Interview with Roy Samuelson
News
Making Movies/TV shows Accessible to the Blind by Juan Alcazar
An Audio Description Extravaganza! Conversation with Voiceover Artist Roy Samuelson
It’s an audio description extravaganza on the Life After Blindness Podcast! First, I speak with audio description narrarator and voiceover artist, Roy Samuelson about the creation process and the current state of audio described content. Then, I show you how to turn on the audio described track within 5 of the top video streaming services. And finally, I share my thoughts on the availability of audio description, accessibility and the future of AD.
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A Conversation about audio description.
Roy Samuelson is a voiceover artist and audio description narrarator who has lent his voice to well over 500 national network episodes and blockbuster films. This includes NCIS, Lethal Weapon, Star Trek Picard, 1917, Spiderman Far from Home and Spiderman Homecoming, . Roy is also known for his voiceover work on many popular video games and television commercials.
Roy begins our conversation by talking about what audio description is by comparing it to color commentating on a live sports event. He then describes the process of creating an audio description track beginning with the writing, the recording and editing. He explains the maticulous planning and creativity that goes into producing an audio described track.
Roy discusses his excitement over how much audio description has grown in recent years. He is particularly excited about new streaming services as well as work behind the scenes that will continue the growth of and access to audio description.
Roy is a big believer in advocacy. We talk about consumers asking for audio description for The Dark Crystal series and Daredevil on Netflix. In each case, the community spoke up and they got results.
Next, Roy tells me about how he got started doing voiceover work and how that has affected how he narrators an audio description track. Roy played a gangster in the former Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World where he was really able to sharpen his acting and narration skills.
Roy has a passion for storytelling and connecting to an audience. In this interview, Roy definitely demonstrates that passion and the dedication that it takes to create an audio description track.
He continues to learn as well as teach, conducting occasional workshops for other narrators.
I am so grateful that Roy took some time to speak with me for this interview. He tells so many great behind-the-scenes tidbits and anecdotes. It was such a joy to speak with him!
If you would like more information about Roy Samuelson, you can visit his website, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Additional resources for audio description that we discussed are:
The Audio Description Project from the American Council of the Blind. (ACB)
Audio Description Discussion Facebook Group
On Twitter, follow the hash tags AudioDescription KnowYourNarrator and NothingAboutUsWithoutUs
Todays Tech Tip
Continuing the audio description extravaganza, I show you how to activate the AD track within 5 of the top video streaming services.
You will hear me navigate through the player controls of Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV+, Netflix, Disney+ and CBS All Access. I demonstrate this on my iPhone 7 using iOS 13.3.1.
As a little bonus, I show how accessible most of these apps are and how one in particular is not so accessible.
Just my two cents about AD
To close out the show, I spend a few minutes talking about the current state of audio description and where I hope it will progress to in the future. I also share my displeasure with the way that AD tracks are licensed and distributed.
Overall, I think that the future of audio description looks good. It’s just that the road to get there might be a bit rocky. But as long as we keep advocating for accessibility and inclusion, we will hopefully get there faster and together.
If you have any comments or questions, please send your emails to: tim@lifeafterblindness.com. You can also leave me a voice mail by calling, 201-855-5221.
Please join me again next time as we continue our journey together to find that there truly can be a life after blindness.
Original Publishing: An Audio Description Extravaganza! Conversation with Voiceover Artist Roy Samuelson
We Are Entertainment News: Voice Over Artist Roy Samuelson Talks His Career & The Emergence of A Ground Breaking Life-Changing Service for Blind and Low Vision Audiences in TV and Film!

We spoke to voice-over extraordinaire Roy Samuelson. We were intrigued to talk to Roy about his career in voice-over and about the emerging service in the entertainment industry, Audio Description. When we learned how this game-changing service was enhancing the entertainment experience for blind and low vision audiences, we had to learn more. But then we also discovered it was positively impacting the experiences for all audiences and we were even more excited to talk to Roy.
Without seeing facial expressions (smile, scowl, arch of an eyebrow), no body language, no use of your hands just hearing your voice and the inflection of the same. Voice-over performers; “live and die” by their voice. The ability to captivate and stimulate the imagination and to tell a story solely based on your voice, now that is talent. Roy has that voice. Roy has that talent. Trust us we spoke to him. His voice is smooth, melodious, enticing and versatile. Roy told us right off the bat more than anything when he is working he wants the audience, “Fully immersed in the story and going along for the ride.” Interviewing Roy was a fun ride all its own! We discussed Roy’s background, his career and then he enlightened us on this still relatively unknown yet important service so now we can enlighten you.
The average child is talking by the age of two. We all have a voice. But how does one recognize they have the voice? How does one know they have a voice for voice overwork? Roy is like me, old-school. We reminisced about the days of a voice recorder machine. He loved to play around with his. It was this old school machine that first introduced Roy to his own voice. Roy had cousins who were from New York. And Roy loved their “cool” New York accents. Roy would have what he described as, “A kind of Mister Rogers Neighborhood Show. I’d record myself sounding like them. I called it the New York Ghost. It was a rambling mess if you listen to it now. But it was so much fun to record. I guess that was my first show. It had an audience of zero.” Laughter.
Roy’s audience first increased when he got, what he called his start in the voice-over industry when he worked at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. He was a narrator on a scene park ride. How many of us have been on a theme park ride with a narrator? A lot of us for sure. Well this routine experience for us was anything but for Roy. His job as a narrator for Walt Disney World catapulted a twenty-something and counting year career as one of the most sought after voice-over artists. “Everybody’s got a different way of getting into voice over, mine came from a scene park ride in Orlando. I was the narrator at the Great Movie Ride in Walt Disney World. It’s no longer there. Maybe 60 different guests would get inside these theater cars and go to the movies with all sorts of animatronic robots. The ride had certain timing queues, audio cues, and visual cues. As the host, I would point out the different things that we were going through. I also played the gangster which was really fun. I took over the ride, shot the bad guys and got blown up over and over again. To do the show over and over again was great practice. It was also a benefit to be able to watch how the audience reacted based on what I said or how I said it and how to use the microphone to tell a story.”
Roy has been telling stories ever since. Roy has narrated in blockbuster movies such as; Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Spiderman: Far From Home, Jordan Peele’s US, Get Out, Jason Bourne, Pacific Rim. His television Audio Description includes Criminal Minds, Lethal Weapon, Blue Bloods. This upcoming fall we will hear Roy on NCIS as he has been heard for the past four seasons. And he will also work on Criminal Minds‘ final season. He has been the voice-over in commercials for Intel, Toyota and McDonald’s. Roy’s credits are extensive and impressive.
By speaking to so many actors we have learned that some things essential to the craft of acting are; know your mark, watch your lighting, timing and of course know your lines. What is one of the most important things for a voice over artist to learn? We wanted to know. “This is my favorite example because it hit me so personally when I first discovered this. You know how the first time you record a voice mail greeting and then you listen back; you are like, who is that? That’s not me. We all hear ourselves from our own bodies. But everybody else hears that same voice from outside the body obviously. Everybody is used to hearing your voice but you. So I think it’s really important when it comes to voice over to learn what you really sound like.” So true! I distinctly remember the first time I heard my own voice on tape. I thought that’s not me. I don’t sound like that! It is amazing the difference of the sound of your voice when you hear it on tape versus out of your own mouth!”
Roy is also an actor. He has done film and live theater. But without question, “Voice over is the thing that makes me the happiest.” Roy’s love for what he does has contributed to his excitement and investment in the industry’s move to provide this entertainment enhancing service to the blind and low vision audience. We are the new of the newbies in learning about this groundbreaking service, Audio Description; so, we will let Roy and only Roy tell you all about it. “This is so exciting what is happening in the entertainment industry. What we do is called audio description. It is a special audio track that goes on top of a movie or TV show. It is specifically for blind or low version audiences to experience what the film or TV is without having to see it. The audio script is a special script that is written based on what most people see.”
Roy provided this practical example to further explain. “It’s like when you’re listening to a game on the radio like a baseball game. There is an announcer that might mention the weather or say something about the city where the game is being played but for the most part, they are there to give you a play by play of the game. They are giving you a vision of what is happening. And that is what I do as an Audio Descriptionist narrator. I give a listener a sense of what’s happening visually.”
This concept would appear to be so “simple” we wondered why this wasn’t done many years ago. The ability has been around for 10-20 years. But it is the technology that has made it much more accessible. Only now people are beginning to talk about it. And not just audiences but the networks, streaming services, and Hollywood. There is a special headset to see a first-run movie. This headset isn’t for the hearing impaired (to make the movie louder). It is for blind and low vision people so they can experience the show or movie without the visuals. It works for streaming services as well. The audio is merely a few taps away.
Things were starkly different before the dawn of this technology. Before, Roy would work in a pretty isolated environment. Basically, Roy would get hired, go into a small area, read a script and that was pretty much it. Roy did his job and did it well but still felt disconnected. But he wanted to be and feel connected to his audience. What was the best way to start? Roy started talking to people. And when he did a whole new world opened up. As he started learning about accessibility, disability, and how others dealt with things; his eyes were opened. It gave him insight into how he could literally use his voice to help others.
Blind and low vision audiences now have access to movies and TV shows where they can watch it with their families and have an equally entertaining experience. These audiences can now also engage in conversations at work or anywhere outside the home, sharing their own full experience of a TV show or movie. This concept has also uncovered an untapped market for producers, creators, directors, and showrunners to increase their market share. And able-bodied audiences can enjoy it too. Roy gave us a few suggestions on how. “It’s not just for blind people or low vision people. You can listen to these stories or shows while you are stuck in traffic, when you are cooking or maybe you have spent the whole day staring at your computer or iPhone and just want to relax, you can turn on the Audio Description. Also, the more able-bodied people that use it will help blind and low vision people. The more demand will improve the quality and will increase the accessibility as more people use it.” Roy also encouraged us if we find a show without Audio Description to take a moment to contact the network or the streaming service and ask for audio vision services.
The more Roy talked about this subject the more excited he became and for good reason. If you want to learn more, you can Google “The Audio Description Project.” It will give you all the shows, networks, streaming services and movies that have it. You can also learn more about it and about its history. If you want to, there is a lively and engaging Facebook group with a wide range of people, blind, low vision, narrators, producers called “Audio Description Discussion.”
Even twenty years in, Roy says there is always something new for him to learn. He continues to learn, research and work with coaches and plans to never stop learning. In addition, he is at the forefront of this description narration revolution leading the charge.
We learned so much and thank Roy for taking the time to teach us about this valuable, life-changing service!
Original Publishing: We Are Entertainment News
Reid My Mind: Flippin the Script on Audio Description-And the Winner Is…
There’s a lot of conversation taking place about Audio Description. While Flipping the Script is less about the mainstream AD talk, I wanted to bring some perspective to this discussion.
I invited Roy Samuelson to share some of what he has been involved in as a means of creating awareness and advancing Audio Description. We’re both pretty passionate about this subject and while we may disagree on what will be effective, it’s clear our goals align.
Our conversation actually went beyond what we both intended. This version however, is mainly focusing on some news concerning Audio Description awards outside of the blindness organizations, some interesting news regarding The EMMY’s and implications for Blind Narrators and there may even be a special appearance from a Jeanie!
For a less abbreviated version check out The Audio Description Network Alliance or ADNA.org or listen below:
Original Publishing: Reid My Mind
AFB’s Inform and Connect

Inform & Connect is AFB’s ongoing podcast series created to foster togetherness and camaraderie within the blindness community through informal storytelling and learning about relevant and interesting topics.
Roy Samuelson has narrated audio description for over 500 films and shows, including NCIS, Star Trek: Picard, SONY’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, Bloodshot, and Universal’s 1917, to name just a few. He brings decades of experience, training, and resources to this art form, and is passionate in informing, inspiring, and aligning with organizations who recognize the quality and excellence of this work.
Transcript
Melody Goodspeed: To get started, I want to introduce you to our speaker today who is going to talk about Audio Description and how it really can enhance the experience for blind users like myself through movies, TV shows, and a lot of other areas that we’re going to explore. I just can’t be more proud to introduce Roy Samuelson, who has done over 500 films and shows. And he also, more than anything to me, just has the biggest heart and such a fierce advocate. We’re going to talk about inclusion, which is so important to both of us, to AFB, myself, and to Roy. So, without further ado, please welcome Roy Samuelson.
Roy Samuelson: Thanks for the great intro, Melody. Thank you for that. It’s great to be here and to be able to join everyone from AFB.
Melody Goodspeed: I know, I’m so glad you’re here and it’s so great to you that you’re such a dear friend. I feel like we’re just hanging out and having a good time together with a lot of fun people.
Roy Samuelson: Yes.
Melody Goodspeed: And can get into our craziness together, so I’m really excited about that.
Roy Samuelson: Virtual Party.
Melody Goodspeed: Virtual party. What I wanted to do Roy, is just talk about Audio Description. Can you just give everybody a little bit of overview just to kick us off about what Audio Description is?
Roy Samuelson:Sure. One of my favorite easy examples is that Audio Description kind of like a radio announcer giving a play by play of a sports event. So, what we do for movies and TV shows and series is give access to the visuals of what’s happening on screen, usually in between lines of dialogue. It’s important plot, elements, things that are happening on screen that you might not hear that are important to the story, or maybe some other little brush strokes of the nuance to allow our, specifically blind low vision audiences, but also for sighted people, to experience a film or movie in a way that’s a little more accessible.
Melody Goodspeed: One of the things, Roy, you and I talked about before about Audio Description that I loved, you painted a really good picture of this. When you were talking about Audio Description, you were talking about the clips in a film and you were saying like, “You know, a picture is worth a thousand words.” Can you describe it from there? Because I love the way you described that.
Roy Samuelson: Oh, that was a fun one. Yeah. The old expression, a picture’s worth a thousand words and every … Back in the … Most films, what? 24 frames a second. I’m sure that’s gone up higher. [Inaudible]
Melody Goodspeed: You still there?
Roy Samuelson: Sorry about that. Yeah, I just glitched out.
Melody Goodspeed: Okay.
Roy Samuelson: I’m not sure where I left off, but a picture’s worth a thousand words and in one second of film, that’s 24 frames, so that’s 24,000 potential words in one second of film. I don’t even want to do the math, what a 90-minute film would be. So, there’s thousands and thousands of words potential to describe what’s happening on screen. And I’m a narrator, I’m a sighted narrator who reads a script that’s provided to me. So, it’s these writers of Audio Description that really make these calculated decisions of what’s the most important thing for an audience to be able to best access the visuals and still not step on the lines of dialogue so that we’re not interrupting what’s being said. And it’s a really unique talent. These writers that are able to bring, I think excellence and quality that’s really … I think it’s amazing. So, that’s the example that I like to share with the writers.
Melody Goodspeed: Thank you. At that part, when did those writers come in the film series? Let’s talk about a film maybe that you done, and when does that part come in?
Roy Samuelson: Sure. And again, this is from my perspective. So, different companies have different ways of doing things, but in general, usually a film or a TV show episode is complete. In other words, all the audio is done. Sometimes they do little fixes at the end in post-production, whether that’s visuals or audio. And then the movie is complete essentially, except for the Audio Description track. And that is something that is created usually by a vendor, a very specific company that does this. So, the distributor or the film production company hands-off all these … the full project, the full element with audio and visual, the whole thing, and sends it to this company who then reviews the movie and watches it several times. Whether or not a blind advisor involved is at this point is … Some companies do that, some companies don’t at that point, but basically what they’re doing is making sure that all the visuals are included that are essential to the storyline. And then they write a script that specifically has, time code, in other words, a specific time within the movie where you have to have the narration, usually in between lines of dialogue or in between loud explosions if it’s an action adventure.
Melody Goodspeed: Well yeah, we wouldn’t want you to be yelling over loud explosions.
Roy Samuelson: I’ve tried. It doesn’t work.
Melody Goodspeed: Speaking of that, you segued to such a perfect spot there. We talked about the narration speed and the writers that do that part, which to me is just an art form itself. But how do you then fit in as a narrator? What’s your role in this?
Roy Samuelson: Well, I’m given the script that was written by the writers. And again, there’s different ways of doing it, but I’ll give one example. I am watching the movie and listening to the movie while reading the Audio Description script, so I’m kind of joining you as an audience member on a journey. And if you can imagine watching a movie in a theater with a friend of yours next to you telling you what’s happening on screen, it’s kind of like what I’m doing. But where I try to bring the audience in is make sure that I’m not distracting them. In other words, my goal I feel, and based on audience feedback, is that I need to allow the audience to best immerse themselves into the emotional journey of what’s happening. In other words, if I’m distracting in any way from the audience’s experience of the tone of a scene or the emotion or whatever, then that’s going to take them out and prevent them from fully experiencing it.
Roy Samuelson: And a great example, if something’s happening on screen that’s really warm hearted, I’ll put my hand on my chest above my heart and feel what’s feeling there, but I don’t want to do it too much. On a scale of 1 to 10, a 10 would be, “She holds him in his arms!” That’s going to take you out. Yeah, it’s emotional, but it’s too much. But also, I’m not going to be like a Siri voice or an Alexa voice and say, “She holds him in his arms,” just like conversational. I think my responsibility is to find that sweet spot, that middle ground based on what’s happening on screen so that … My goal is if you’ve watched an Audio Description script and you didn’t think about the narrator, you were thinking about all the story elements and the characters and the oh, that was such a great moment when something happened, if you’re not even talking about me, then I’ve served the project and I’ve done my job. If you’re like, “Oh Roy, he reminded me of my ex-boyfriend, he’s annoying,” or something like, “Oh my gosh, that narrator was so great,” then I don’t think that we’ve served the story. We didn’t do our job. It’s trying to find that sweet spot, I believe.
Melody Goodspeed: Basically what you’re trying to do is to be able to provide that visual for people that can’t necessarily see that visual in a way that doesn’t overpower the storyline.
Roy Samuelson: Oh, that’s a great word. Yeah, it’s … And I think finding that sweet spot, it’s somewhere between a synth voice and a couch quarterback. It’s somewhere in the middle there.
Melody Goodspeed: Nice. Well, I have heard your work and you do a very good job of that.
Roy Samuelson: Well, thanks.
Melody Goodspeed: How is the conversation about Audio Description in industry changing?
Roy Samuelson: That’s a great question and it excites me to no end. You’re going to have to stop me because this is-
Melody Goodspeed: Okay.
Roy Samuelson: One of the things that I’ve noticed, especially in the last few years, is the conversation is changing from does it have Audio Description or not to some of the nuance that you and I are talking about. The quality and excellence of all the different people that are involved in Audio Description is really being talked about. I think one of the more specific examples is that historically Audio Description describers, well that’s a general term. They were called Audio Description describer. Well, what does that mean? Does that mean that they wrote it? Does that mean they narrated it? Did they mix it? Did they direct it? A describer historically would maybe do all of those roles, and now there’s so many different companies that are recognizing the value of what this is that they are starting to specialize. I’ve dabbled in writing before for Audio Description, but I’m not a pro. I’m very proud of the narration work I do, but it’s a very specific segment of Audio Description.
Roy Samuelson: Our audiences are definitely speaking up and saying, “You know what? There’s, there’s so much quality television out there, so much quality movies that we want that too. And the way that we get access to that is through the Audio Description track. And we want that,” excuse me, “we want that on the release date. So when a sighted person gets it, we should be able to get it too, we want the quality to be of a certain standard that isn’t something that was thrown together in a few hours. We want something that is professional.”
Roy Samuelson: And my favorite part, Melody, this is where I get too excited, is that a lot of the streaming services … There’s an FCC mandate for broadcast television for Audio Description, and that’s very slowly growing to where it needs to be. We’d love to have it at 100% and it’s getting there, but these streaming services aren’t under that requirement. And so, for some reason these streaming services are opting in to provide Audio Description, which tells me it’s not a mandate, it’s an opportunity. And they’re recognizing our what nearly 30 million blind and low vision Americans let alone across the world, that this is a service that’s being recognized as the value that it’s deserving. And that excites me to no end. I can talk for four hours, so you need to interrupt me.
Melody Goodspeed: No, you’re doing a great job. I love it. No, this is good because we’ve talked about this so much. But what I love, what you’re saying is is we’re looking at the whole person too, which I like about it because we … We’ve talked about how AFB, our mission is creating a life of no limits, and this is a whole person. And I love how the entertainment industry and what you’re talking about is really looking at the whole person because when you’ve worked all day or you’re at home, or we’re in our situation that we are where we’re social distancing, it would be nice just to be able to watch a movie and have conversations about it. It’s so nice for me to be able to say, “Oh my gosh, did you see that?” And be involved, even just normal conversations with your friends. And what your craft and your art that you’re doing and you’re so passionate about gives that to people, and that’s a gift.
Roy Samuelson: And the cool thing is there’s a lot of narrators and a lot of writers and a lot of vendors that are recognizing that. I think you used the word connection. It is … With those no limits, if there’s a popular TV show or movie that people are talking about, our audiences deserve to be a part of that conversation as much as anybody. And it is being recognized for that. So, I’m amplifying exactly what you’re saying, that that when it comes to no limits, one of the limits that’s being removed is that connection that we have. The Audio Description is filling a gap between the entertainment industry and our blind television audiences in a way that’s going to continue to grow.
Melody Goodspeed: That is awesome. I really love it. So, there’s two … And before, because I want to make sure we’re careful of everyone’s time, but there’s two things I really want to get into before we get into questions. And one of the questions I have for you is when you specifically are doing work, do you include people that are blind or vision impaired in on your production? Which I already know this, but I’m going to let you take it.
Roy Samuelson: That’s a great question. One of the things that’s most important to me … I’m a sighted narrator as I said, and it’s not my place to speak for people. I want to amplify people’s voices. And so, one of the things I’m learning specifically on social media is nothing about us without us. And I’m not sure when I first heard of it a few years ago, but it really caught my attention. And so, when I do have a choice and I do have an opportunity to bring a blind or low vision expert guide along with the Audio Description, I make sure that they’re included. Whether it’s if I do have an opportunity to produce something with Audio Description, or even in my own advocacy of teaching other voiceover talents what Audio Description narration is. There’s a real sense, an obligation on my part, a joyful obligation to make sure that there’s a blind or low vision adviser that’s included in that class that’s making sure that they are contributing to our narrators in a very clear and very specific way, and that’s nonnegotiable.
Melody Goodspeed: That’s awesome. And what do you find in that inclusion, having someone who is blind or vision impaired in with you while you were in production work or teaching narrators, how do you find that helps? What do you see there?
Roy Samuelson: Well, it’s a really selfish thing on my part because the contributions are from a perspective that are from our blind and low vision audiences that know what they want and they’re telling us what they want. This isn’t a sighted person putting on a blindfold for a movie. It’s a very specific experience that us sighted people can’t replicate, so we need your voices, your blind and low vision audiences who have experienced what works and what doesn’t. On one particular project that I was working on, the script was written by a pro and we had an engineer who’s done thousands of projects, and during the recording session we had the advisors on our call, and every single one of them contributed very specific, necessary notes that elevated the quality of the Audio Description in ways that a sighted expert could never do. And so, this isn’t a token oh, let’s bring a blind person onboard. It’s a legitimate need for making sure that we do provide the quality and excellence that our audiences deserve.
Melody Goodspeed: That is awesome. And how does that make it … What does inclusive design mean to you? Because we talk a lot about this, about building a life of no limits and also having that inclusion, and I know that’s something that you are super passionate about. And if you could talk to us a little about why you’re so passionate about that and how it’s changed you.
Roy Samuelson: Oh, sure. Yeah. The first thing that comes to mind is I’m still learning. I’m making mistakes and thankfully our audience is helping guide me and educate me and show me the way. But I’m also doing research. I want to make sure it’s not anyone’s obligation to teach me. It’s my responsibility to make sure that I’m learning what works best, and that’s got to be part of my job, whether as a narrator, any other role. So, inclusion to me is making sure that I’m listening to our blind and low vision audiences and what they want. The benefits to me are obviously I get really excited about it in case you haven’t noticed, but professionally it’s guiding my narration. Since I started engaging with our audiences, my delivery of Audio Description has changed, I believe for the better, because I’m listening to what works and what doesn’t work.
Roy Samuelson: Now, not everybody’s going to agree. There’s definite nuance in the same way that you might have a favorite actor who’s doing one project and you love her in it, but you find it another project that she’s involved in doesn’t work as well. Or you might have a favorite narrator that no matter what she does, she’s nailing it as an Audio Description narrator and you’re going to seek her out and whatever she does, I’m in. I love it. There’s a lot of … Again, back to my engagement with our audiences. It’s serving my ability to provide the best work that I can. And like I said, I’m not at the level I am … Right now I’m better than what I was yesterday and I’m going to be better tomorrow because I’m listening and making sure that I engage and find out what our audiences want.
Melody Goodspeed: That is awesome. That is really … Thank you so much for that. And I want to be able to get … Can you tell us how we access Audio Description?
Roy Samuelson: Yes. I love this part. Melody, this is great.
Melody Goodspeed: I just love how you love every part of what you do, which is amazing.
Roy Samuelson: Okay. Oh, good. There’s a bunch of different ways to access it. If you have what I’m calling a regular TV, a not smart TV, there’s a way to access the SAP channel, the Secondary Audio Program channel, and that’s specifically for broadcast television. On streaming services, once you start playing a video it’s pretty standard. There’s a setting. In the same place where you turn on closed captioning, you can also turn on different languages as well as Audio Description. That’s usually under the audio section. One of the great resources that I like to refer people to is the Audio Description Project, which not only lists the over 4,000 original projects, 4,000 just last month, but also-
Melody Goodspeed: Nice.
Roy Samuelson: Right? And then it also says, “Okay, if you’ve got Xfinity, here’s how you turn it on. If you’ve got Netflix, here’s how you turn it on. If you’ve got an iPhone with Netflix, here’s how you turn it on.” Apple TV plus, the new streaming services, if you haven’t turned it on I believe it’s free currently just because of the pandemic. If it’s a fee I’m not sure what it is per month, but they launched with nine different languages of Audio Descriptions, so that’s not just dubbing, that’s Audio Description in nine different languages for all their productions. It’s fascinating. Disney Plus launched pretty much all of their content with Audio Description. Amazon and Netflix are also, as well as Hulu, are all providing original content. It’s really great to see all this. So to answer your question, sorry, I got excited again, go to the Audio Description Project. There’s a lot of different places that will show you how to turn it on and also how to turn it off.
Melody Goodspeed: That is awesome. Yes, and I love those resources and we are going to be able to provide those resources to you guys too at the end of this. I really want to be mindful. We’re at 4:20 I want to be able to for people to have questions, but Roy, thank you so much for that. This seemed like two minutes, but every time we tried it seems like just two minutes.
Roy Samuelson: That’s how it goes.
Melody Goodspeed: I guess so. But no, this has been really great and I appreciate you taking the time to talk about this. And I just want to give a shout out to everybody who has joined us today and we thank you so much. I speak for AFB, we really thank you so much. And I think we need to [live 00:19:49] off with these people to give them a challenge, don’t you Roy?
Roy Samuelson: A challenge, Melody?
Melody Goodspeed: A challenge.
Roy Samuelson: What kind of challenge are you talking about?
Melody Goodspeed: I’m thinking that we need to have, if we have people that can see and are not familiar with Audio Description, that they also check out that and check it out themselves and see how they like watching a show. What do you think?
Roy Samuelson: Really?
Melody Goodspeed: Yeah.
Roy Samuelson: How about that?
Melody Goodspeed: It’s a good one, right?
Roy Samuelson: It’s a really good one. Specifically, I don’t know, I’m thinking about Audio Description Awareness Day that came out maybe-
Melody Goodspeed: Yes-
Roy Samuelson: Two ago that there was a … That was the launch of a similar challenge.
Melody Goodspeed: Yes. Is there a hashtag for that maybe we could use?
Roy Samuelson: I think Steph McCoy and Juan Alcazar on Twitter and as well as some other people created the hashtag ADADchallenge, which is short for Audio Description Awareness Day challenge.
Melody Goodspeed: Yes. That was on the 16th of April. I think it’s a good one.
Roy Samuelson: Okay. There we go.
Melody Goodspeed: There we go. So, we’re going to have-
Roy Samuelson: Oh my gosh, so much subtext here.
Melody Goodspeed: All right, well thank you so much. I want to open up, we are going to go ahead and Jerry here is going to, we’re going to open the floor up and he’s going to give us instruction on how we’re going to do that.
Original Publishing: https://www.afb.org/news-publications/publications/inform-and-connect-podcast/inform-connect-episode01-roy-samuelson