If the new voices wafting through MSP Airport sound vaguely familiar, you are correct. The MAC's Candy Capra, the Emergency Communications Center duty supervisor, and Patrick Mylan, a manager with IT, are among the 10 new "Voices of MSP" that began airing in mid-February.
Candy reminds travelers to "please note your parking level and ramp color" at the Terminal 1 and 2 parking ramps while Patrick shares this warning message in the Baggage Claim areas: "Caution: Claim carousel starting rotation."
"It was kind of silly how excited I was to be selected but I was super excited," said Candy (below). "I definitely have a lot of friends who travel for business and are excited to hear my voice."
While the MAC has switched up the "voices of MSP" every few years for decades, this marked the first time the MAC expanded its talent search to people from the entire MSP community.
"An engaged airport community makes for a great airport – that's one of my secret goals," said Phil Burke, assistant director of Customer Experience for the MAC who is the mastermind behind the Voices of MSP casting call.
In November, Phil and Shelly Lopez, Customer Experience coordinator, began soliciting people to audition. Sixty-five people applied whose auditions were reviewed by Phil, Shannon Gale, assistant manager of Facilities, and Barbara Lilland, communications coordinator for Delta.
Angel Altoro, a systems analyst with IT, recorded all the sessions in a studio in Concourse C and was instrumental in bringing the homegrown talent to life.
In addition to Candy and Patrick, eight other employees from MSP were selected from these organizations: American Airlines, Avis Car Rental, Delta Air Lines, Sun Country and TSA. All but one had no professional voice experience.
The ringer was Matt Michaliski, a part-time customer service supervisor with Sun Country who for 30 years has worked as a broadcast sidekick and producer for KSTP radio alongside better-known sportscast personalities Joe Soucheray and Pat Reusse. On air, Matt is known as "The Rookie."
"It's a pretty big honor to be the voice of MSP Airport," said Matt, who, like all the others, was not paid for his talent.
Because there is such wide interest in becoming a voice of MSP, Phil says he hopes to hold a casting call every year to further engage an already engaged MSP community.
"I'm proud to work for the MAC and I'm proud to work at MSP – doing these recordings was a way to show my pride," said Candy.
