OC Transpo politely declines offer by Rogen to voice LRT announcements
His is a voice you’d probably recognize from such cinematic masterpieces as Superbad and Pineapple Express — but actor-comedian Seth Rogen’s fame isn’t enough to land him a gig voicing OC Transpo bus and LRT announcements.
Ottawa’s public transit service already has a voice guy. And despite a recent Twitter offer from Rogen, it’s not looking to replace local talent Julian Doucet.
The Toronto Transit Commission announced Tuesday that Rogen had volunteered his time to voice public service announcements for the city ’s subway system.
That followed on the heels of Rogen’s gig as guest voice for Vancouver’s TransLink network.
In response to the Rogen-TTC partnership announcement, the Twitter account of our national cryptologic agency decided it wanted in on the fun.
The Communications Security Establishment tweeted at the City of Ottawa, suggesting Jeopardy’s Alex Trebek or actor William Shatner be the voice of Ottawa’s soon-to-be-completed LRT line.
“If they’re not around I’ll do it,” Rogen responded, sparking a range of emotional responses from fellow Twitter users.
“We appreciate Mr. Rogen’s interest, as well as the feedback from the Ottawa community,” David Pepper, city manager of customer services, said in a statement on Wednesday. “For now, the City of Ottawa is focused on launching a safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally friendly LRT system later this year.
“The timing is unfortunately not right to explore, develop and implement any new announcement program or courtesy campaigns.”
While Doucet’s voice might not garner the same acclaim as Rogan’s, his is likely recognizable if you’ve spent any time on Ottawa’s public transit system.
He was chosen as the voice of OC Transpo in 2010 “through a process that involved customer focus group testing,” Pepper said.
Doucet currently announces next stops, transit news and etiquette reminders on buses and the O-Train Trillium Line, and will soon be heard on the new Confederation Line.
Rogen fans, meanwhile, can take some comfort in the fact that Pepper didn’t categorically rule out the prospect of a celebrity voice on OC Transpo in the future.
“Once O -Train Line 1 is operational, and as we develop future customer-focused campaigns, we would be happy to explore new and creative options.”