Terry Fator is one of the brightest stars in the field of ventriloquism. When he won America’s Got Talent it thrust the art of ventriloquism back to national attention. As a result, ventriloquists are in greater demand today for entertainment. But it wasn’t always that way. For years, ventriloquists were thought of as hack entertainers who played with dolls and moved their lips. The image wasn’t helped by movies and television. There was a stigma associated with the art and performing as a ventriloquist was sometimes difficult because of audience perceptions.
When Terry walked on stage the first time for America’s Got Talent, judge David Hasslehoff rolled his eyes and made a now famous quote: “Oh no, a ventriloquist…”
When I sat down to talk with Terry, I had to ask him how he mentally dealt with that reaction. His story is a solid piece of advice for anyone who wants to learn ventriloquism.
Video Transcript:
When you walked out and you heard David Hasslehoff say “Oh no, a ventriloquist…” I couldn’t hear him, but I could definitely, I could definitely feel that animosity, that whole thing of “Oh Jeez…”, I saw the eye rolling and I saw him just kind of look like… and I honestly in my head thought – I’ve got him right where I want him. Because if their expectations are low, and I know I’m going to exceed those low expectations, then, what do I have to worry about? Have confidence in your abilities. Prepare so you can exceed expectations.
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