PPS if twitter 🧵's aren't your thing, roysamuelson.com/afb-leaders…

This is what theADNA.org was created for: showcasing contributions, and craft, of pros. @aprilwattsvo was "featured on the NPR Money Matters Podcast talking about my role as an AD Narrator. Yep, they confirmed they found me on the ADNA" more: facebook.com/groups/theadnas…

Kudos to @jonbrockett & @SAGAwards for a wonderfully produced evening of celebration, entertainment, unity, and advocacy! To learn more about what it takes to put on an inclusive global event, listen to my interview with the Show’s Executive Producer here: theadna.libsyn.com/the-adna-…

Yes, I've been very quiet on @Twitter lately! I prefer to post useful and constructive content, and have been very busy building something quite exciting offline. Please excuse the silence, which may last another couple of months. I'm confident you'll like what comes next.

... joining our collaborations with each other. And our contributions to, and focus on, how great #AudioDescription can be.

... you’ve taken action - by letting decision makers know your thoughts of what you like and don’t like, and also found a place in this industry for yourself and brought others along, with our clear focus on including blind professionals. Thanks for ...

... an afterthought / charity / “how cheap can we make this?” toward the respect for quality and excellence of every role and aspect of this AD craft. You’ve joined in these discussions, and made significant cultural shifts, in how great AD can be. And ...

🧵I’m coming back to social media soon. And I felt I had to jump in with a thought that’s kept me smiling. It’s been thrilling to see the changes and growth - both in quantity and quality - since Kevin and I begin our strategic journey of pivoting #AudioDescription away from ...

PS With DEEP gratitude for the guiding force of @usdew and his tireless understanding. Bill Sarine for hearing the opportunities and taking steps. And the countless blind pros and audiences who join me in standing up for what's best for #AudioDescription.

In the choice of quality vs shitty vs nothing, let’s choose quality.

But back to AD specifically. The goal is dual – requiring AD *is* essential, but also ensuring AD is recognized in the film industry and business, which leads to economic justification and value. (Again, I’m eager to explore offline).

And as we’ve heard countless times, particularly yesterday and today: this inclusion drives innovation in AD and all workspaces.

I’m eager to sit down with production and studios to explain and explore in mutually beneficial fashion. These innovations are paving the way for more professionals who absolutely must contribute to this AD work.

I’ve been lucky and privileged to have accomplished much in my career, and I’m grateful for my successes. There is so much more that can be done, though. Alone, we can certainly go so far. Together, we can go further than ever imagined before. It’s time for us to work together.

And if I could be so bold, if any aspect of the AD is any less than the elements of production, that … is … lack of access. It is yet another form of discrimination. And blind talents in all aspects of AD is an essential aspect of matching these production elements.

To be clear, as talents are brought in, the quality of output for our blind audiences will meet the standard that each production has already established.

So with AD – vo talents, writers, engineers, editors, quality control professionals, and distributors can share – and be compensated for – their best work. And this … leads to the immersive experiences our audiences absolutely deserve.

That said, if you put out crap, anyone will bail. Our audio description discussion group has regularly shared this inescapable truism.

With all the inconsistencies, it’s a relief! It is far easier to secure blind and low vision audience loyalty, and hard to shake off. For sighted audiences, it remains an expensive and elusive goal to secure the attention, let alone loyalty.