All in the Family" and Bart Simpson to name a few. She later took theatre classes at Zachary Scott, and played a donkey (that's head donkey to you!) and a cow in church musicals. She ended up starting out as a theatre major in college. Her very first college acting class was taught by a legendary actor from "Hogan's Heroes." He was very supportive, and saw her raw talent, but she somehow refused to see it, and changed her major. She moved on to get a degree in Communications, which included Marketing, Research, Public Relations, Broadcasting and Advertising. She figured that this way, she would not end up waiting tables the rest of her life while trying to pursue her dreams.
Fast forward to several years later. While she did end up being a pitifully low-paid on-air radio personality for a crappy country station in the bowels of hell, AKA Wichita Falls, she never really fulfilled her dream of acting. It still lay deep within her heart though, and her mother saw that. Upon encouragement, ok, nagging from her dear mother, she went out on a limb. She bought a microphone, and some basic equipment, and signed up on one of those pay-to-play voiceover sites. While she did pick up a couple of gigs and make a buck or two, it just was not panning out. The jobs were boring, and all she wanted to do were character voices. After extensive research, she discovered a free site that hosted independent projects. The jobs ranged from cartoons to video games to RPGs to visual novels to podcasts and even radio plays. The acting bug had bit her once again, and she lined up gig after gig. Her voiceover resume became strong, and she even had her demo handed to the producers/directors of "Archer." Even though she's not famous yet, Amy still has stars in her eyes, and quite possibly, always will. It's never too late to pursue your dreams. The late Jessica Tandy didn't become a working actress until she was in her 70s. It may sound cliche, but always "carpe diem" - for you never know which day will be your last.
