RANDY WEST

Randy West is one of the more versatile and respected voice-over performers in television, having been entrusted with the announcing and audience warm-up duties on television’s longest-running and most successful game show, CBS’ venerable “The Price Is Right.”  NBC’s “Deal or No Deal,” as well as the network and syndicated versions of "Weakest Link" are also recent additions to a workload that has made Randy's a familiar face at Hollywood production facilities over the past 20 years.

Flip around the channels tonight and you might hear Randy announcing GSN’s new version of “The Newlywed Game.” Perhaps his voice is more familiar to you from his years on the long-running TV game show "Supermarket Sweep.” Although the job demanded a very different style, Randy also narrated the highly rated series "Hollywood and Crime" for CourtTV. And perhaps you've heard him announcing Nickelodeon's "Kids' Choice Awards," "Hollywood Showdown," the California Lottery’s “Big Spin,” or new episodes of Chuck Barris' classic "All New 3's a Crowd." Over the years, Randy has worked alongside iconic hosts Ryan Seacrest, Bob Barker, Wink Martindale, Dick Clark, Howie Mandel and Chuck Woolery.

And if you hear audiences laughing and applauding as you continue to channel-surf, there's a fair chance they're being encouraged by Randy West's in-studio antics. His warm-up at the tapings of hundreds of game show and sitcom episodes has become legendary for its ability to energize audience members to be at their most responsive. Randy is also active in the development of new game formats, and he has contributed his expertise at the run-through and pilot stages of a great many new concepts being refined for multi-platform play.

Between 2006 and 2009, Randy performed in the 1,000 seat Jubilee Theater at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas where “The Price is Right – Live” entertains fans of the TV show with a special theatrical version of the CBS hit. Thanks to new technologies, Randy continued his Los Angeles-based voice-over work while in Las Vegas. His recent commercial credits include spots for Nissan, Mattel, Ore-Ida, Mitsubishi, AT&T/Verizon, and Nestles.

While thoroughly contemporary, Randy's classic show business sensibilities are apparent in all of his work. One pundit said that Randy must have been "vaccinated at birth with a phonograph needle!" From audience regular at TV game show tapings in New York during high school, Randy's fascination with broadcasting was encouraged by veteran television announcer Johnny Olson.

Under Olson's mentoring, Randy began his career in radio. After learning the craft at suburban New York and New England stations, Randy trekked west and was on staff at southern California's KCAQ, KWNK, KKUR, KHTY and KGMX. He also contributed comedy material to WTJM-New York, KIIS-FM-Los Angeles, and KLUC-Las Vegas. For three years, Randy hosted the nightly "All About Love" talk show on KIEV-Los Angeles.

Randy has conjectured that there may have been some “cosmic symmetry” at play in his advancement in television announcing. “Johnny Olson was my teacher and a wonderful source of encouragement early in my career. Then, years later, I found myself standing in his footsteps, at his original podium, as the voice of CBS-TV’s ‘The Price Is Right,’ his signature show.” Following his mentor’s death, Randy was entrusted with Olson’s personal notes and memorabilia from an impressive 58-year career. From those materials and countless hours of conversation with Olson, Randy authored the 400-page definitive biography of the broadcasting pioneer. “Johnny Olson: A Voice in Time” was released in November 2009.

Following a string of small speaking parts on several TV sit-coms, and four years working on the CBS hit "The Nanny," Randy's interests led him to theater. He performed in the local cabaret revue "Bonkers and Bananas," as well as on stages coast-to-coast as Pooh-Bah in the national touring company of Gilbert and Sullivan's classic musical "The Mikado." "Every night another city... each performance was wonderful simply because we were thrilled to finally get off the bus! Singing to packed houses as large as 2,500 and sharing the stage with some incredible professionals was a tremendous learning experience. And it was a ton of fun."

Randy continues in TV voice work and audience warm-up on game, talk, sitcom and award programs, as well as commercials, promos, trailers and industrials, through the respected agent Mike Soliday at Solid Talent in Burbank, California. Randy has served on several committees at SAG and AFTRA, and is active on behalf of his fellow performers as an AFTRA convention delegate. Randy is a member of Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, and is an avid collector of vintage broadcasting microphones. He was a contributing author for the industry bible, “Voice for Hire,” and is featured in the new editions of "The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows" and "Los Angeles Radio People.

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