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The “voice of God” and the Washington Metro live in Lewes

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The “voice of God” and the Washington Metro live in Lewes

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Guests checking in at the Avenue Hotel in Rehoboth Beach often tell Assistant Manager Randi Miller that it feels familiar.

“We go through the whole thing, you know, ‘Where do you live? Where do you work?’ And then, ‘How do you get to work?’ And I tell them to close their eyes,” Miller said.

In her smooth, professional tone, Miller tells them, “Step back! The doors are closing,” and they instantly recognize her as the voice of the Washington subway.

How Miller came to narrate one of the nation’s most heavily used transit systems is a bit of a fluke. In 2005, her colleagues at a car dealership in Alexandria, Virginia, pestered her to enter a contest to become the new voice of Metro.

“I had to burn it to a CD and FedEx it,” he recalled.

More than 1,200 people entered the competition. A few months later, Miller was sitting in the parking lot of a Kohl’s when she learned she was one of 10 finalists. Then the media started calling.

“It was all over the news. It was a big deal,” he said. “It was just weird.”

At the Metro Center event where the winner was announced, there was “a sea of ​​reporters and photographers,” Miller said. She had her phone ready to contact friends and family when the announcement was made, but when her name was called, she realized there was no signal underground.

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It wasn’t until hours later, after speaking to the crowd and answering questions for reporters, that she was then taken to a train for an interview with The Washington Post, which received dozens of text messages and voicemails from people who already knew her. d won The announcement had been broadcast live.

The next morning, a limousine picked her up at 5 a.m. to appear on the morning news shows.

“It was amazing,” Miller said. “It changed my whole life.”

His win created a bit of a conundrum at first, because his father had also entered the contest.

“At first, dad was incredibly jealous and didn’t want to talk about it,” she said. “But then everywhere we went together I had to tell everyone, ‘Hey, are you going on the subway? That’s my daughter!'”

A new career

Although the Metro gig didn’t pay off, Miller landed his first voiceover job the day after winning the contest and has since recorded for many major companies. He now works from a home studio in Lewes and counts Allstate, Advil, Nicorette, Bombay Sapphire, The History Channel and Nintendo as clients.

“E-learning has become a really big thing for me,” Miller said. He has recorded modules for the universities of Connecticut, Maryland and North Carolina.

He’s also the voice of Clever Devices’ smart buses for the blind in Fairfax and Los Angeles counties, he said.

In September, Miller served his third year as the “voice of God” (an industry term for an unseen teacher) at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York City. The event brings together government, business and nonprofit leaders to “drive progress” around the world, according to the initiative’s website.

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This year, attendees included Bill Gates, Katie Couric, Jane Goodall, Matt Damon, Prince Harry, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, and of course, the Clinton family. Bill Clinton asked to meet her, she said.

“The Secret Service came and grabbed me and I was like, ‘Oh, God.’ And they brought me over to him and said, ‘There you are, sir,'” Miller said. “We shook hands. He has incredible energy.”

Life in Lewes

Miller, now 63, moved to Lewes about 10 years ago with his parents. Both of his parents have since passed away, and a few months ago, he lost his beloved dog, Trevor.

“It’s been one hell of a ride,” he said.

In addition to doing voiceovers, Miller worked several jobs when she first moved to the area, eventually landing at The Avenue Inn in Rehoboth Beach, where she has since been promoted to assistant manager.

“I love being able to greet the ocean at sunrise before going to work,” she said.

Her home outside Lewes is in woodland, which she calls ‘the moonlit forest’. Feed the deer, foxes, opossums and raccoons and set up cameras to observe them.

“I like tending my flock,” he said. “I’m a big animal person.”

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.

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